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Lyons: What's next: No flags on the Fourth?
Lyons: What's next: No flags on the Fourth?
Clint Van Tassell made a surprising announcement at his mobile home neighborhood a few days ago.
Could his timing have been worse, asks irked fellow resident Jean Liebig?
Probably not. Could there be a worse time than before the Fourth of July weekend to announce a ban on the national anthem?
If you could ever find a good reason for a ban like that ever, I mean.
"It's crazy," Liebig told me.
When she read Van Tassell's words in the mobile home park's newsletter, they seemed more appropriate for April Fools Day.
"I was incensed," she said.
Liebig, well into traditional retirement age, loves La Casa Mobile Home Park, which is near Warm Mineral Springs in the North Port area. And, normally, she also feels fine about Van Tassell, the president of the community's activities board.
"We call him Mr. La Casa," Liebig said. He's a dedicated volunteer, and though "a little bossy," she said, he does a good job. The neighborhood of more than 900 mobile homes has tons of clubs and organized things to do with all the friendly neighbors, and Liebig says she is happy as a clam to live there.
And, at the regular dances and some other events that feature musicians hired by the neighborhood, it has been customary that bands do a few patriotic songs. Often that includes our national anthem and, in a nod to the 7 percent of the park residents who hail from Canada, the Canadian national anthem, "O Canada" is often played, too.
But the current newsletter has this announcement from Van Tassell:
"The Activity Board has established a policy that we will inform all musical groups that if they are performing any patriotic type routine," it says, "for instance at the end of a dance, they are not to perform 'The Star Spangled Banner' or 'O Canada,' but are required to use 'God Bless America.'"
When I asked what this was all about, Van Tassell politely explained that the board had gotten complaints from several American citizens who don't want to hear "O Canada."
"They say this is the United States," and so Canada's anthem shouldn't be played, he said.
To appease them without obviously snubbing the Canadians, Van Tassell and his board worked out what they thought was a fine compromise: Stop using any national anthem.
That is just irking everyone, Liebig said. And Van Tassell admits he quickly received more complaints, including some from those who only wanted to ban "O Canada."
"Not everybody likes compromise," he said.
Well, some just really dislike this one, I was thinking.
And, as Liebig said, why compromise at all? As a hockey fan from Pennsylvania, she has many times enjoyed hearing both the American and Canadian national anthems at sporting events where athletes from both nations were present, she said. Don't the grumblers watch the Olympics? Can't they show some international courtesy and appreciation for their Canadian neighbors?
I had to ask Van Tassell how "God Bless America" was chosen as the song to make everyone happy. He said it seemed best because "America" refers to all of North America. And that includes Canada.
Really? I never realized that when I heard Kate Smith sing it.
Liebig finds that argument as silly as I do, but said the point isn't what song should replace our national anthem. The point, she said, is you shouldn't.
"How can you ban "The Star Spangled Banner"?
Or maybe:
WE DON'T WANT NO OTHER NATIONAL ANTHEMS IN OUR COUNTRY! 
Okay then, we just won't play ANY national anthems! GEWD! ...WAIT, WHAT?
