National Anthem

My aunt once told me we were related to Francis Scott Key, the cat who penned "The Star-Spangled Banner," and who was born in what is now Carroll County. Okay, she also told me James Arness from "Gunsmoke" once pushed her on a swing and that I would grow up to be happy and successful. So I don't know what to believe anymore. But I am pretty certain about this: When Uncle Frankie was feverishly composing with ink and quill, during a War of 1812 firefight, he did not suddenly...

WASHINGTON — The winner of "American Idol" next week will perform the national anthem for the National Memorial Day Concert on the Capitol lawn in Washington. Organizers are announcing plans Thursday for the Memorial Day festivities. Actors Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise will host the program again this year. The concert will be televised May 26 on PBS. The lineup of entertainers will include actor Ed Harris, "Dancing with the Stars" finalist Katherine Jenkins, singer Chris Mann, who...

Legendary former Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver died early Saturday at age 82, and columnist Thomas Boswell paid tribute in a column . Weaver provided far more than one column's worth of quotes during Boswell's nine years on the Orioles beat , as he writes : Earl Weaver died . That's so bleepin' horsebleep. No one in baseball in my lifetime ever talked half as well on even half as many subjects as Earl. The sarcastic jokes get repeated most. The wisdom often gets overlooked.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — One young contender created the world's largest sequin mosaic using 325,000 of the sparkly disks. Two other youths achieved 123 consecutive badminton passes in one minute. And 1,450 participants broke the record for the most people arm-wrestling. Such are the skills that Guinness World Records are made of in Pakistan, where thousands of young people are groomed to establish their unique feats for posterity. This month, the contestants came together in the eastern city of Lahore for the annual ...

While Elizabeth Lucas's right to use her mute button is inalienable, her comments about the "Star-Spangled Banner" [ letters , Feb. 3] were way off the mark. It may be that "our national anthem . . . is not a jazz, rock or gospel song. " But to suggest that any nontraditional interpretation of the song is akin to burning the flag seems narrow-minded in the extreme. It is worth remembering that when Francis Scott Key's poem, "The Defence of Fort McHenry," was set to music, the tune selected was from a popular English drinking song.

David Marchand's Jan. 31 letter got my dander up, as do all complaints about our beautiful national anthem. I don't care that Beyonce lip-synced her performance at the inauguration. I generally don't like young singers' bastardized versions of the anthem, but Beyonce's version was beautifully done and a great tribute to our country and our president. I am 86 years old and have an untrained voice with a limited range. But I like to sing, and my favorite song is "The Star Spangled Banner.

After I finished an enjoyable chortle at Michael Kinsley's June 12 column , "Oh, Say Can You Sing It," I decided to speak up in defense of our national anthem. I take issue with Mr. Kinsley's (perhaps tongue-in-cheek) criticism of the lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner," which I instead find to carry great significance. When Francis Scott Key wrote these words during the War of 1812, it was unclear whether our then-young country would survive. We were under attack by the mighty British Empire, whose soldiers soon sacked the...

Regarding the Feb. 7 Fact Checker column, " Romney flags on the anthem ": When I was a lad in public school (I am now 81),  this was the procedure for reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Place an open hand over the heart, begin reciting "I pledge allegiance," fully extend the right arm, point to the flag and finish reciting the pledge. Some time later — I can't remember the year — the teacher told us that extending the arm was discontinued because it resembled the Nazi salute.

WASHINGTON — The winner of "American Idol" next week will perform the national anthem for the National Memorial Day Concert on the Capitol lawn in Washington. Organizers are announcing plans Thursday for the Memorial Day festivities. Actors Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise will host the program again this year. The concert will be televised May 26 on PBS. The lineup of entertainers will include actor Ed Harris, "Dancing with the Stars" finalist Katherine Jenkins, singer Chris Mann, who...

