The Hill
Former Rep. Allen West (R-FL) blasted pop’s reigning queen of weirdness, Lady Gaga, for her rendition last week at a New York City gay pride rally of The Star-Spangled Banner. The singer substituted “home for the gays” for the original lyrics “home of the brave.” Lady Gaga sang, “Oh, say does that star-spangled flag of pride yet wave / O’er the land of the free, and a home for the gays” while wearing a rainbow flag.
West blistered the pop star on Facebook Monday, writing:
Having served in the US Army for 22
years alongside some very brave men and women, I find Lady Gaga's
defiling of our National Anthem reprehensible. We are the land of the
free because America has always been the home of the brave from
Lexington and Concord to Kandahar. This young lady should be taken to
Ft. McHenry and given a history lesson as to why Francis Scott Key wrote
those words incredible words. In this week where we remember the 150th
anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg and the 237th anniversary of our
Independence is further evidence of the level of ignorance and
disrespect some have for our national character. She and all those who
cheered her abomination should be ashamed and apologize to every serving
and retired member of our Armed Services. But perhaps I ask too much…
That's the same nonsense they said about Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock. Are you old enough to remember that?
I might think her rendition of The Star Spangled Banner is the most inspiring and ennobling of all time. On the other hand, I might find it rude, disrespectful and insulting. The same could be said of how I might view Hendrix' version. None of that matters. What matters is this: Freedom of expression is a fundamental right protected by the Constitution (not "given" or "granted" by it). It doesn't just protect speech of which I or anyone else might approve. It also protects the right to express things to which there may be significant opposition. In fact, it is in the protection of unpopular speech that we see the greatest value of freedom of speech. The right to say things that challenge others (including the "others" of our own government) is fundamental to freedom. It doesn't matter how many people oppose the views expressed. It doesn't matter if people are offended. It doesn't matter where on some political/religious/social/philosophical spectrum the ideas expressed may fall. Extreme left to Extreme right, the expression of these ideas is protected. The cause of liberty is better served by expanding all First Amendment freedoms, indeed all constitutional freedoms, than by limiting them. My apologies if this seems disjointed. I slept poorly last night and can't seem to get the right words out of the keyboard. Yeah, that's it. It's the keyboard's fault...
ReplyDeleteYou made sense to me. I'll add that my objection to those changed lyrics is that the idea of America is not limited only to special interests but to all, but she's free to sing it however she wants. The same is true for Hendrix, as tortured as some parts of that was. Let's remember, the anthem was originally a gentlemen's club drinking song.
DeleteThe point here is that the anthem or the flag or other such symbols are symbols of freedom, and as much as it hurts some in our country to see those moved to other meanings (desecrated, according to some), they have to be fair game to continue standing for freedom.
I can't say I care for her mangling of the Star Spangled Banner. That said, she has the right to sing it any way she wants, just as Allen West (or I) has the right to be offended by it.
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