An open letter to the Hispanic Community about the Spanish National Anthem

I am a nurse, and wife and mother, not a politician. I am a lifelong Catholic, and suffice it to say that my politics frequently match those of the Archdiocese. I have spent my professional career providing care to people who do not have insurance, regardless of race, language, or citizenship status. These experiences have led me to firmly believe that there are certain inalienable rights - for all people - to have life liberty and the pursuit of happiness, regardless of where we were born. It is my hope that the immigration system be revamped - and that the United States becomes a haven for those who want to work hard and make a life for themselves.

That being said, I am deeply troubled by the use of a Spanish National Anthem for promoting your cause. Not that I am opposed to the Spanish exactly. My family are also immigrants - as are most of the families in this nation. We have historically welcomed immigrants to our shores, but their goal was to assimilate, to adjust the culture a bit, but to become an American - not have America become another Italy or Ireland or China or England.

The National Anthem is a sacred thing and should not be toyed with. Watch the crowd during a sporting event when the Anthem is played - you can see the pride and the emotion evoked by the first couple of bars, and on occasion the melody will stir a man to tears. For those of us whose families have been here several generations, and who have lost countless family members on the shores of Normandy, or in Vietnam, or Bosnia, or Pearl Harbor, or Iraq, the National Anthem is a part of the very pulse of our being. Our sons and daughters were sacrified for the greater good, protecting the very country you want to become a legal member of. I urge you to respect the sacrifices made by the men who died protecting our country's freedoms. Do not dishonor their memory by callously replacing the Anthem that was played at most of their funerals, that was played when they graduated boot camp or military school and when they took the oath to protect this country.

I pray for Godspeed in resolving this crisis fairly and mercifully for all those involved. And for my part, I'd like to say welcome to America, land of the free, home of the brave.