McGrath, I don't know what the big, powerful nation feels. I, as an individual, don't much like it when anyone says "you all." I don't think it's right in any context. Once more time: it's not the comments about my country that annoy me. It's the stereotyping as an excuse to bash. It's a verbal form of beating, instead of a discussion, and I would have hoped that folks here would be more interested in discussing. Given half a chance, we Americans can write a full report of everything our nation has done wrong. It starts with ancestors coming here from places where "you all" was a good enough excuse to start a war or demolish a race. It reflects the way the world worked, not some isolated pocket of tyranny. Does anyone who is a citizen of somewhere other than the US believe if their ancestors had emmigrated here, they would have done things differently? Could they have altered things if they'd wanted to? How do you know our individual ancestors didn't try?

On the anthem - it's hard to sing, and I'm not crazy about the words being an ode to a symbol surviving a battle. I like the ideas behind America the Beautiful better - the people and the land, not the flag managing to last through a battle. It's also a lot more singable. Of course, we wouldn't be able to make bets at sporting events as to whether the singer will manage to hit the high parts...

Art...ugh. UGH, UGH, UGH! (applause.)