Our National Anthem Is Racist??!!

I listen to talk radio.

Constantly, whether I'm going somewhere in my GMC or working on a project in the garage, I'm listening to talk radio. I'm not a fan of Rush or Glenn...one's too pompous and the other is a crybaby. I listen to Scott Sloan in the morning and Bill Cunningham at noon on WLW 700 AM out of Cincy, then the Trivisonno show on Cleveland's WTAM 1100 at 3 PM. 

Often, as soon as I start my truck, the radio comes to life on the station I was listening  to when I last drove it. Such was the case last night, as I made an emergency run to Kroger's at 2030 hrs for the elbow macaroni my red-headed angel needed in order to make her son Cory's favorite: mac salad. I won't go into why she needed it at that time of the evening; suffice it to say it was my fault. I really should have looked at what I was throwing in the garage trash bin after cleaning up the kitchen.

So, as I'm turning onto Grace Street, I hear two men discussing our National Anthem, the Star-Spangled Banner, which was penned by Francis Scott Key during the Battle of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812. One of the men involved in the discussion is the host of WTAM's Sunday evening show, Mansfield Frazier.

I know that, traditionally, this station has slotted a talk show for black Clevelanders on Sunday nights...usually with a host sharing views closely allied to liberalism. I'd never heard of Mansfield Frazier, so I thought I'd listen for the few minutes it would take for the trip to Kroger's.

It lasted about twenty seconds. Then I shut the radio off.

Not because Mansfield Frazier is a black man. Not because of his liberal views, either.

No, these two were discussing how our National Anthem is racist. RACIST! I have no idea who the other man behind a mic was, nor do I care to. When I heard the remark "...if we can get rid of the Confederate flag, we can get rid of the racist National Anthem..." my blood boiled.

I did a little research this morning on this whole 'racist anthem' topic, discovering that, apparently in the third stanza ( third!! ), there is a line that reads '...No refuge could save the hireling and slave from the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave...'

It seems that, for a Liberal, the word 'slave' equals the word 'black'...which, during the War of 1812, was not the case. This war was fought over British Imperialism and their attempt at controlling the seas...and thus our new nation. 

The British had a nasty habit of hijacking American ships and forcing their crews into service aboard British warships, then known as 'impressment'. These sailors were, literally, 'slaves' to the British in defense of their Crown; the 'hirelings' were the thousands of mercenaries, mainly German Hessians, who fought against this nation.

The context in which Mr. Key used the word 'slave' we will never know, but remember that this was penned in 1814 during the war, 202 years ago. Some words and terms used at that time may not have the same meaning as they now do in 2016. 

Of course, in the 'politically correct' environment that now smothers America, the immediate answer is to do away with the Star-Spangled Banner rather than doing a little research and finding the real meaning of the stanza.

But that would involve another word, 'effort', which apparently neither Mr. Frazier nor his guest had put forth prior to the airing of their show.