tCompletely Unofficial Freakin' Inauguration Thread

[tinselwolverine]

I read somewhere that the original third verse (which is somewhat vague to modern listeners) was understood as celebrating the violent death and/or punishment to slaves who fled their masters to fight with the British; essentially an endorsement of the practice of slavery:

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.
​

probably why we don't sing that part anymore.

I wouldn't want to sing that.

Here's the fourth verse; this isn't a copy paste, I'm reciting it into my iPhone.

Oh, thus be it 'ere; when free men shall stand;
Between their loved homes, and the war's desolation.

Blessed with victory and peace, may the heaven the favored land,
Praise the Power that hath come, and preserved us a nation.

Then conquer we must; for our cause it be just,
And this be our motto, in God shall we trust;

Then the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave;
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.

Okay, I couldn't fully recite it, because voice to text didn't recognize all the fancy words.
so I had to type some of it.

 

[redandguilty]

yes, Professor Red.

I agree. on a macro level, give them low corporate tax rates and plenty of tax loopholes to sneak through and they will choose to hoard cash, not hire people and pay out salaries.

there is more than ample academic research showing that when large companies are given tax breaks, that $$$ is used for buying out employees or merging and acquiring rivals, two things that typically result in a net loss of jobs.

but whatever... "tax breaks = jobs" sounds nicer than "I'm already fucking rich but I still want more."

I think we exposed the same type of bias from opposite sides. Stockpiling of cash would be a bad macro thing as a capitalist or as a socialist. (Leaving "business killing" out of it, even thought I think it impacted my bias.) So when we see "sitting on record levels of cash" and think capitalist or socialist, we're revealing our own biases more than anything.

 

[redandguilty]

I wouldn't want to sing that.

Here's the fourth verse; this isn't a copy paste, I'm reciting it into my iPhone.

Oh, thus be it 'ere; when free men shall stand;
Between their loved homes, and the war's desolation.

Blessed with victory and peace, may the heaven the favored land,
Praise the Power that hath come, and preserved us a nation.

Then conquer we must; for our cause it be just,
And this be our motto, in God shall we trust;

Then the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave;
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.

Okay, I couldn't fully recite it, because voice to text didn't recognize all the fancy words.
so I had to type some of it.

Sing to the colors that float in the light, hurrah for the red, white, and blue.

Pretty sure that's in one of the verses. Can't remember which one.

 

[KAWDUP]

oh, I'm pretty sure Beyonc? knew all the words-she lip synced them perfectly; and she got them all right in the recording, too.

OK, good God, must we be so literal? Why wasn't she willing to put it all out there and take a chance?

For better or worse at a sporting event or other offical gathering (especially something as offical as an inauguration), when singing the WELL KNOWN verse of the National Anthem, it should be done live if at all possible.

BTW I don't need umpty-ump examples of how some other inauguration did the same thing. I was drawing a connection between that and patriotism in a discussion about American values. It seemed like an easier reponse to champ than explaining the enormous number of other ways society has "fallen".

. . . but if you think I was saying that only to rain on the inauguration, let me state up front again. I try to watch them all - even attended one. I think it is an important part of history, and a civic responsibility to pay attention.


Does that about cover it, or you going to keep me dancing?

 

[tinselwolverine]

Wow.

 

[elrod817]

I'd like to say that even though this board has been quiet, I don't actually miss tsmith; even though I am a staunch defender of the freedom of speech, I am glad I no longer have to look at all the pointlessly stupid Lions' pics he uploaded to this site, read his occasional borderline or outright racist rant, cut and paste jobs links from rightwing blogs, or unhinged fundy christian predictions of the impending apocalypse.

I must say I don't miss him either, welching aside, his posts pretty much reiterated whatever was said on Beck and Rush that same day. We could just post their podcasts and pretend it's him. I have no qualms with "conservatives" but it's nice to see original thought versus mindless parroting...

 

[tinselwolverine]

I must say I don't miss him either, welching aside, his posts pretty much reiterated whatever was said on Beck and Rush that same day. We could just post their podcasts and pretend it's him. I have no qualms with "conservatives" but it's nice to see original thought versus mindless parroting...

It seems like KAWDUP has been auditioning for the replacement.

Significantly more eloquent and loquacious; but just as much of a knee-jerk response, nevertheless.

 

[elrod817]

It seems like KAWDUP has been auditioning for the replacement.

Significantly more eloquent and loquacious; but just as much of a knee-jerk response, nevertheless.

Ha! KAWDUP actually expounds on things though...which I guess is the eloquence and loquaciousness you speak of, but it's genuine. He's a conservative by definition though he thinks on his own.

 

[KAWDUP]

It seems like KAWDUP has been auditioning for the replacement.

Significantly more eloquent and loquacious; but just as much of a knee-jerk response, nevertheless.

Knee-jerk? Whose knee you calling a jerk? I truly thought you were making light of my point about remembering the words to the Anthem, and that made me think that I needed to explain myself.

You realize, of course, it is all about me. It isn't possible you were just adding to the information presented. No way . . . Uh Uh!

Oops!

. . . as far as auditioning for the replacement, I don't believe I will ever have the kind of time to answer every single thread with talking points. If I do find something I am interested in discussing, I will jump in with both feet, and wail on whoever disagrees with me. :*)

Also, I am certainly a traditionalist, and that does seem to dovetail with lots of conservative views, but I am 100% for the little guy, the human part, the underdog - I just may differ on how to improve things.

. . . lastly, I couldn't tell a joke to save my life.

What did the fish say when it swam into a brick wall?

Dam!

See?

 

[redandguilty]

. . . lastly, I couldn't tell a joke to save my life.

What did the fish say when it swam into a brick wall?

Dam!

See?

Recently, one of my friends told me that I don't understand irony, which was ironic because we were at a brewery.

 

[tinselwolverine]

Recently, one of my friends told me that I don't understand irony, which was ironic because we were at a brewery.

I like that one. I'm going to use it.