A British producer brings together Latin artists ... and Wyclef ... to sing the National Anthem in Spanish ... to make Americans ... more ... sympathetic ... to illegal migrants? As opposed to pissing Americans off beyond all measure ... right before a planned national boycott on the communist-coopted holiday of May Day? Hmmm ... sounds like someone has been sleeping through public relations class.
We're actually going to be playing the song and dealing with this issue on the WTPS morning show on Monday (with Lou Dobbs, no less!!!) ... and it will be interesting to see how our audience -- mostly African-American and West Indian, but with some white and Latino listeners -- react. As for me, I think bad PR makes bad policy, and this general strike/Spanish anthem idea strikes me as a kind of emotional blackmail: "give illegal migrants amnesty or else! We're Mexican/Latino first, and America had better recognize! And by the way, we're taking that National Anthem with us!"
I'm sure amnesty supporters will make the comparison between "Nuestro Himno" and the Jimi Hendrix or Marvin Gaye takes on the anthem in the 1960s and '70s. But there's a key difference: Hendrix's "Banner" was, by his own estimation, not meant as a protest. He simply found the sounds he created in playing his rendition of the song to be "beautiful." And I'm quite sure Gaye was going for the same thing -- artistic beauty. This version is meant to deliver a message to the American people: this isn't a version of our country's collective anthem, it's "our" very exclusive rallying cry.
I wouldn't have gone this route. Then again, I wouldn't be out there arguing that essentially, the U.S. has no right to regulate its own borders, and that any national of any foreign country has a right, not just an opportunity, but a God-given right -- to cross our borders at will and remain in the U.S. without regard to our laws, and then to be given the benefits of citizenship "after paying a small fine" and treated like every other (legal) immigrant. I sincerely doubt I could get away with that kind of thing in Mexico. In fact, I'm certain I couldn't:
When you enter the country as a "tourist", you are allowed to remain for a maximum of 180 days for the purposes of recreation, health, artistic or sports activities. You may not work in Mexico.
If you arrive by air: You must have your immigration form and present it to the immigration authorities upon arrival at the airport of your destination within Mexico. If you arrive by road: You must request your immigration form after having paid the tourist fees at a local bank. Your vehicle must leave the country when your tourist card expires. You cannot sell your car within Mexico nor use it for any other unauthorized purpose. If you arrive by sea: You must obtain your immigration permit after having paid the fees at the port of entrance. Once your authorized 180 days are up, you must leave the country. If you wish to re-enter the country: You can do so with a new immigration form granted by the immigration authorities at the place of entry after having paid the corresponding fee. You may extend your stay in Mexico as a: Person of independent means: Defined as one who lives off of income generated outside of Mexico.
But of course, that's Mexico...
Tags: immigration, Politics, border, MEXICO, McCain, illegal aliens, Illegal-Aliens, Illegal immigration, Mexico, Mexican flag |
