The Star-Strangled Banner
I'm not a big fan of war. With a few notable exceptions, I can't think of too many instances where one team of people killing another team of people ever made anything much better. Warriors, however, are a different story. I admire them—their motivations, their willingness to accept self-sacrifice, their sheer grit. Warriors, yes—the governments they fight for, not so much.
Which brings me to our National Anthem. It used to belong to all of us. Sure, it's a weird old song composed in the midst of a forgotten war and paired to the tune of an old English drinking song, but it was ours. Not any more. The United States government has a stranglehold on it.
Some context: The Star-Spangled Banner didn't officially become our national song until 1931, eclipsing other unofficial, yet equally popular anthems such as Hail Columbia, My Country 'Tis of Thee and America the Beautiful. Nonetheless, playing the SSB before sporting events was hit or miss for decades until the advent of public address systems and television broadcasting increased its appeal.
Enter the National Football League. In the 1960's professional football surpassed major league baseball as America's favorite sport and it hasn't looked back. With football's bombs, shotguns, front lines, aerial assaults, defensive stands, sudden deaths and enemy territories, an inevitable coupling with the military seemed fitting. Fast-forward to today's pre-game anthem, the NFL and the Pentagon spare no expense with stealth bomber flyovers, football field-sized flags and all five branches represented during the ceremonies. And make no mistake, it is a targeted ceremony (often paid for by the military, not the football teams playing—yes, that means taxpayer dollars) to marry football, patriotism and military service in one orgiastic production.
Now before you start trolling, let me state unequivocally that I love my country—its history and its greatness. But over the last two and half centuries there has been an awful lot NOT to like as well—slavery, corporate greed, Jim Crow, the Indian Wars, McCarthyism, not to mention foolish foreign interventions. Regardless, I am long past tired of how the U.S. military has appropriated the Star-Spangled Banner for itself alone. I think it's high time a whole lot of other folks are acknowledged and appreciated when the national anthem is played. In no particular order some of them are:
1. Single parents: A thankless and overwhelming job
Which brings me to our National Anthem. It used to belong to all of us. Sure, it's a weird old song composed in the midst of a forgotten war and paired to the tune of an old English drinking song, but it was ours. Not any more. The United States government has a stranglehold on it.
Some context: The Star-Spangled Banner didn't officially become our national song until 1931, eclipsing other unofficial, yet equally popular anthems such as Hail Columbia, My Country 'Tis of Thee and America the Beautiful. Nonetheless, playing the SSB before sporting events was hit or miss for decades until the advent of public address systems and television broadcasting increased its appeal.
Enter the National Football League. In the 1960's professional football surpassed major league baseball as America's favorite sport and it hasn't looked back. With football's bombs, shotguns, front lines, aerial assaults, defensive stands, sudden deaths and enemy territories, an inevitable coupling with the military seemed fitting. Fast-forward to today's pre-game anthem, the NFL and the Pentagon spare no expense with stealth bomber flyovers, football field-sized flags and all five branches represented during the ceremonies. And make no mistake, it is a targeted ceremony (often paid for by the military, not the football teams playing—yes, that means taxpayer dollars) to marry football, patriotism and military service in one orgiastic production.
Now before you start trolling, let me state unequivocally that I love my country—its history and its greatness. But over the last two and half centuries there has been an awful lot NOT to like as well—slavery, corporate greed, Jim Crow, the Indian Wars, McCarthyism, not to mention foolish foreign interventions. Regardless, I am long past tired of how the U.S. military has appropriated the Star-Spangled Banner for itself alone. I think it's high time a whole lot of other folks are acknowledged and appreciated when the national anthem is played. In no particular order some of them are:
1. Single parents: A thankless and overwhelming job
2. Research scientists: Remember that last pandemic? Neither do I. Thank you, Dr. Jonas Salk.
3. Addicts who get sober and stay sober: They fight the same heroic battle everyday.
4. Ralph Nader: Sure, he screwed Al Gore in 2000, but tens of thousands of people are alive because of the battle he fought against the auto industry 50 years ago.
5. Suffragettes: Hard to believe most women have only had the vote for a century.
6. Abolitionists: They turned a fringe cause like anti-slavery into a moral issue that led to the 13th Amendment.
7. People who marched for any and all civil rights: In other words, thousands upon millions.
8. Daycare workers: An absolutely indispensable part of modern work and family life.
9. National and state park employees: Our need to escape into nature has never been more necessary while these spaces are more under threat.
10. 9-1-1 dispatchers: Calm, cool, collected life-savers.
11. The Center for Disease Control: See number 2, among other things.
12. Historians: Pretty darn important in the fact-free era.
13. Journalists: See number 12.
14. Nurses: The heavy lifters of the healthcare industry.
15 Public-employee unions: 40 hour work week, overtime pay, sick leave, vacation days, worker's compensation . . . all thanks to unions.
16. The National Endowment for the Arts: A government that doesn't invest in the arts has lost its way.
17. Public Television: We would all be a whole lot poorer without Fred Rogers, to name one.
18. American Civil Liberties Union: Protecting the Bill of Rights since 1920.
19. The founding fathers of Jazz: The one truly original form of American music that spawned everything we've listen to ever since.
20. Gaylord Nelson: The Wisconsin Senator kicked off the environmental movement that is more important than ever.
21. The Humane Society: Dogs....nuff said.
22. Librarians: A dying breed, but their love of books—good old-fashioned hardcover, paperback, bound books—is as noble as it is quaint.
23. Kids who succeed despite awful home lives: I've seen plenty of them in 22 years in the classroom and they never cease to amaze me.
An incomplete list for sure, but there's a whole lot more Americans out there who are hardworking, humble, patriotic and heroic on a daily basis than just our men and women in the military. Perhaps it's time we raise a flag in their honor too (and maybe adopt This Land is Your Land as the new national ditty).
14. Nurses: The heavy lifters of the healthcare industry.
15 Public-employee unions: 40 hour work week, overtime pay, sick leave, vacation days, worker's compensation . . . all thanks to unions.
16. The National Endowment for the Arts: A government that doesn't invest in the arts has lost its way.
17. Public Television: We would all be a whole lot poorer without Fred Rogers, to name one.
18. American Civil Liberties Union: Protecting the Bill of Rights since 1920.
19. The founding fathers of Jazz: The one truly original form of American music that spawned everything we've listen to ever since.
20. Gaylord Nelson: The Wisconsin Senator kicked off the environmental movement that is more important than ever.
21. The Humane Society: Dogs....nuff said.
22. Librarians: A dying breed, but their love of books—good old-fashioned hardcover, paperback, bound books—is as noble as it is quaint.
23. Kids who succeed despite awful home lives: I've seen plenty of them in 22 years in the classroom and they never cease to amaze me.
An incomplete list for sure, but there's a whole lot more Americans out there who are hardworking, humble, patriotic and heroic on a daily basis than just our men and women in the military. Perhaps it's time we raise a flag in their honor too (and maybe adopt This Land is Your Land as the new national ditty).
Don't forget teachers, poets, song writers and recording artists; and when you add them, include yourself in that list!🤔
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