Glad to hear we have nothing better to worry about in this country

$3.00/gallon gas and rising?
Nearly 2400 dead soldiers with more to follow?
A deficit of 200 gazillion-gazillion dollars and growing?

Are these important issues that require our full and prompt attention?

Today apparently none of these is as important as the wrong kind of singing.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The national anthem should be sung in English -- not Spanish -- President Bush declared Friday, amid growing restlessness over the millions of immigrants here illegally.

"One of the things that's very important is, when we debate this issue, that we not lose our national soul," the president exclaimed. "One of the great things about America is that we've been able to take people from all walks of life bound as one nation under God. And that's the challenge ahead of us."

A Spanish language version of the national anthem was released Friday by a British music producer, Adam Kidron, who said he wanted to honor America's immigrants.

When the president was asked at a Rose Garden question-and-answer session whether the anthem should be sung in Spanish, he replied: "I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English, and I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English and they ought to learn to sing the national anthem in English."

Waveflux gives the controversy the gravitas it deserves.

Shakes Sis puts the controversy squarely in context, juxtaposing it with the horrific story out of Texas in which a pair of skinheads nearly beat and sodomized a Latino kid to death, and explaining just why this particular type of Shit Happens.

That's as much strength as I have to read up on what ought to be a total non-issue.

Some of my best friends are immigrants. Some of my best students are immigrants. Fortunately for them, I suppose, they all speak English.

I don't know what language they sing in, though.