Fox Pushes Bogus Conspiracy Theory That Nancy ‘Music Czar’ Pelosi Is Banning Patriotic Muzak
Fox Pushes Bogus Conspiracy Theory That Nancy ‘Music Czar’ Pelosi Is Banning Patriotic Muzak
Yesterday the right-wing site The New Ledger published a report about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) “problem” with “patriotic music”. For years, when you would call a congressional office and get put on hold, you’d either hear no music or some patriotic tunes. According to The New Ledger, “the Democratic House leadership” made “a sweeping decision” to replace the patriotic music with smooth jazz.
Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) even sent a letter to House Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Daniel Beard — who, The New Leader points out, “reports to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi” — objecting to the change. But as ThinkProgress reported yesterday, this story is nothing more than a conspiracy theory. We spoke to Beard’s spokesman Jeff Ventura:
The music was changed during recess as a pilot program in an attempt to offer offices a choice of hold music. [...]
This had nothing to do with the leadership — not in the beginning or the final outcome.
Basically, congressional offices have traditionally been able to have a choice of music or no music. The CD that had been in the congressional muzak system for “a long time” was a “patriotic tunes CD.” The CAO’s office wanted to test a program giving people a choice of multiple CDs and decided to try out a jazz CD because it’s “what a lot of companies have when you’re on hold.” However, based on the feedback they received, they simply decided to go back to the old system.
Nevertheless, Fox News decided to pick up the false report and run with it. From Sean Hannity’s show last night:
HANNITY: Now up until now you probably have been enjoying lovely patriotic tunes. Well, that is until Nancy Pelosi had anything to say about it. Under the current Democratic leadership, patriotic music was replaced with smooth jazz elevator music. … Well, let this serve as a lesson to the Democrats — don’t meddle with our patriotic music.
This morning, Fox and Friends discussed the important issue with former boxer George Foreman, who broke out and started singing “America the Beautiful” at the end of the segment. Foreman said that patriotic music was “a necessity” because it’s a “privilege” to call your federal lawmakers and something you can do “only in America.” “You better not have that jazz playing.” Host Steve Doocy noted that the “Democratic leadership” had decided to go back to the original music. “America wins!” he declared. Watch it:
Since when is jazz not American?
Transcript:
HANNITY: And have you ever tried to call your representative? Well, if so, you’ve probably been put on hold. Well, it’s the leadership in Congress who decides what music you will be listening to while you wait.
Now up until now you probably have been enjoying lovely patriotic tunes. Well, that is until Nancy Pelosi had anything to say about it. Under the current Democratic leadership, patriotic music was replaced with smooth jazz elevator music.
Well, Michigan congressman, Fred Upton, well, he was not about to stand for this. He wrote a letter to the House’s chief administrative officer, who reports that Speaker Pelosi, reporting that, quote, “Callers routinely express their delight in listening to a few notes of Americana. We should proudly embrace our nation’s patriotic songs, not callously shun them for elevator music.”
And guess what? In response to several calls from FOX News, a spokesman for the chief administrative officer said today, quote, “The music has been changed during recess, in an amendment to offer offices a choice of hold music, but based on the negative response that we received, it was changed back today.”
Well, let this serve as a lesson to the Democrats — don’t meddle with our patriotic music.
…..
CARLSON: Okay, now let me ask you this, George. When you’re getting ready for a big fight, do you like to listen to smooth jazz? Does that get you going? Or do you like to listen to some good old-fashioned patriotic music?
FOREMAN: Patriotic. It’s a necessity because it’s a privilege to be able to call your congressmen or senators. It’s a privilege, and you better remember, only in America that you can do something like that. You better not have that jazz playing.
MORRIS: Well here’s what happened in Congress. The past three weeks they switched the phone call music — the hold music — so if George Foreman calls me and I’m a congressman — that’s never going to happen! — but if that were to happen, you used to hear this music. (MUSIC) That would get you pumped up. Now, for the past three weeks, you were hearing this, George, if you were to call, this is the music you’d here — this is a little smooth jazz. This is what you’d hear. (MUSIC) George, you’re on hold right now.