So last night's "Star-Spangled Sing-Off" wasn't "American Idol. " Sure, dozens of amateur singers belted out 30-second versions of their favorite songs in hopes of gaining the chance to perform in front of a stadium full of baseball fans. But there was no snooty judge with a British accent, no snide commentary about a talent void -- there wasn't even a William Hung wannabe offering off-key antics. In fact, most of the 59 people who entered the Washington Nationals' third annual contest to sing...

My wife and I have season tickets to the Washington Nationals and have been struck by the "patriotic" displays at the games. Not only do the games open with "The Star-Spangled Banner," but there is usually a "God Bless America" performance, plus a special recognition of military members. We do not stand for "God Bless America," and no one has ever made a comment to us about it, but we note that almost everyone else stands. Could it be that many Nats fans know they and their children will never serve, so they feel especially embarrassed and need to show...

The answer to the question " Do fans have to cheer for America, too? " [Outlook, Feb. 3] is no. They are free to not cheer and to turn their back on the national anthem, if they wish, and they are free to write commentaries such as Tricia Jenkins's. But many Americans understand that those simple freedoms came at a great price, and they enjoy the opportunity to express their appreciation to those who paid it. Ms. Jenkins should count her blessings. Steven Frake , Lorton ● My wife and I have season tickets to the Washington...

Yet more protestations against Beyonce's performance at the inauguration? Letter writers William McLain IV and Michael Bellis [" The honesty of a live performance ," Feb. 2] called it trickery, dishonest and even unpatriotic to lip-sync the national anthem at President Obama's second inauguration. As for me, upon seeing the beautiful Beyonce standing before the microphones on Inauguration Day, I fully expected to hear her electronically amplified voice singing the national anthem.

David Marchand's Jan. 31 letter got my dander up, as do all complaints about our beautiful national anthem. I don't care that Beyonce lip-synced her performance at the inauguration. I generally don't like young singers' bastardized versions of the anthem, but Beyonce's version was beautifully done and a great tribute to our country and our president. I am 86 years old and have an untrained voice with a limited range. But I like to sing, and my favorite song is "The Star Spangled Banner.

There was a 10-minute break between preliminary races at the Washington Metropolitan Prep School Swim and Dive League championships on Saturday, and Holton-Arms sophomore Annie Smith saw her team was in need of energy.  The rarely quiet Holton-Arms swimmers were relaxing on the bleachers, leaning on their bags and each other. The team had been there three hours and it wasn't even 10 o'clock in the morning.  The notoriously spirited team wears costumes for championship meets because, Smith said, they "make us look...

Regarding the Feb. 1 Reliable Source item " She's ready to sing out ": It is disturbing to learn that Beyonce lip-synced our national anthem at the presidential inauguration. At best, she tricked us into believing that she was singing, and that we were hearing, the anthem live.  Neither trickery nor a lie has any place in an inaugural ceremony. (I wouldn't be so bothered had she lip-synced at a sporting event such as the Super Bowl, for example.) In fact, such dishonesty is so at odds generally with the substance of the day's...

It's a cliche to complain about how hard it is to sing our national anthem. So this week, let's have a contest to . . . ah, no, let's not solve the problem by coming up with a new song. Instead, let's keep the troublesome melody and instead: Write entirely new, humorous lyrics to the tune of "The Star-Spangled Banner"; they can be on any subject, though the results will be published in the paper on July 3, just in time to be sung on Independence Day. This contest was suggested by Arizona...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — One young contender created the world's largest sequin mosaic using 325,000 of the sparkly disks. Two other youths achieved 123 consecutive badminton passes in one minute. And 1,450 participants broke the record for the most people arm-wrestling. Such are the skills that Guinness World Records are made of in Pakistan, where thousands of young people are groomed to establish their unique feats for posterity. This month, the contestants came together in the eastern city of Lahore for...

The customary flyover by fighter jets may be absent from this weekend's Super Bowl ; after all, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans is covered. But a military color guard will be on the field during the pregame ceremonies. CBS will cut to shots of troops watching the game overseas. Veterans will be recognized on the stadium's video boards. And flag imagery will abound, as will stirring renditions of the national anthem and, most likely, "America the Beautiful. " Sports games — some of the only...