By Mike Huckabee
June 27, 2020
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MORNING EDITION
June 27, 2020
By Mike Huckabee
REPLACING THE "STAR-SPANGLED BANNER"
A lot of people are talking about (and I don’t know why) a Yahoo music editor’s article calling for replacing “The Star-Spangled Banner” as America’s National Anthem, possibly with “Imagine” by John Lennon. The excuse is that Francis Scott Key was a slaveholder (he also represented slaves trying to win their freedom in court, pro bono), and that the third verse that is never sung is “blatantly racist” (although his use of the term "slave" has been hotly debated and might mean people pressed into service by the British Navy, oh and by the way, did I mention that it’s NEVER SUNG?)
This is hardly the first time anyone’s wanted to replace “The Star-Spangled Banner,” although until now, it’s usually been because it’s so hard to sing (the tune was taken from a drinking song with a high note you practically have to be drunk to attempt to hit.) The choice to replace it was usually Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America,” but we can’t have that now! Referring to God is almost as un-PC as honoring a slaveholder.
But what about “Imagine”? Look, I love the Beatles, but that has to be the most over-praised song of the past century. Even Lennon admitted that it’s basically the Communist Manifesto set to music. Radical leftists love it because it paints a picture of a utopian world without national borders, private property or religion, and Lennon often found himself having to correct their interpretations and reminding them that he wasn’t advocating for those things, he was just suggesting “imagining” that we didn’t have all those differences so we could work together globally.
But people DO have differences, and as experience has taught us, leftist prescriptions, like taking away religious freedom and property rights, do nothing but make them angrier and more likely for those differences to flare into war. Besides, imposing that "utopia" requires an ironfisted oppressive government, which isn’t likely in a world without borders. If the song has a dreamlike quality, that’s because it is a dream. A pipe dream.
Besides, if we had to do away with every song because the writer wasn’t a saint, we wouldn’t have much music left, and that includes John Lennon music. Wonder what the cancel culture would do if they realized John wrote a song intended as a feminist anthem that was called “Woman is the (N-word) of the World”?
As with all art, we have to learn to separate the creation from the creator. Francis Scott Key was a flawed human being, as are all human beings, but he gave us a great song that represents a great nation, and it stands for all our people. Some of the most inspiring renditions of it were performed by black entertainers, from Mahalia Jackson to Jimi Hendrix to Whitney Houston.
If the statue-smashing radicals really want to learn from the wisdom of John Lennon, I’d recommend instead a far better song: “Revolution.”
“You say you want a revolution, well, you know, we all want to change the world...
But when you talk about destruction, don’t you know that you can count me out…
You say you got a real solution, well, you know, we'd all love to see the plan.
You ask me for a contribution, well, you know, we're all doing what we can.
But if you want money for people with minds that hate, all I can tell is brother you have to wait…
You say you'll change the Constitution, well, you know, we all want to change your head.
You tell me it's the institution, well, you know, you better free your mind instead.
But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, you ain't gonna make it with anyone anyhow…”
MUST-READ ARTICLE
I recently linked to an article about how very different life is in rural and small-town America than it is in the deep blue cities filled with riots and “occupied zones” and cancel culture and attacks on police. The writer seemed unconcerned about all those things because they were in those horribly-run cities and wouldn’t touch the rest of the country. I argued that while he was certainly right about life being better and people getting along a lot better outside of leftist-run cities, he was wrong to think that “it can’t happen here.”
In fact, it already is happening. The woke mobs are starting to target smaller towns with the same smear tactics and organizational techniques they’ve perfected in cities to get sympathetic leftists elected to office where they release criminals and make cops stand down and kneel before rioters and monument smashers. Here are some examples of small towns where conservative mayors, school board members and other officials have been intimidated into resigning amid nonsense accusations of being “white supremacists.”
How does this happen? It happens when you’re not paying attention (that’s how AOC got into Congress via a low-turnout primary, the same method radical leftists are using to get local DA’s elected who “reform criminal justice” by refusing to prosecute or jail criminals.) It happens when officials knuckle under, apologize and resign instead of standing up for themselves. And it happens when citizens are too scared to fight back and say “No” to the mob’s demands. Yes, there is a silent majority, but we are quickly reaching the time when the majority can’t stay silent any longer, or it will find itself being oppressed by a very vocal, very leftist and very, very stupid minority.
THIS SCANDAL HAS EVERYTHING
This political scandal is like Bill Hader’s “Stefon” character on “SNL,” who would gush about a hot new nightclub that “has everything: puppets practicing karate, human 8-balls, a bulldog that looks like Wilfred Brimley,” etc. etc. This story about a massive federal bribery and racketeering case involving Los Angeles city council member Jose Huizar truly has everything: a Chinese billionaire, a hotel/casino, shady real estate deals, a sexual harassment lawsuit, stacks of cash hidden in a closet inside red envelopes with Chinese writing on them…
In fact, the only thing NBC left out of the story is Huizar’s political party affiliation. Wonder why?
THE CHICKS
The latest example of caving to the woke mob: the country group The Dixie Chicks announced that they are dropping the word “Dixie” from their names and will henceforth be known simply as “The Chicks.” I predict that feminists will protest that they are offended and triggered by the word “Chicks” and the group will announce that henceforth, they will simply be called “The.”
"A PARTY OF STARK-RAVING LUNATICS"
If you’re getting demoralized by all the polls showing Joe Biden winning in a landslide, don’t be. That’s the whole point of them. I’ll remind you that at this point in 2016, Hillary was supposedly ahead by 13 points, and I got plenty of eye rolls when I predicted that Trump would win. But if you wonder whether the majority of your fellow Americans have really gone crazy, then this might cheer you up a little.
Reporter Brian Cates reminds us of a number of important factors that the poll takers fail to take into account, such as state organization, ground game and campaign war chests. But the most important one of all is this:
“The Democratic party has openly turned into a party of stark raving lunatics.”
To be fair, I don’t know if the Party leaders are lunatics, or if they’re just pandering to lunatics, but neither one is a very convincing argument for giving them power over your life, your job, your business, your home and your family.
An interesting observation from liberal law professor Jonathan Turley: Michael Flynn’s judge would obviously love nothing better than to railroad him into prison, but it was a blunder the judge himself made that made it possible for Flynn’s attorneys to finally turn the tables on the prosecutors and get the charges dropped.
"HUCKABEE" PREVIEW
Tonight, to celebrate welcoming our studio audience back to “Huckabee” on TBN, we have an extra special show for them and for you! To discuss the week’s news, I’ll visit with HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson. You’ll meet an incredibly inspiring young girl, Grace Anna Rogers, and learn how to keep joy in your life from “joyologist” Dawn Barton. I won’t spoil the surprise, but the Sandou Trio will present one of the most amazing acts you will ever see. And we’ll cap it all off with the music of country/gospel star and winner of NBC’s “The Voice,” Todd Tilghman.
We’ve got all that and more, coming your way tonight at 8 and 11 EST, 7 and 10 CST, and the same times on Sunday, only on TBN. To find where you can watch TBN, from local cable and broadcast channels to streaming, visit https://www.tbn.org/huckabee and click on the “WATCH” menu at the top. You can also stream previous episodes, highlights and Internet-only “Digital Exclusives,” like extended interviews and extra performances by our musical and comedy guests. It’s all at https://www.tbn.org/huckabee
BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY (KJV)
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