DOOCY: Maybe the idea was to put people to sleep.
FOREMAN: I couldn’t dance anyway. Give me some old patriotism music. I don’t need that jazz. (CROSSTALK) I want to hear that the country’s working. There’s nothing like patriotic music. I got in big trouble in 1960, because I picked up a small American flag and waved it. But the point is, we weren’t there to earn money, we were there to represent our country, and that’s what they need to know now. When you call there and you get an answer, get your mind on patriotism.
DOOCY: The key is the House leaders, in their wisdom, decided, “This was a bad idea, so we’re going to start playing the patriotic music again.”
FOREMAN: Good.
DOOCY: America wins!
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waa, we hate nancy! Nancy isn’t an American! Dems are not Americans. Only people who betray America like reps are Americans…….heh.
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:45 amHANNITY: … Well, let this serve as a lesson to the Democrats — don’t meddle with our patriotic music.
Hook, line, and sinker…
Hilarious.
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:46 amHANNITY: Now up until now you probably have been enjoying lovely patriotic tunes. Well, that is until Nancy Pelosi had anything to say about it. Under the current Democratic leadership, patriotic music was replaced with smooth jazz elevator music. … Well, let this serve as a lesson to the Democrats — don’t meddle with our patriotic music.
Let’s see… Nancy Pelosi has been Speaker of the House since January 2007… seems like if she “had it ion” for “patriotic music” she would have moved on that diabolical plan before now — August recess two and a half years later.
And, seriously… how insecure does one have to be in terms of love for country in order to embrace “our patriotic music” to this degree?
They don’t realize how silly it makes them look.
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:47 amFox Pushes Bogus Conspiracy Theory That Nancy ‘Music Czar’ Pelosi Is Banning Patriotic Muzak
– - Listen…do ya smell something? It’s a Peabody Award.
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:48 amCRAP! Now I’m going to feel compelled to send back my George Foreman indoor grill … Man, what a butthead for going on that show …
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:51 amLOL! OMG! These people are jumping in head first irrelevance. Now it’s the MUSIC! How evil! I almost peed myself. Between Beck’s crazy White Board theories, to the evil MUZAC. I can’t believe anyone would admit the watch Faux News. What a joke.
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:52 amFOREMAN: Patriotic. It’s a necessity because it’s a privilege to be able to call your congressmen or senators. It’s a privilege, and you better remember, only in America that you can do something like that. You better not have that jazz playing.
Yeah, only in America can you call American congressmen or senators to their offices. Here in Mexico, all of my congressmen or senators are Mexican. Go figure.
/ObDisclaimer: yeah yeah “The USA” is not literally “America”, I know.
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:52 amOh that Fox – always on the cutting edge of reportage on the issues that affect most Americans the most.
like hold music.
for numbers most never dial.
that hasn’t been changed anyway.
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:53 amPatriotic Muzak = Flag Lapel Pins
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:53 amAfter seeing the story in TP yesterday, was there any question that Faux was gonna scream conspiracy today ?
And as hinted in the link to jazz, Jazz is not only American, but from the Heartland of America. Up and down the Mississippi River (and the Missouri to KC). And from there spread by rail throughout America.
But for the Neocons, I wonder if there is a problem that the development of Jazz is associated with people of color.
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:54 amHannity’s Ipod has ONLY John Phillip Sousa Marches, as performed by the Marine Corps Band.
He doesn’t understand why all Ipods don’t come preloaded and locked exactly the same way.
Because – Freedom is Totalitarianism.
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:55 amFox; the unholy alliances catalytic converter.
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:56 amI’m sure glad that Little Seanie Vanity, FoxSnooze and the republican’ts are keeping an eye on those pesky democrats who scuttled the patriotic “on-hold” music!
Why, who knows what they would have tried next if they’d gotten away with it . . . like maybe change the name of the french fries served in the House cafeteria.
