Let there be no doubt about it. This is a RANT.

We were at a bluegrass festival a couple of weeks ago where one of the featured bands was The U.S. Navy Bluegrass Band. (Don't snicker - these guys are incredibly hot musicians) As an "encore" they did Lee Greenwood's "I'm Proud to be an American". Well, I hate the song, so I stood up to leave. When I turned around, everybody in the audience was standing up also, but they weren't leaving.

Now, the only song for which I am going to stand while it is being played is a country's national anthem. The last time I checked, the national anthem of the U.S was still Francis Scott Key's "Star-Spangled Banner". Did they change it to Greenwood's piece of over-sentimental top 40 country drivel without telling me. Maybe it happened during the Gulf War when many folkies were busy resurrecting Vietnam-era protest songs in coffehouses while most of the country was watching the war on CNN. Or maybe it has only happened among that specific sub-culture that are sometimes referred to as "rednecks".

Sincerely,

Bruce the Former Commie Pinko Draft-Dodger