No freeman shall ever be debarred the use of arms.

But it's supposed to be sung in English!

Um, okay. I grant that it was written in English. In fact, it was written about the English - they were after all the ones who were waging a perilous fight against the United States when Francis Scott Key wrote those beautiful words. Ironic, no?

But for me, personally, the meaning of those words transcends the English language. For this reason, I find Nuestro Himno to be not an iota more (or less) disrespectful or inappropriate than the caterwalling, improvisario, jazzed up and funkadelic versions of this song that I have been subjected to at various sporting events over the years. If it is not worth getting into an uproar every time some country or R&B singer stuffs their performance full of extra notes, repetitions, "yeah yeah yeah"s, etc., or if it is not worth getting upset about every time the National Anthem is played as an instrumental piece, i.e. stripped of all of Francis Scott Key's meaning and left as naked music that predates Key's lyrics and their sentiment, then why get upset about the National Anthem being sung en espanol? Or, to turn it around, if you are going to be purist about the National Anthem, like Josue Sierra (and I respect that), then are you at least consistent? If not, then your hypocrisy will interfere with whatever point you might be trying to make.

Well... perhaps there is a legitimate reason to fuss a little. Consider the infamous Harris poll that showed 61% of American adults do not know the words to their National Anthem (even in English). "As few as 15 percent of American youth can sing the words to the anthem from memory".

The fuss should not be about whether the song has been translated and celebrated in another language. The fuss should be about what that translation and celebration actually mean. The song has become neglected by the citizenry of America, who are only half-joking when they say that the last two words in the National Anthem are "Play ball!"

If you are not one of those people, and you are taking this situation very seriously, then let me give you my two cents: If the people who are singing Nuestro Himno are doing so in celebration of the principles upon which this nation was founded, then you should stand up and observe proper etiquette during our National Anthem, even if you do not understand the language in which it is being sung, and even if you disagree with the person singing. To paraphrase something I was told in boot camp, we show respect to the flag and the principles; not to the singer.

And if you don't think the song was meant to celebrate this nation, then you go ahead and celebrate this nation anyway. Have the courage to observe proper etiquette anyway. Stand up. Make that song mean something.

Says President Bush: "I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English and they ought to learn to sing the national anthem in English."

I agree - but there should be no obligation to do so. This is, after all, the land of the free.

Update:
The Wikipedia authors (users?) are having a nice little row over this song, see here, including the following:
Below is a REAL translation, not a parody. Read it and compare it to the Nuestra Himno parody.

La bandera estrellada Traducción por Guillermo F. Hall, de Guatemala

Oh, decid: ¿podeis ver, al rayar de la aurora lo Que vimos anoche orgullosos flotar? La estrellada bandera, tremolando altanera, encumbrada en La torre y excitando luchar! Y a la luz de la roja, fulgurante centella, la Bandera ondeaba, ondeaba más bella; Y a través de la densa humareda inflamada, Con qué orgullo miramos la bandera ondear!

¡El pendón de la Patria, la bandera estrellada, Encumbrada en la almena convidando a luchar!

Oh! decid, ¿todavía contemplais la bandera, La estrellada bandera, Sobre suelo de libres que defienden su hogar? A través de la niebla, de la mar a la orilla Iracundo enemigo nos atisba a marchar. ¿Qué es aquello que ondula, que flamea y simula Un enjambre de estrellas refulgiendo en el mar? Ya del alba recoge la primer llamarada; Ya se oculta en la niebla, ya aparece inflamada; Ya ostentando sus glorias se refleja en el río; Ya sus franjas y estrellas nos deslumbran al par.

¡El pendón de la Patria, tremolando bravio Y flamenado en la almena nos incita a luchar!

¡El pendón de la Patria, la estrellada bandera, Tremolando altanera Sobre suelo de libres que defienden su hogar!

¿Dónde está la falange enemiga y aleve Que con vana porfía se atreviera a jurar Que al fragor de la guerra, en la lucha que aterra, Perderíamos patria y familia y hogar? ¡Con su sangre lavara la verguenza inferida De su paso a la hulla por la tierra querida! Encontrar no podría un refugio el taimado, Que en su fuga oprobiosa la pudiera salvar Del terror de esa fuga, del morir angustiado Con el ansia del triunfo que no pudo alcanzar. Mientras tanto tremola la estrellada bandera Y triunfante, altanera, Sobre suelo de libres nos custodia el hogar Siempre así, cuando altivo se levante el patriota Defendiendo su suelo, su familia y su hogar, La radiante victoria lo circunde de gloria, ¡Y bendiga al Eterno que lo hiciera triunfar! Y pues Dios nos asiste y la lucha es tan santa, Y el pendón de la Patria nos alienta y levanta, Conservemos la Patria, el hogar que adoramos, Y adoptamos por lema, sacrosanto y sin par: ¡"Sea Dios nuestro guía; en su apoyo confiamos!"

¡Justiciera es la causa que nos manda a luchar, Y el pendón de la Patria, la estrellada bandera, Tremolando altanera, Sobre suelo de libres nos conserve el hogar!

Notice it says "our guide Is God" and "defend our home"
User:Clydeman

There seems to be some confusion about how much liberty was taken with the lyrics, and that may be because there is more than one "interpretation" of the song. The Washington Post notes:

In the Spanish version, the translation of the first stanza is relatively faithful to the spirit of the original, though Kidron says the producers wanted to avoid references to bombs and rockets. Instead, there is "fierce combat." The translation of the more obscure second stanza is almost a rewrite, with phrases such as "we are equal, we are brothers."

An alternate version to be released next month includes a rap in English that never occurred to Francis Scott Key:
Let's not start a war
With all these hard workers
They can't help where they were born

Also, WaPo paraphrases Michelle Malkin:

Transforming the musical idiom of "The Star-Spangled Banner" is one thing, argue the skeptics, but translating the words sends the opposite message: We are not Americans.

It is all about the language. Is that the message from Malkin and others? We don't care what you look like, or what you eat, or how socialist you are, so long as you speak English.

[shrug]

Some people may consider that important. But it certainly does not represent my point of view.