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:59 amAnother urgent non-issue resolved by the “real” Americans at FokSnooze.
The collective IQ’s of the morning crew is a single digit number, and “Cubby” Kilmeade is still trying to find his “cojone’s” ever since Jesse Ventura demolished him during their “is waterboarding torture?” charade.
America’s Newsroom…..
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:00 pmFaux NUZ seems to have a stable full of mentally damaged staff. There is no other explanation. These people are mentally disturbed in the worst way. They behave like spoiled seven year olds with a deep seeded sense of entitlement. Destructive, mean and rude.
They don’t do anything to help the American people but are the first to drape themselves with the flag and throw themselves on the floor stomping their feet and screaming to get what they want.
I’m sick of of it. How can we best deal with these morons? You can’t take them seriously. You can’t talk to the them. Facts don’t exist. Yet they propagate the propaganda and misinformation that does real harm to democracy. WTF?
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:00 pmI think I speak for all of us when I make the observation that this little bit qualifies for Laugh of the Day!
ha ha
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:02 pmLies never take a day off. And people will believe anything they are told.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:02 pmWow. Are your heards spinning yet? Mine is. So many conspiracies and so little time! EVERYTHING is evil! Music, Liberals, Democrats, Hollywood, Immigrants, Socialism, and so on, and so on….
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:03 pmBadmoodman sed:
” – Listen…do ya smell something? It’s a Peabody Award.”
ha ha
If I could vote you up a dozen times, I would! Excellent! Man, do I ever loves me some hip insider left wing humor, especially at the expense of Bill O’Really?, via Senator Al Franken. I do believe the late great Molly Ivins was present for that one as well…
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:04 pmWill Tom Delay only be dancing with the Stars and Stripes Forever? If not, I expect FOX to be all over his case.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:05 pmDoes FOX only use “patriotic music” in its promotional ads?
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:07 pmNext segment on Fox and Friends- snickering at democrats because Fox’s level 74 elf mage would totally beat the dems if the Dems played D&D.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:08 pmI thought they cancelled that Half-hour News Hour thing. Did they rename it ‘Fox and Friends’? Still got nothing on The Daily Show, and it still isn’t funny.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:10 pmPatriotic@20, When my friend told me Delay was going to be on ‘Dancing with the stars’ I thought she was joking. The guy is practically a felon, but then again Tucker Carlson was on. And you know how respected he is (snark). I think the GOP wants to look hip.(???) Yeah right.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:11 pmThe S…T…U…P…I…D it B…U….R…N…S, make it stop.
The depth of ignorance of the Reichwingers is absolutely amazing.
It is getting harder and harder everyday to call myself an American, we have become a worldwide embarrassment.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:13 pmGO HERE and you can choose a couple of ways
to contact and tell them that they are liars!
Not that they care…but fun to tell them anyway.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,77538,00.html
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:13 pmThere are a number of head-scratching things going on here.
First — jazz is American. So is country, bluegrass, blues, R&B, rockabilly, dixieland, and any number of other genres. Personally, if I could choose what I wanted to listen to while on hold, I might select something like Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring”. Not only is it excellent music, it’s 100% American.
Second — it’s not “their” patriotic music. Conservatives don’t have a monopoly on patriotism. However, jingoism is all theirs.
Third — was Carlson serious when she asked George Foreman if it’s jazz or patriotic music that “gets him going” before a fight? Did she have some kind of point to make? Was she suggesting that it’s important to motivate people into fighting mode while they’re on hold with Congress?
Fourth — the fact that neither Nancy Pelosi nor any of the congressional leadership had anything to do with this pilot program doesn’t stop the people at Fox News from catapulting their propaganda. Okay, that’s not a head-scratcher; that’s a given.
Fifth — isn’t declaring victory and declaring that the Democrats lost because a pilot program didn’t work out (that’s why pilot programs are conducted) kind of like claiming victory over the Democrats because McDonald’s decided the McRib really wasn’t all that popular? It’s kind of hard to find a connection here.
