Our country, our truck: A modest proposal

An American revolution, indeed

In complete seriousness and in the spirit of a new beginning as embodied by the advent of our new Congress, I hereby propose that the ubiquitous John Mellencamp song in the Chevy Silverado advertisments be made our new national anthem. The tune has attracted hostility in some quarters because it's been overplayed, or perhaps because Mellencamp supposedly sold out to the Man in making this commercial ditty, or maybe because Mellencamp is a dirty hippie who opposed the war on Iraq, possibly because some NY Times crybaby whined because the imagery in the original commercial acknowledged that American history hasn't been a trip down an unalloyed yellow brick road (gasp!).

Frankly, if both the left and the right dislike the song, it may well be worth consideration as a unifying theme. It does do something that The Star Spangled Banner does not: it speaks to our ideals. It reminds us of our goals and charges us with responsibilities, while the Francis Scott Key offering more or less revels in war. Besides - simply on its merits as a song - it's a good solid anthem that's much kinder to the throat than our current national vocal obstacle course. And not least of all, it's a hell of a lot easier to remember. After all, sports fans pretty much already know it by heart.*

Imagine a stadium full of people, voices raised as one:

The dream will never leave
And some day it will come true
And it’s up to me and you
To do the best that we can do
And let the voice of freedom
Sing out through this land
This is our country

Write your congressman.

*The lyrics, for those who don't watch televised sports.

I can stand beside
Things I think are right
And I can stand beside
The idea of stand and fight
And I do believe
There’s a dream for everyone
This is our country
From the east coast
To the west coast
Down the Dixie Highway
Back home
This is our country

There's room enough here
For science to live
And there's room enough here
For religion to forgive
And try to understand
The other people of this world
This is our country
From the east coast
To the west coast
Down the Dixie Highway
Back home
This is our country

That poverty could be
Just another ugly thing
And bigotry could be
Seen only as obscene
And the ones that run this land
Will help the poor and common man
This is our country
From the east coast
To the west coast
Down the Dixie Highway
Back home
This is our country

The dream will never leave
And some day it will come true
And it’s up to me and you
To do the best that we can do
And let the voice of freedom
Sing out through this land
This is our country
From the east coast
To the west coast
Down the Dixie Highway
Back home
This is our country

Hat tip to Down the Tyranny for the words to the song.

(This is ahhhhh cross-post...)