OK, it is well after the 4th of July -- but isn't every day a good day for thinking about civics?
On 4th of July, Jesse Walker at Reason asked the perennial question: what would you suggest for Alternative Anthems? . Today, I'd vote for This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land.
I'm fond of the 1986 Los Lobos / Bob Weir / Gerry Garcia version on YouTube, and Arlo Guthrie & friends singing verses (also on Youtube).
Here it is sung in a choral version by a high-school choir (YouTube) -- poor acoustics and I am not wild about the choral arrangement.
Here's a herd of preschoolers (or kindergarteners) singing (YouTube)
And 1,803 guitarists and singers ( YouTube -- sorry, the audio is terrible)
Here's a concert-hall version from the gospel group the Talley Trio (YouTube)
On to replacing the Pledge of Allegiance, which only dates back to 1892, and the "under God" phrase was only officially added in 1952. Shannon Love at the Chicago Boyz suggests replacing the Pledge with a recitation of the Preamble:
We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these rights,
Governments are instituted among Men,
deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,
So say we all!
One of her commenters suggests The American's Creed:
by William Tyler Page
I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed, a democracy in a republic, a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.
I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.
–Written 1917, accepted by the United States House of Representatives on April 3, 1918.
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