I'm coming to the conclusion that our venerable blood & thunder national anthem is obsolete.  It just doesn't depict anything remotely like reality anymore.  Its just a hollow and sentimental invocation of the faded glory of what was once meant to be.

I grit my teeth every time I hear "the rocket's red glare" now.  Cherishing that antediluvian Shock & Awe has gone stale for.  What does it refer to anymore?  Are we supposed to be nostalgically proud because we endured Imperial Britain's shock & awe terror campaign against us way back then, or are we bragging now that we inflict the same thing on others now?

My nomination for a new and improved national anthem is "Wise Up" by Aimee Mann.  Its from the movie "Magnolia," a post-modern epic of loss, confusion and redemption.  It captures the right attitude and strategy for what we are now and how we should face the looming consequences of past actions.

*Recent developments in DC have led me to expand my list of viable National Anthem Nouveaux candidates.

I happened to have had my music browser running while last night's news (April 10, 2011) was playing on another channel, and, serendipitously, the story about the great Budget Battle meshed perfectly with... "White Rabbit," by Jefferson Airplane.

I'm including a link to an old performance video.  See if it doesn't fit perfectly with our national character today.  Or, perhaps, it should reserved specifically for the Republican Party, what Walt Kelly darkly punned was the "Bottle Hymn of the Republicans."

Here's the lyrics.  And you'll see a video of her performing the song so you can sing along.  Its a pretty, undramatic song.  It'll grow on you.  Imagine Yankee Stadium on a Sunday, just before the game begins,  Old Faded Glory flaps in the Spring breeze, the crowd stands, hands on hearts, belting out a rousing rendition of...

*updated text is in bold