Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Try As I Might, I Just Don't Get 'Em

I can understand being conservative; really, I can. And I can understand the mindset of conservative politics, even though I disagree with most of their ideas. But what I don't get is conservative politicians and the things they wish to legislate--mind you, while proposing smaller government.
Case in point: Indiana GOP state senator, and certified asshat, Vaneta Becker, who, rather than focus on, jobs, or the economy, or the housing crisis, or unemployment, has instead focused all her mighty pea-brained attention on.....wait for it.......it's good......legislating specific "performance standards" for singing and playing The Star-Spangled Banner at any event sponsored by public schools and state universities.
Oh, but she did.

Vaneta's bill would introduce the following bureaucratic red tape to Indiana schools: "The bill calls for schools to maintain audio recordings of all performances for two years and develop a procedure for dealing with complaints if a musician is alleged to have strayed from the approved lyrical or melodic guidelines."
It also states: "Performers would have to sign a contract agreeing to follow the guidelines. Musicians — whether amateur or professional — would be fined $25 if it were deemed they failed to meet the appropriate standards."
Vaneta says she authored the bill after a constituent called her last spring, upset about a school program in which the words of "The Star-Spangled Banner" were substituted or parodied in a way the caller found disrespectful.
Stop the presses. No more talk about jobs and getting people back to work or helping them save their homes.

We have people singing the National Anthem wrong.
For example, Vaneta Becker's proposed law would subject the Georgia Tech Glee Club to a $1,250 fine for singing the original lyrics--"To Anacreon in Heaven"--of the song most of us now know as Francis Scott Key's "Star-Spangled Banner".
Of note, and apparently missed by Vaneta Becker, is the fact that the US Supreme Court ruled that even burning the American flag is protected free speech, so wouldn't singing a parody of the National Anthem be Free Speech as well? Eh, Vaneta? And, obviously, singing the original lyrics to the song would surely be protected, no?
Not in Vaneta Becker's world.

source

8 comments:

  1. I'm completely kerfuzzled!!

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  2. Why would she want to do that? Is she completely humorless?

    Get a life, or get laid. Not sure. That hairdo is hypnotizing me, by the way. Is she married to an astronaut?

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  3. The handful of us liberals in Indiana are laughing about this. Sadly, a lot of people seem to think it's a fine idea.

    Well, it's a good thing we don't have any economic or education or healthcare crises going on in Indiana, so she can focus on important stuff like this bill! :P

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  4. There is no way that this can be considered constitutional, hard to believe our tax dollars are paying for this tom-foolery.

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  5. What is up with these republicans? They need to get their asses back to work on fixing some of our biggest issues. Grind stone people!

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  6. All I have to say to Ms. Becker:

    "I pledge allegiance to Queen Frag, and her Mighty State of Hysteria!"

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  7. Ah!
    Behold the mastodon writhing in the tar-pit of its own creation......

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Say anything, but keep it civil .......