"Born Again American"

(Born Again American lyrics by Keith Carradine, performed by various artists)

Born Again American was conceived and midwifed by Norman Lear, who collaborated with Keith Carradine and Mark Johnson of Playing for Change. It's a project of Declare Yourself!, a non-profit dedicated to increasing young voter participation and civic involvement.

I'd call it an exercise in citizenship, myself. Despite the evangelical overtones, I don't believe there's any intent here to marginalize other religions or lack thereof, merely an effort to use an existing frame that provides instant context and understanding. As President Obama said in his inaugural address, there is a price, as well as a promise, of citizenship.

The Pledge:

I am
a born Again American
I am my Country's Keeper
My President and my
Congress report to me

And so --
I will stay informed and involved
I will make my voice heard
And not just at election time
I can make a difference
I matter
I am an American, Born Again

Born Again American original lyrics, by Keith Carradine:

Just a workin’ man without a job
It got shipped off to China via Washington, D.C.
And I know I’m nothin’ special, there are plenty more like me
Just the same
I thought I knew the rules of the game

I stood up for this country that I love
I came back from the desert to a wife and kids to feed
I’m not sayin’ Uncle Sam should give me what I need
My offer stands
I’ll pull my weight you give me half a chance

I went up to a congressman and said to him “you know
Our government is letting people down”
He said he’d need a lot of help to buck the status-quo
I said there was a bunch of us around

I’m a Born Again American, conceived in Liberty
My Bible and the Bill of Rights, my creed’s equality
I’m a Born Again American, my country ‘tis of me
And everyone who shares the dream from sea to shining sea

My brother’s welding chassis at the plant
He’s earning what our granddad did in 1948
While CEOs count bonuses behind the castle gates
How can they see
When all they care about’s the do re mi

It’s getting where there’s nowhere left to turn
Not since the crash of twenty-nine have things been so unfair
So many of our citizens are living in despair
The time has come
To reaffirm that hope’s not just for some

The promise of America’s surrendering to greed
The rule is just look out for number one
But brace yourself ‘cause some of us have sown a different seed
A harvest of the spirit has begun

I’m a Born Again American conceived in liberty
My Bible and The Bill Of Rights
My creed’s equality
A Born Again American, my country ‘tis of me
And everyone who shares the dream from sea to shining sea

It’s clear my country’s soul is on the line
She’s hungering for something that she lost along the way
The principle the framers called upon us to obey
That in this land
The people’s will must have the upper hand

I felt the calling once before and took a sacred vow
And faithful to that vow I have remained
I hear the calling once again, my country needs me now
And to her cause I have been re-ordained

I’m a Born Again American conceived in liberty
My Bible and the Bill Of Rights, all people living free
A Born Again American, my country ‘tis of me
And everyone who shares the dream
From sea to shining sea
And everyone who shares the dream
From sea to shining sea
A M E R I C A

Aside from being a clear progressive anthem (with strong evocation of evangelical christian fundamentalism*), Born Again American is also a new experiment in crowdsourcing.

* I note that the original lyric is "My Bible is the Bill of Rights", according to Keith Carradine, but the one used in the song generally is "My Bible and the Bill of Rights".

If you go to the site, you'll be presented with an opportunity to "sign the pledge", but more interesting is the remix options. You are encouraged to add your own video (of you singing, presumably), and to remix a copy of the video with the existing videos on site, plus a lot of stock footage of "America Then" and "America Now". There's even a place to add your own lyrical variations. You can also see at least some full length videos of the various versions of the song (here's Keith Carradine's, for instance).

It's for sale in iTunes (iTunes link), and on YouTube (as seen above).

I'll be interested to see what emerges from the crowdsourcing piece of this. I find the song itself inspiring.

(h/t to Seeing the Forest)

There's more...

McCain Not Naturalized American Citizen?

Holy Smokes!

McCain's likely nomination as the Republican candidate for president and the happenstance of his birth in the Panama Canal Zone in 1936 are reviving a musty debate that has surfaced periodically since the founders first set quill to parchment and declared that only a "natural-born citizen" can hold the nation's highest office. -- IHT.com

Yes cub scouts... This actually is an issue. In 1790 Congress stated that persons born outside of the United States to U.S. parents are natural born citizens. This was also addressed in the Dred Scott case, But this was struck down in 1868 in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

According to the State Department:

Despite widespread popular belief, U.S. military installations abroad and U.S. diplomatic or consular facilities are not part of the United States within the meaning of the 14th Amendment. A child born on the premises of such a facility is not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and does not acquire U.S. citizenship by reason of birth.

This raises a shitload of issues for the Government. If they concede that McCain is a natural born U.S. Citizen, they will have to recognize ALL the kids that were born on U.S. military installations. McCain's parents had to file a lot of paperwork to confirm his citizenship as do many military and overseas families.

It seems fairly clear that the Government has said people born on U.S. military bases overseas are not automatically citizens, which implies they are not natural born citizens. Which means John McCain is not eligible for the Presidency.

The Twelfth Amendment explicitly precluded from being Vice President those ineligible to be President: people under thirty-five years of age, those who have not inhabited the United States for at least fourteen years, and those who are not natural-born citizens.

This is hilarious, their nominee isn't even eligible... What a joke...

There's more...