Claes -- would you please name your 10 most favorite patriotic songs for your
> country. ... (anyone else on this list feel free to do the same.)
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I take it by the answer you sent that you can't make such a list.
OK -- that, in itself, is an answer.
Over the years I've heard the comment, No one loves the land like the Irish -- except maybe the Americans. That's why we have so many songs -- because of the great love we feel for our country, and how blessed we are to be able to live here. And we express ourselves in song.
Admittedly, some of the music is to arouse people to fight ... "Over There" leaps immediately to mind ... but I see no harm in having music to inspire people to do battle when they're fighting for the things that are worth fighting for ... like Freedom.
But I take issue with your assertion of superiority. The most popular song in America today is Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" -- the chorus of which is:
I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me
And I'd gladly stand up next to you
and defend her still today
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,
God Bless the USA
Where's the superiority in that? Pride, Thankfulness for those that died so we could live in freedom, an expression of willingness to do the same and a request for God's blessing.
The same with God Bless America...
When the storm clouds gather
far across the sea
Let us swear allegiance
to a land that's free
Let us all be grateful
for a land so fair
As we raise our voices
in a solemn prayer
God bless America, land that I love
Stand beside her, and guide her
through the night with the light from above.
>From the mountains, to the prairies,
to the oceans white with foam
God bless America, my home sweet home...
The main thrust of both of these songs is to ask God's blessing upon the land. I see no indications of superiority, no suggestion that we're right and the rest of the world is wrong.
I know the God part sticks in your craw -- and I'm sorry about that -- but the USA is a Christian nation, founded on the principle that the Creator gave us certain rights that can be taken away by no mere man or government. I know that's hard for a lot of the world to understand because they don't know what real freedom is like ... just the version their government allows them to experience, if any at all. But it's the guiding principal for my country ... FREEDOM!
If you can -- go see Braveheart. It may be about a Scottish hero, William Wallace, but it expresses very well how freedom is thought of in this country. And Scotland is the third in the national trinity ... Ireland, Scotland and America -- where Freedom means so much. The rest of the world either has no freedom like China, Iraq, North Korea ... or has traded off their freedoms for a (to me) false sense of security.
Heaven knows the lack of patriotic music hasn't brought peace to the world. Maybe if people could regain their national pride and love of their respective countries instead of always settling for compromises, caring only about the trains running on time, world peace could finally be established. In strength there is peace. Weakness and a lack of purpose invite attack.
And you're right ... United We Stand ... even if we have to take on the whole world.
Lawana
PS: The "everybody else" argument doesn't hold much water but it does give the opportunity for a classical parental retort...
Everybody else signed the Kyoto Treaty ...
Everybody else joined the ICC ...
Now everybody else is going to jump in the ocean and drown ...
Are You going to jump too?
Just because "everybody else" does something, doesn't make it right.
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