[oldE]

In Canada, we have "Oh Canada" and another song called "God Save the Queen". You would recognize the music of the second as "Sweet Land of Liberty".
The German national anthem "Deutchestland Uber Alles" (pardon my spelling) is the same music as a hymn sung in the Anglican Church. ( I have read an interesting story set in Germany just after WW II, of Germans stopping to stare in wonderment outside a church where British soldiers are singing something to the music of the German national anthem! )

Would knickers be knotted if Weird Al Yankovick did this parody? If nothing else, it should make people aware of the situation created by greed. We want all of our stuff as cheaply as possible. (And, Yes, California produce does show up in Canada.) Not enough folks want to work for farm wages. Governments turned a blind eye as migrant workers came in to take the jobs and brought all the trappings of their impoverished communities with them. (as did the Asians brought in to build railways (ever hear of Tongs?), the Italians at the end of the 19 th century (Mafia anyone?) and Puerto Ricans (I love that Voodoo that You do!). Oh, and lets not forget the people of African heritage who were dragged in, and made to do the jobs 'no self-respectin' white folks would do'.

To listen to some of you guys, you would think there was a monolithic "American culture" from sea to shining sea and that it was all going down the toilet in about five minutes because of the "illegal immigrants". This wave of immigration might be mostly illegal, but they are the same sort of folks who have been brought in to do the **** jobs since the first colonists found the natives didn't work like that.

The thing is, because big business wanted the workers,'no questions asked', the trickle turned into a flood too fast for assimilation, like so many other 'Little Cuba', 'Little Italy' and Chinatown communities. Now, you have an enclave which is big enough to be a state. (Heck, by the sounds of it, it's big enough to be Canada!)

The song is not the problem. The song is a symptom of our affliction.

I will now don my flame suit. Have a good weekend.
Les