Another nail in the coffin of a once great country. http://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/nc-student-choir-ordered-to-stop-singing-national-anthem-at-911-memorial/235966923
That-s why we should have a national whacking day where you get to whack one bureaucrat to cull the herd.
Awful. Just awful. Permit or not, who was the ass that would interrupt and abide by such a stupid regulation.
I like the idea of a national whack a bureaucrat day. If we have one weekly in each state, in a few years we could make some inroads.
I don't see it as that big of a deal in this instance for a number of reasons. 1. The leader really should have known ahead of time to inquire. 2. A memorial is often a solemn place, often for remembrance and grieving. 3. Not everyone thinks national pride when looking back at 911. They remember the victims (especially family members) and the anthem in this instance could be a source of hurt. Not everyone agrees with US policy leading up to and after 911. This isn't like Pearl Harbor where a US Govt installation was attacked. The victims were largely civilians and from a number of nations. 4. What would be OK. Amazing Grace? A Muslim or Hindu prayer in sincerity? I agree the response was tacky, but it is not the end of a nation. Maybe rules are posted? Or should be posted? I don't think one can just break out singing the Anthem at Arlington at the Tomb of the Unknown. That said, I personally agree with Reagan about America the Beautiful as a better anthem.
The raw version is much worse. The nitwits listen to half of an obviously very carefully rehearsed and beautiful rendition before shuffling over and interrupting them in mid note. Innocence lost. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxRz4zSec7Y
What would one expect from a place call "National September 11 Memorial and Museum" that charges an entry fee? And it ain't cheap! Too many have taken advantage or road the coattails of the disaster for profit or self aggrandizement. Just a point out; No Charge to the Arizona Memorial OR the Holocaust Museum.
This is not about bureaucracy but about security. If this is allowed, crowds will gather, more groups will sing and this may become a habit . They could be infiltrated and are easy targets. If they apply for a permit , they will be protected . A bunch of kids singing a national symbol could give ideas to nutters. Their gesture is honorable and I'm sure that if they apply for a permit they will get one.
I am going to have to say that rules exist for a reason. Who ever coordinated the choir event should have made sure they had the proper permits. A verbal "okie doke" is not sufficient. You let one group express themselves you have to let all groups express themselves.
I feel sorry for the kids. I am not great fan of national anthems but all this fuss must be bewildering for them. Not a great example shown from the adults and should have been handled a lot better.
Three wrongs don't make a right. The group's leader should have been more careful about checking into the rules of the Memorial. The security guard should have been properly trained to know the rules themselves. If they had, they would not have given permission to the group in the first place. Instead of handling it like they were street performers hustling for money, they should have let them finish and then approached the choir director to inform her of the rules. That would have saved them a lot of bad PR.
