Over the weekend, I noted an effort by Latino artists to Spanglish-ize the National Anthem in a show of solidarity with illegal aliens.

It’s called “Nuestro Himno.”

I repeat my question: Who’s assimilating whom?

The New York Daily News’ David Hinckley expresses similar concerns:

Between the rockets’ red glare and the bombs bursting in air, America’s national anthem offers plenty of fighting words.

It has also triggered fighting words, and there’s a good shot it will trigger more this week when Latino pop stars release a version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” set to “urban Latino rhythms” and sung mostly in Spanish.

The singers, who include Mexican diva Gloria Trevi, Puerto Rican reggaeton star Don Omar, Ivy Queen, Reik, Voz a Voz and Franco De Vita, didn’t make this recording because they think America’s national anthem is such a splendid piece of music that it begs for multilingual exposure.

No one, anywhere, has ever thought that about “The Star-Spangled Banner,” whose tune started life as an unpretentious British drinking song.

The intent with “Nuestro Himno,” or “Our Anthem,” is quite specific.

“We decided to show our solidarity with the undocumented migrants,” says President Adam Kidron of UBO Records, which is releasing the track to coincide with a U.S. Senate debate on an immigration bill whose carrots and sticks could change the lives of maybe 12 million immigrants, documented and otherwise.

The song tries to say in music what millions of immigrants have argued in recent street demonstrations: America’s tradition is inclusion.

Let’s just not be surprised if it stirs other folks to say that America also has a tradition of English, and that if you really want to be part of things here, you don’t make it by singing her song in some other language.

Whose anthem, whose flag, whose country is it, anyway?

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