Disillusionment of the American Anthem

What is the American National Anthem? In general, an Anthem is a Psalm, a praise, a chorale, or a hymn. The National Anthem for any country is a hymn that is repeated aloud to show loyalty to that nation and what its principals stand for. In some countries this loyalty is to its leader, and if that leader is a despot often that loyalty is forced upon its citizenry by harsh military regimes and laws. In other countries with democratic government and peaceful rule the loyalty by its citizenry is freely given without menace or fear of imprisonment. When a nation is founded on sound principals, law’s, and government based on democratic freedoms of fear of want, religious freedoms, fair elections and laws the protect people from unfair and unequal treatment. Loyalty is a freely given oath and the Anthem freely honored. And in those countries where there is strong freedom of speech, and the right to disagree in regard to politics, and who you want to vote for in election choices. Your loyalty is freely given by these rights and freedoms. When your Anthem inspires and encourages your loyalty. When the words, and the music behind those words make your heart flutter, and your pride swells in your countries Past, and Present. You see your countries future with renewed hope.

But when does the Present times disillusion that pride and you see the future as a very dim light at the end of a very long tunnel? Is it when you see the past achievements of your forefathers going to ruin? Change in any form is always a challenge for any generation or age group. When change is progressive on what has always been the right direction for your countries future, that change can be good for all concerned. But when that change is upsetting what was and has been the hallmark of the Nations Anthem and the promise of the foundation our forefathers built this nation on is in ruins. Change is challenged and rebuked. When this disillusionment in our American National Anthem leads us to lose the pride in what that Anthem stands for. Many rebel against change and those who seek to make that change wrong for our country. This Nation was built on one important factor. “That there will be no rule of one over all, but rather by representation by many where not one man or women rules all except as appointed by lawful election and by our constitutional laws and rights.” This country gained its freedom at a time when a “King” ruled the colony with an iron first. Where there were no freedom of speech, religion, commerce, and government. Where colonial governors where appointed by this King. A king who history say was nicknamed “Mad George”.

It is now 243 years later, and many would say that our forefathers are rolling over in their graves in realizing the foundation they built this country on is crumbling into chaos. Equally upsetting them is to see once loyal citizenry refusing to honor our National Anthem and show the respect it has always offered freely to all. Where does this disillusionment come from? Is it ordinary citizenry, or is it those we have elected to serve that citizenry? Rebellion have its roots deeply in the soil by the disillusionment of our government leaders doing what is right for this country. But what is right and what is wrong. Our country was founded on the principal that the people have the voice to speak out freely on this issue of what is right and what is wrong. When an elected official decides that he is right and dictates that what we say is wrong, falsehoods, fraud, and seeks to ban his critics from using public electronic forums to silence these critics. We have a public official violating our freedom of speech protect by law. A law that is the cornerstone of our countries foundation and its election system. If one or more citizenry make the choice to not honor our anthem based on this lack of freedom, nor to honor and respect the elected president of this country, the root of this disillusionment is not in the disownment of our country, but in the disownment of our President and what direction he is taking this country. Not in the many who are disillusioned about what direction this country is heading in.

Whether it takes 4 years or 8 years the wrong person in the White House can achieve more harm than good then any despot for life could in that short time period. When as evidence clearly shows, that this President was elected by foreign influence, a foreign power who was been traditionally an enemy of the state. If many question the Presidents elected legality can you also question their disillusionment as wrong as well. Whether or not our President was directly coordinating Russia’s involvement in his election as President. Many in this nation will not respect the person who resides in the White House as our Nation’s leader. Therefore, they lose pride in what the National Anthem stands for. The office of the President of the United States and the White House will always be a source of Pride for our Nation and what it has accomplished since George Washington first take the oath to serve this Nation as its first President. Yes, we have had a few Presidents with their personal peccadillos that have embarrassed the office of President of the United States of America. We have also had impeached Presidents as well. No nation can be free of these unfortunate choices for leadership of their country. Many democratic countries like ours, have the check and balances in place by law to see that such individual do not last long in office or in the White House. But never since 1969 of being an individual who has never missed voting in a National election for President of the United States. Seen such a debacle of disgrace, and ineptitude we have in the White house today. Nor in the inability of having common sense in our National congressional elected Representatives and Senators who fight tooth and nail over a power struggle that is destroying this nations pride and respect the world see’s in us. And that goes for its American citizens who are disillusioned in what the National Anthem once meant to them.

National Anthem, United States of America, Frances Scott Key written in 1814, Music by John Stafford Smith.

The Star-Spangled Banner

Oh, say! can you see by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming;
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there:
Oh, say! does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In fully glory reflected now shines in the stream:
’Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh, long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution!
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Oh, thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust”:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

The land of the free and the home of the brave are becoming no more then idle words when the freedoms once won with our life’s on battle fields near and abroad are diminishing. Freedoms once won by the brave who stood up in our streets, our town halls, our congress, against slavery, inequality, better life’s, poverty, and Freedom of speech are vanishing from our future. No more are the brave willing to fight in congress against power hungry officials elected under clouds of foreign influences and illegal activities that are robbing this nation of its once glory and respect in the world. No longer can the common citizenry respect our flag and are disillusioned and fear about this countries future in the hands of the present White House and Congressional leaders and administration. Wealth is no longer a privilege but a force for power over the lessor in this nation. No longer are the hopeful immigrant welcomed in this nation, though our very forefathers where immigrants all, who built this nation from their sweat, tears, and life’s to ensure this nation is preserved. We rather sell Billions in weapons to our neighbors then cry foul play when those very weapons are used against us. We ask others to disarm why we continue to arm criminals and mentally ill people who mass kill our children in schools, on the streets, and at public events. We strive to strike “In God we Trust” from our motto, defying our forefathers principal that “In God we Trust” will we built this nation, preserve this nation, and “In God we Trust” we will become a beacon for all to find our shores, the land of the free and the home of the brave.

We are to “Trust not in God”, but in Wall’s is our motto today.

Robert D. Vergeson