Something for the weekend. God Bless America sung by the imperishable Kate Smith. This song became the rallying song for the United States during World War II. Witten by Irving Berlin in 1918 while he was serving in the Army and revised by him in 1938, it was performed by Kate Smith on her radio show in 1938 and became an immediate hit, reaching unbelievable heights of popularity during World War II. The song is a prayer to God, as the first stanza, rarely performed today, makes clear:
While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.
God bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Through the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home
God bless America, My home sweet home.
Few entertainers became so connected with one song as Kate Smith did with God Bless America. A Protestant, Kate Smith attended Mass for years prior to her conversion to Catholicism. In this Fortnight For Freedom we express our love for America and fervently beseech God to guide her.
Those were the days. When most of us had faith in God and country and acted on it. Now, not so much. In fact, to sing God Bless America now would appear hypocritical. But we should do it anyway especially right now.
They (Yankee Stadium, anyhow) stopped playing her tapes at games because someone found something untoward Kate Smith said about black lives matter some time in 1937.
MLB does not exist.
A different world. Now there are calls to abolish the National Anthem. Perhaps beat the rush and suggest this. I’ve heard people wanting to replace it with ‘This Land is Your Land’ to ‘Imagine’. If it comes to it, I’ll take GBA.
Warning: You likely need to remove or they’ll cancel you.
Seen elsewhere on the web. “Stop Blaming White People. Accept Responsibility For Your Bad Choices. Hug A White Man.”
I wouldn’t go to an MLB or NFL game if they gave me tix to a million-dollar sky box.
Last I looked there were 330 million people and 63 million voted for Trump. But, they’re letting a ten or twenty thousand crazies, criminals and imbeciles run their businesses, cities, states.
Good luck with all that nonsense.