Sixth — isn’t worrying about hold music kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel?
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:14 pmmisscoleopteramolly says:
Sixth — isn’t worrying about hold music kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel?
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:14 pm
____________
No. It’s tunneling through the bottom of the barrel and reaching the dirt below.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:18 pmThis reminds me of the old segment Fox and Friends did about ‘Patriotic Movies’. Link provided, but I can’t view it at work, maybe dead.
Man I miss Mclusky and Overspun.com. He put out some great vidies set to some great music.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:19 pmPerhaps they should play the full version of Arlo Guthrie’s
“This land is your land”, or Bruce’s “Born in the USA”.
That’ll fool them.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:20 pmAmerica has many kinds of music beyond “America the Beautiful”. I think this matters not one bit, it is another way to say that if you are a Democrat you do not love your country. I say that is bs! I love this country as much as they do, and I am tired of them bringing up this stupid stuff, and not doing something real like passing a good health care bill.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:21 pmFox Pushes Bogus (fill in the blank) Story!!!!
Fox is the filthy offspring resulting from the copulation between the National Enquirer and Joseph Goebbels.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:23 pmFOREMAN: You better not have that jazz playing.
_____________________________________________________________
Wow — he seems to feel pretty strongly about an issue most of us don’t even think about. What happens if somebody has jazz playing when he gets put on hold? Does he track them down and then punch them out? What does he do when he calls his bank? His doctor’s office? Any airline?
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:25 pmI should learn how to link. :(
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:26 pmThese idiots just walk around looking for things to be angry about.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:26 pmToby Keith can rest easy knowing that godless jazz is gone and that good ol’ patriotic muzak is back for all those who still can’t get a hold of their representatives.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:27 pmA man that names all five of his sons George probably doesn’t require much variety in anything.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:28 pmIf this weren’t the standard for faux I would be surprised. They just put one stupid thing out there after another. What really bothers me is how anyone could take this crap seriously – but they are out there – now, that is scary.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:28 pmSave a birther — defend hold music
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:30 pmQuick, someone do a poll of who believes this nonsense! So we know how many people we need to laugh at.
Maybe if we laugh at them they won’t be so quick to believe everything they hear from Faux ‘News’.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:30 pmmisscoleopteramolly says:
Wow — he seems to feel pretty strongly about an issue most of us don’t even think about. What happens if somebody has jazz playing when he gets put on hold? Does he track them down and then punch them out? What does he do when he calls his bank? His doctor’s office? Any airline?
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:25 pm
He whacks them with one of those dumb Foreman Grills.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:31 pmRight-wingers are the most patriotic traitors in the world.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:32 pmFYT
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:33 pmA man that names all five of his sons George probably doesn’t require much variety in anything.
Oh, I beg to differ. I think those five sons have at least three mothers. Good old George likes him some variety, all right!
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:34 pmNothing says ME ME ME like naming all your kids after yourself!
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:40 pmUm jazz was created by black folks. Black folks are not American. Shitty, sure – but there’s nothing remotely difficult to *understand* about the line of thought.
Pretending that it’s hard to understand just helps them. Please stop helping them.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:41 pmSo Sean Hannity likes his patriotic Musak? Boy, have I got a deal for him.
You seem to really like Musak, Sean. Do you think you could last listening to it nonstop?
You’ll do it for charity? For every second you last, $1000. Live or on tape, provided other networks cameras are there. $1000 a second, Sean, because this is no game. This is serious stuff. Put your money where your mouth is, and your ears. And I’ll double it when you admit you feared for your life. When you admit the horrible truth. Musak, a symbol of the last administration, is torture.
(With apologies to Keith Olbermann.)
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:49 pmFOREMAN: Patriotic. It’s a necessity because it’s a privilege to be able to call your congressmen or senators. It’s a privilege, and you better remember, only in America that you can do something like that.
