National Anthem and Criticism

I only watched the Super Bowl off and on last night but had my laptop up and read post after post of opinions for everything from the players to the performers to the commercials. The National Anthem is understandably personal to every American. If it's not personal to you, then I suggest you take some time to read a bit of our great country's history. If that doesn't do it, then all I can say is, "Hush. No one wants to hear your thoughts."

I actually watched Christina Aguilera perform and found myself cringing at the thought of singing that incredibly difficult song in front of such a large audience. Christina is a mega-star and is used to the pressure normally, but to be singing a song of such importance...well, I think it was more than she could handle at that given moment in time. Professional or not, I think we should offer grace and realize that none of us reading this post could have done better. NONE of us... just sayin'.

Having said that, this is a link to one person's Top 10 Worst National Anthem Performances. Now, please excuse me while I go try to do a web search on who the heck "Flea" is.

Update - This is just in from Christina Aguilera:

“I got so caught up in the moment of the song that I lost my place. I can only hope that everyone could feel my love for this country and that the true spirit of its anthem still came through.”

I'm saying there's this thing called grace and maybe we should practice it.