Flowings of Your Everlasting Taffyman

I dont like the national anthem, i dont intend to stand for it anymore, and though i say this each time (i again chickened out today) i decided i might write something about it, and why i dont like it. furthermore i plan to do a piece of art discussing why i think its more patriotic to sit rather than stand.

"Complete version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" showing spelling and punctuation from Francis Scott Key's manuscript in the Maryland Historical Society collection.

O say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
O'er the ramparts we watch'd were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bomb bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream,
'Tis the star-spangled banner - O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a Country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash'd out their foul footstep's pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
Between their lov'd home and the war's desolation!
Blest with vict'ry and peace may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the power that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto - "In God is our trust,"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. " taken from the website.

reason number one: the song/poem is abotu a war, not only do i not like war but i think most of the wars we have fought in this country arent worth praising including the current one.

Second: its not even about the revolution did ya know that? its about the war of 1812 and it wasnt made the national anthem till the 1930s so fuck it.

third: the banner or flag is a symbol and i dont think we should praise symbols, we should look to them and understand their purpose but like jurewitz use to say in world religions class "praising/worshipping a symbol is like looking at a statue that is pointing at something and never looking at what its pointing at." (hopefully that was close enough) and that is us being stupid

fourth: i do think we should love freedom, but thats not what we are doing, and being mad at someone who uses their freedom to not follow blindly, but rather question at what cost we keep our freedom (if even that) is ridiculous and hypocritical.

lastly: the first verse or "our anthem" end with the lines
"O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"
and i ask does it? has it ever? and is it right to keep pretending that this is the land of the free and the home of the brave? my answer is no, that doesnt help, its turning a blind eye to the injustice, its praising the oposite of the ideals we boldly state we stand for. so fuck standing.. maybe next time i will have the guts to be a real patriot.