No, Mr. Foreman, it’s your RIGHT! Have you ever heard of something called the Constitution of the United States? Have you ever heard of the Bill of Rights? It’s not a “privilege”, it’s one of your First Amendment Rights to be able to call your Congressman or Senator and tell them what’s on your mind.
And if you’ve forgotten that (or never learned it), then you’re not a very good citizen, or a very well-informed one, at least.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:50 pmWTF!
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:53 pmPoor old George Foreman. I think he got hammered in the head a couple too many times by “The Champ” back in 1974’s Rumble in the Jungle.
John Phillip Sousa music is the only thing that drowns out the ringing noise in his head.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:57 pmI hate patriotic music unless its played by Jimi Hendrix…..or on an electric guitar….most “head bangers” would surely agree.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:57 pmI can’t wait until the Fuks News show a segment equating Elvis and Raygun.
I mean, sht, Ronnie Raygun fought commies in bed next to bonzo.
And the Chimperor was playing guitar while New Orleans was drowning.
Fux Fuk News.
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:00 pmTo Mathazar @ 30,
Minor correction – “This Land Is My Land” was written and recorded by Arlo’s daddy, Woody.
And of the original Weavers, thank God Pete Seeger is still around!
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:02 pmThere’s a simple bipartisan solution to this:
“Living In America“.
James Brown fixes everything.
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:03 pmThis comment has been voted down. Click to read.
Even for Fox, this is impressively neurotic.
Muzak, in general, is an abomination, but what could be more American than jazz? (*)
(*) You know, unless you’re Django Reinhardt or Movits! or something. But they’re still playing American music, dammit.
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:12 pmjazz is far too complex of an art form for those morons to get
they prefer country “music” because its extremely easy to listen to, only has 3 chords, and its lyrical content describes the daily goings on of their trailer parks
as a jazz musician (who grew out of country a loooooong time ago), this is the silliest issue yet
redneck goobers don’t have the brain power to get jazz
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:20 pmJust to illustrate the idiocy on another level that others haven’t seemed to point out:
The Star Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key, an American, and set to the tune of The Anacreontic Song, a British drinking song. A muzak version, which generally has no lyrics, of The Star Spangled Banner, therefore, is not an American song, but quite literally a British pub song.
Yankee Doodle, another popular patriotic tune, is a British song describing an uncouth hick. It was written and used to mock Americans. The fact that we picked it up and proudly ran with it doesn’t make it patriotic, it makes us clueless as to what we are talking about, a symptom of American-ness since the French-Indian War, apparently.
God Bless America was written by Irving Berlin, a Russian Jew, and set to the tune (at least partially) of a Jewish novelty song.
This Land is Your Land is thoroughly American, but has been adopted by numerous democratic countries across the globe.
So, essentially, playing jazz music instead is taking all these foreign and foreign-inspired songs and replacing them with truely American songs. You have to appreciate the irony.
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:22 pmThey treat their viewers like children. They convince them that all Democrats are boogie men and that Republicans are like Santa Claus. I guess they understand their following and their average IQ.
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:23 pmNOBODY CARES!
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:24 pmFunny how the “patriots” at fox like cowardly hannity have never served in any military forces. They cheer on the troops but are to cowardly to serve. Hannity can’t even honor his pledge to be waterboarded for charity…….Chicken hawk coward.
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:25 pmSorry Paul, my bad, I agree with you on Pete Seeger. He’s a
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:29 pmnational treasure.
I assume you’re referring to PLC referring to convicted felon Tom Delay putting on dancing shoes when he should be in prison. Pathetic you’re defending scum of the earth Delay. I guess it even embarrasses you since you were so obtuse about it.
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:30 pmAre we talking about the same “patriots” that call our president a nazi?
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:35 pmFox: a bunch of liars.
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:36 pmsmidget #58 Great point! I’d forgotten all about that. By the
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:43 pmway, isn’t “My country tis of thee” sung to “God save the queen”?
Us Okies are quite proud of Woody Guthrie, form Okemah, Oklahoma. Fortunately most of them don’t know this farm and union champion was a dedicated socialist and a member of the communist party.
