Nuestro Himno/ Star Spangled?

The Star Spangled Banner in Spanish? Calling it "Nuestro Himno," British music producer Adam Kidron came up with this idea.

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?idq=/ff/story/0001/20060428/0807444126.htm

Spanish 'Star-Spangled Banner' Draws Ire
By LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ

MIAMI (AP) - British music producer Adam Kidron says that when he came up with the idea of a Spanish-language version of the U.S. national anthem, he saw it as an ode to the millions of immigrants seeking a better life.

But in the week since Kidron announced the song - which features artists such as Wyclef Jean, hip-hop star Pitbull and Puerto Rican singers Carlos Ponce and Olga Tanon - it has been the target of a fierce backlash.

Some Internet bloggers and others are infuriated by the thought of ``The Star-Spangled Banner'' sung in a language other than English.

``Would the French accept people singing the La Marseillaise in English as a sign of French patriotism? Of course not,'' said Mark Krikorian, head of the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that supports tighter immigration controls.

 

When the Irish came here, they didn't make an Irish version. When the Italians came here, they didn't make an Italian version. When the Vietnamese arrived, they didn't make a Vietnamese version.

They wanted to become Americans, and that is what they did. There of course was some transitional period, and they all kept some of their culture, which enriched the country as a whole. But in the end, they became Americans. They didn't try to change America into what they had left, with of course a few exceptions.

This is just another sign that some of the Latinos/Hispanics are here only for what they can get, not for what they can give. I emphasize "some" and I am not against immigration (Legal, that is!). My ancestors were immigrants, in 1754. When they arrived, they had to sign a pledge of allegiance to the Crown of England, and became English subjects. Some of the others were already English subjects. But even they came looking for new opportunities and Freedom.

They left the old country behind them, and became part of the new. Is that too much to ask?

 

But Canada has a special situation, where the French were granted permission to keep their language after the British defeated them. 2 official languages merits 2 languages for the national anthem.

By the way, "O Canada" was originally written in français, then later translated into English. In fact, it was not officially adopted for many years because they could not agree on the English translation. When they did, it was different from the one that was most used.

 

I heard an immigrant, now citizen, from Mexico, say that this is a bad thing. He also said that the translation was very poor.

Probably comes from not knowing the history behind the song, and the struggle that it finds it roots in.

 

Does anyone have the meaning of this Spanish version?