Oh hurray for you. :)

Our national anthem was originally a pub song before our "Star Spangled Banner" lyrics were introduced by Francis Scott Key.

So if the non citizens/illegals want to write their own version.... I'll call it the "Far-Bungled-Spammer"-- just for fun -- I'd consider that a new song.

And I'm for English as the predominant language spoken, written and used in the USA. If our country is home to an overwhelming majority of one or more groups of foreign language speakers who are pumping money into our economy in some way or another, whether through billion dollar business deals or purchasing a Whopper at the BK drive-thru, their language needs should be accomodated in directional signage and basic hospitality (hotel, dining, travel) needs.

But if you are a citizen, you should do what immigrants did in the "olden days"-- retain your cultural identity, embrace your cultural identity... and learn to speak ENGLISH so you can fill out voter registration forms, get your drivers license and go about your daily life with your fellow countrymen who, depsite their diverse and rich cultural backgrounds, have one common language.

You're such a sweetie for pointing all that out!!! ;)

RE: teaching official languages
 

What I find interesting in Ireland is the teaching of Irish. It is mandatory for students to take Irish and pass an exit exam in the language. Signs are in Irish and in English, but in Irish first (in the republic...Irish is a hot button issue here in the North). However, even students who pass the exam, don't speak the language. It is only spoken in remote areas in the south and west Gaeltacht (almost literally "Gael talk") regions, and even then, those people speak English.

But the recovery of Irish, Scots Gael (and Ulster Scots..a mix of the two), and Welsh has been slow. The English language/occupation of these areas meant people were FORCED by brutal punishment to speak English. It nearly exterminated the language.

Something to think about...

Re: RE: teaching official languages
 

No, it's not

"UPDATE ON INCORRECT STORY: Contemporaneous media accounts (see here for example) report that Secada was singing “America the Beautiful,” not the national anthem. The story from Cox News below, reporting that Secada sang the national anthem in Spanish, appears to be in error."

Liberal blogs are spreading the incorrect story. Maybe you got it from one of those blogs?

The issue isn't the right to say whatever you want and to translate any song you want. I couldn't give a crap if people were singing the anthem in their backyards in Yugoslavian or in a bar in spanish or whatever. That's free speech.

The issue is that I don't want to see the national anthem used in official celebrations or even at schools if it's not in English. I don't even know if kids say the pledge of allegiance, sing the national anthem at assemblies or if assemblies are even had anymore but it bothers me to think that kids could be singing that in a group, taking classes in Spanish, and then rejecting English. And I hope that a law is passed to designate English as the official national language too just to clear up the confusion for the illegals.

Also the translation of 1919 is different from Nuestro Himno. In fact, why don't we make the theme from the Brady bunch be another translation for the Star Spangled Banner? Here is Nuestro Himno.

Nuestro Himno
Published April 26, 2006
Verse 1
Oh say can you see, a la luz de la aurora/Lo que tanto aclamamos la noche al caer? Sus estrellas, sus franjas flotaban ayer/En el fiero combate en senal de victoria,/Fulgor de lucha, al paso de la libertada,/Por la noche decian: “Se va defendiendo!”
Coro: Oh, decid! Despliega aun su hermosura estrellada,/Sobre tierra de libres, la bandera sagrada?
Chant:
It’s time to make a difference the kids, men and the women/Let’s stand for our beliefs, let’s stand for our vision/What about the children los ninos como P-Star
These kids have no parents, cause all of these mean laws.
See this can’t happen, not only about the Latins.
Asians, blacks and whites and all they do is adding
more and more, let’s not start a war
with all these hard workers,
they can’t help where they were born.
Verse 2
Sus estrellas, sus franjas, la libertad, somos iguales
Somos hermanos, es nuestro himno.
En el fiero combate en senal de victoria,/Fulgor de lucha, al paso de la libertada,/Por la noche decian: “Se va defendiendo!”
Coro: Oh, decid! Despliega aun su hermosura estrellada,/Sobre tierra de libres, la bandera sagrada?

-Rudey
--I love people of Mexican descent; they make great burritos and are heavily involved with the Republican party.