tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12596260.post114759151257939808..comments2023-10-23T12:25:03.006-04:00Comments on Ramblin' with Roger: LINKORAMA: Catching Up Is Hard To Do: The newsRoger Owen Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05298172138307632062noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12596260.post-1147850317070137342006-05-17T03:18:00.000-04:002006-05-17T03:18:00.000-04:00You probably know that the music to the Star Spang...You probably know that the music to the Star Spangled Banner was an old drinking song. And even as a kid, I was always troubled by the fourth verse:<BR/>O thus be it ever,<BR/>When free men shall stand<BR/>Between their loved homes<BR/>And the war's desolation;<BR/>Blest with vict'ry and peace,<BR/>May the heav'n rescued land<BR/>Praise the Power that hath made<BR/>And preserved us a nation!<BR/>Then conquer we must,<BR/>When our cause it is just,<BR/>And this be our motto,<BR/>"In God is our trust!"<BR/>And the star-spangled banner<BR/>In triumph shall wave<BR/>O'er the land of the free<BR/>And the home of the brave.<BR/><BR/>I was reminded of this in a wire service article that appeared in my Sunday paper about militarism and adventurism, citing James K. Polk's adventures in Mexico (we're not imperialists; we're liberators) with W and Iraq.<BR/><BR/>My preference for the anthem, BTW, is America, the Beautiful: America! America! God mend thine every flaw.Roger Owen Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05298172138307632062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12596260.post-1147799768478196722006-05-16T13:16:00.000-04:002006-05-16T13:16:00.000-04:00I understand that you have to give up some things ...I understand that you have to give up some things for freedom, but that is going over the line and only going to lead to more trouble (my opinion).<BR/><BR/>As for the national anthem, I like the idea some have said of changing it to "God Bless America". "The Star Spangled Banner" is about a war we fought almost 200 years ago with a country that we now include as one of our closest allies. It's time to change. Look at "O Canada". It is a far better song and says more about the country and it's people. Now we just need to get hockey fans in the US to stop booing the playing of it when their team plays a Canadian team.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12596260.post-1147788056559417222006-05-16T10:00:00.000-04:002006-05-16T10:00:00.000-04:00Well, you know the saying that people who would sa...Well, you know the saying that people who would sacrifice freedom for safety deserve neither--perhaps that note should be telephoned to all those who think gathering phone records is just dandy.<BR/><BR/>Maybe this is a symptom of our tell-all society: since it's now cool to have your cell phone conversations in public and tell your inner-most secrets to Jerry Springer, why not share the love with Uncle Sam, as well?English Professorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15191669597257396380noreply@blogger.com