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:45 pmThere is a great portrait of him at the state capital,
and his son Arlo attends the Woody Guthrie annual festival in Okemah.
Oklahoma used to be a lot bluer.
Since when is jazz not American?
Of course, jazz is not American!
It is from New Orleans. And New Orleans is not in America.
That’s why they let it drown :-(
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:46 pmWhy, yes, Mathazar. It certainly is. I missed that one entirely. Nice call.
It just goes to further the point, really. Jazz is American music (as are genres like Rock and Roll and Bluegrass). These are really the only truely American styles of music.
Why do I have the feeling that because they all descended from African-style music (yes, even Bluegrass – the banjo was invented by American slaves who crafted it after several African instruments) that they are deemed less patriotic? Am I just being cynical again?
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:53 pmMy My My, such a stink over what, music? Lets get real folks, American music is patriotic music, it doesn’t have to be Sousa to make it so. There are a lot of patriotic songs out there that are modern hip and just plain good. Personally, I like Jazz.
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:55 pmFk U Bovine.
Did you miss me these last few days, you moron?
I have my own internet stalker, that is you, idiot.
I thought you went under therapy for your closet homo tendencies. But intervention by Glenda didn’t pray the horse milking out of you.
So you had to come and announce to the world what a sick fk you are.
Get it through your thin Fox Viewer skull.
F-u Morons. f-U SORE LOSERS.
F-U idiots shiiiiting you diapers in fear.
You LOST.
You LOST.
You LOST.
Why do you stupid fks hate America?
Give my f-u’s to your cows and JBshiet.
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:57 pmUhm. First of all, calling your democratically elected representative isn’t a priveledge…it’s a right.
Second, speaking as a Canadian, I’m pretty sure that I also have the right/priveledge to call my federal officials. It isn’t just Americans who get to do that, so I don’t see what “patriotic music” has to do with anything. Funny how they have no problem with NO hold music at all. I mean, if their whole arguement is that NOT playing patriotic music is horrible, then why haven’t they complained about not playing it at all.
Third, if these so-called patriots are so worried about patriotic music, let’s hear them sing the Star Spangled Banner. Because I personally doubt they even know the words to the whole song.
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:04 pmThis is an example of what happens in the Fox News warroom. My vision is that you have a bunch of staff “writers” sitting around think of ways to criticize Obama and Democrats. This is what happens when they criticized Obama’s choice of mustard, or the way he got his dog.
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:07 pmBut were they all wearing flag pins when they made these stupid comments?
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:10 pmThey should put Michael Jackson, the Dixie Chicks, and the Greatful Dead on the Musak system, that will give those folks over at Fox a chance to froth at the mouth.
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:13 pm58. Smidget, may I add that in Yankee Doodle the “stuck a feather in his cap and called it Macaroni” line, Macaroni was a congregating spot for the fashionable gays (and thus also seen as the showplace of high fashion, per stereotype).
So it is a double insult that the hick thought a feather fashionable plus the tried and true insult of sexuality.
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:15 pmThird, if these so-called patriots are so worried about patriotic music, let’s hear them sing the Star Spangled Banner. Because I personally doubt they even know the words to the whole song.
I have to say that it is incredibly unlikely that they don’t know the words. I’d give you that point if you said “Sing God Bless America,” or “America the Beautiful,” or “This Land is My Land.” But not the Star Spangled Banner, if for no other reason that it is played and/or sung before every sporting event in the country.
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:15 pmMapleStreet
The whole song is incredibly insulting. Why in the world the Yanks picked it up and said “Hey, this is a GREAT song, let’s call it a patriotic tune!” I’ll never know.
I have never really cared for that song, myself.
And, I much prefer “America the Beautiful” as a national anthem than I do “The Star Spangled Banner,” despite the former’s religiously-inspired imagery, because I am not a fan of the latter’s war imagery. But that’s just me. I still sing along at ballgames.
