In a very unpatriotic move heading into the July 4 holiday weekend, a New York Daily News writer is urging that “God Bless America,” the traditional song played at Major League Baseball games, should be retired.
“It’s time for God to stop blessing America during the seventh-inning stretch,” writes Gersh Kuntzman.
He’s an atheist and notes that in a 2013 poll, more than 88 percent of atheists said they didn’t like the song (no surprise there) and that 84 percent of people describing themselves as “very liberal” also disliked the song.
Kunztman compared the patriotic ritual of standing and singing to a fascist rally, saying, “Part of my outrage stems from ponderous Mussolini-esque introduction of the song, when fans are asked to rise, remove their caps and place them over their hearts.”
He says the only standing one should do is for the “National Anthem” and “Here Comes the Bride.” He adds, “If you want to thank God for blessing America, you can do it on Sunday in the other church.”
Facebook reaction has been plentiful, with remarks such as, “If you’re offended by ‘God Bless America,’ you’re part of the problem in this country.” And many noted that Gershman is the same author who wrote a column in June about how it was “terrifying” to fire an AR-15.
[lz_third_party includes=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHwi_Z3Qp3Y”]
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