*interesting fact I learned while researching some of these songs: Did you know that the Chinese characters for “United States” literally translate to “Beautiful Country”? I didn’t know that before today, and I must say, that’s really cool.
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:24 pmFox Theatre is just disgusting. How can some people actually watch it.
Fox Theatre likes Sarah Palin for President.
Fox Theatre apologises for Cheney.
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:28 pmIt looks like the Fox “personalities” haven’t figured out how fcuked they are.
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:36 pmSince when is jazz not American?
Didn’t you get the memo?
If McConnell, Boner and Uncle Grumpy don’t listen to it, it isn’t American. If Nancy Pelosi listens to it, it isn’t American.
And don’t go bothering anyone with the fact that McConnell, Boner, and Uncle Grumpy don’t listen to anything but their own wheezing and the buzzing where their brains would have been if they’d not been born straw dogs…
\I will now turn the sarcasm OFF
For God’s sake, of course Jazz is American. It’s one of the few uniquely American musical forms. Fox News isn’t unique or American, nor is the Fox Network; with respect to the USA, there’s very good reason to call Fox, Faux or Fux. They’re running under a false flag of “sky-is-falling” nutball concern and doing their damnedest to produce a righty screwing for all of us on behalf of half-baked idiots like Beck and Hannity, all for the profit of ol’ Marse Rupert.
September 2nd, 2009 at 4:53 pmHmmm…must not be any pretty white girls missing these days.
*eyes rolling*
September 2nd, 2009 at 5:30 pmAt least they’re not pressing for Protestant hymns. That would be painful.
September 2nd, 2009 at 5:45 pm83. wiley says: At least they’re not pressing for Protestant hymns. That would be painful. September 2nd, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Depends on the hymn and the choir. A lot of the black church gospel choirs can make even an atheist, certainly this old backsliding Talibabtist agnostic, want to give up a hallelujah or two and an amen.
And although the Mormon Tabernacle Choir isn’t, strictly speaking, Protestant, they can render a pretty good “Battle Hymn of the Republic”, as well as doing nicely with some formal church pieces, like Handel’s “Messiah”, which aren’t, strictly speaking, hymns.
But I’d expect a politician to have something like busker music, with a tin cup for donations rattling in the background.
September 2nd, 2009 at 6:57 pmwiley says:
At least they’re not pressing for Protestant hymns. That would be painful.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Not always. Remember Cat Stevens singing Morning has Broken? That was a Methodist hymn
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:05 pmI’m sure someone’s already started one of those “patriot emails” in order to spread the word about the Big Bad Libs. The sad thing is, I know several people who will buy this conspiracy without a second thought, and I’m expecting that forwarded email from them any moment now.
Gonna bookmark this thread to make sure it gets sent to Snopes when that email finally comes out so that they can officially debunk it.
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:56 pmOne thing I have always admired about your country is your jazz music. That series about jazz on PBS a little while was one the best PBS series ever. And how any American can snear at jazz is absolutely astonishing. Jazz music is one of your country’s greatest gifts to the world.
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:57 pm86. bluesunflower says: I’m sure someone’s already started one of those “patriot emails” in order to spread the word about the Big Bad Libs. … conspiracy … September 2nd, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Oh gawd, I see what the problem is now. It’s supposed to be Big Band Libs, not Big Bad Libs. The Rs are insisting on something more individualistic, like Miles or Mingus fronting a trio, not some ginormous bop squad like the Duke’s or Count’s orchestras.
Or is it the other way round? They want lockstep swing like the Dorseys, not the anarchy of Bix or Bird…. Sheeyit, gotta go strain my brain on that one…
September 2nd, 2009 at 10:39 pmSo, once again, the Dem majority gives in to the crazies. When are our liberal reps going to grow a pair, and start calling these rightwing nutjobs for what they are. So far, I’ve only heard Barney Frank call these people what they are.
September 3rd, 2009 at 12:18 pmvery thanks for article!
September 4th, 2009 at 10:59 am