The Cactus Cuties Sing The National Anthem
Posted on March 2, 2008
Absolutely amazing talent of some very young girls that will very possibly give you chills. This is the kind of stuff that can break through party barriers and go straight to the core of patriotic pride. Thanks to Lobo for sending this one to me.
Andi Kitten – 11
Baylee Barrett – 13
Madeline Powell – 8
Tatum Lowe – 11
Blaire Elbert – 10
Directed by Cami Caldwell
» Filed Under 1st Amendment, News, Video
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23 Responses to “The Cactus Cuties Sing The National Anthem”
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The performance was very refreshing, I am 73 years young and I know the meaning of patriotism.
Thanks,
rbl
Chills. Tears. Pounding heart.
Wow. Just … wow.
I am a proud card carrying member of the ACLU and I thought this performance was absolutely stirring and it swelled my own pride as an American — just goes to show that you can want to defend the Bill of Rights and still love America.
Beautiful
Well whatadya know Denis? Nice to know you are a patriot. I bet that even an America hater could appreciate the talent involved here.
Hey, Jay. It’s true that anyone can appreciate great singing and this is the best, amazing in light of the ages of the girls involved. Great tune, too.
I hope you’re not implying that I hate America because I support the ACLU. I love America. And if you ask me what I love about, I’ll say the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. If anyone on your forum has a problem with that, I’d ask “Well, okay, what do YOU love about America?” After reading your response, then I’d decide which of us is the better American.
Thank you.
The video is no longer up. Denis, what about freedom of speech? Does the ACLU allow us regular Americans to have opinions, or will ya’ll tell us those, too? I don’t think that the ACLU is as American as you propose. Just because YOU say they are more American than I am doesn’t mean thet you are right. You just keep thinking that only liberals are good Americans, I say any American who loves his/her country is a good American. The ACLU doesn’t dictate our standards, nor does it speak for me.
RDP,
My postings are all visible and can be cut and pasted into your subsequent postings. Would you kindly identify that section in my posts (and include them word for word in your own, with quotation marks) where I suggest that “only liberals are good Americans.” If one of my liberal friends (and I have several) told me that, I’d call him/or an idiot.
I am in favor of free speech, including yours. Even though we obviously disagree about some fundamental issues, if anyone (including the ACLU) tried to compromise your ability to speak your mind, I would denounce them at the top of my lungs, even though I disagree with you.
Are you reacting to what I posted or to your own views of liberals? I would quote a line from “The Killer Angels” — “only a peawit judges by the group.” I take people as I find them — one at a time. I’ve known too many highly intelligent conservatives not too respect them and value their opinions.
Let me tell you how I got on this forum in the first place (which, thanks to you, I’ll be leaving soon). I saw this video on another source and it moved me deeply. I Googled “Cactus Cuties” to learn more about how something so incredible came to be, and it led me to this site.
If you don’t think I’m a good American based on what I’ve written in this forum, you can shove it. If anyone were to suggest that you weren’t a good American because of what you’ve written, I would tell them to shove it.
Is that clear or have I used any words you don’t understand?
Denis, you stated, “I am in favor of free speech, including yours”
Then why can’t I pray in school?
This is my right – but the ACLU has fought to say that it impedes against others rights and in doing so has impeded my right to freedom of religion.
Dear Public School Teacher,
I don’t have a problem with you praying in school. I know the ACLU has a problem with it, but I sure don’t.
Having said that, I WOULD have a problem with you requiring your students to join you in prayer. I think that would be using your power as a teacher to shove your own personal beliefs down the throats of your students, who are politically weak and not able to say no to you. Would you require your students to join you or do you just want to be able to do it as an individual?
As a person who’s job it is to prepare teachers (I’m a professor of reading and social studies education), I wouldn’t approve of teachers praying out loud during class time for the simple reason that it disrupts the flow of the instructional day. I don’t have a problem with it for freedom of speech issues. I have a problem with it, during instructional periods only, because it’s bad teaching. If one of my students had a lesson that was going badly and stopped in the middle of it to pray for divine intervention, I would read him/her the riot act. It doesn’t have anything to do with my support or opposition to this student’s beliefs — again, it’s just bad teaching practice. (Think of what would happen with the kids in the class if a Muslim teacher stopped a lesson in the middle to get on his rug and pray.)
On the other hand, I think that praying before lunch (for example) should be your absolute right, even if it’s out loud or in front of the students. I know that’s not the ACLU’s position but I think the ACLU is wrong about this. I think the ACLU is wrong about lots of stuff.
Because you’re a teacher, I would be very interested in your response.
Thanks, Denis
I would agree with your analysis of this issue. It would be bad teaching to engage in prayer in the manner that you have outlined. I am glad to hear that you do disagree with the ACLU on this matter. My biggest issue with the ACLU is that the always choose “civil rights” that seem to try and hush christian beliefs, but have never offered to go to court for a chirstian whose rights have been violated in similar fashion. This to me is a double standard and therefore comes across as if the ACLU actually has an agenda, though they claim they don’t.
Thanks for the response and keep training good teachers. We really need them.
Thanks,
Public School Teacher
Dear Public School Teacher,
Thanks so much for your very gracious response. I have to admit that I think more highly of the ACLU’s former traditions than of their current positions (which sometimes border on the bizarre). For example, I remember one time (I think this was in the 70’s) when the ACLU came to the defense of a white supremacist. Personally, I don’t like white supremacists, but loved the notion that defending personal freedom of expression was more important than consideration of whatever the person was expressing.
This reminds me of a part near the end of the movie “The American President” where the Michael Douglas character (the president) says during a press conference (I took it from the script off the web):
“You want free speech? Let’s see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who’s standing center stage and advocating, at the top of his lungs, that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free, then the symbol of your country can’t just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest.” Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then you can stand up and sing about the land of the free.â€
That was written by Aaron Sorkin, the guy who wrote “The West Wing” — one of the most liberal guys around, but obviously in favor of free speech.
This is where it gets tricky. You might despise the notion of flag burning and despise the people that engage in such behavior. But, if you really believe in free speech, you’ve got to defend their rights.
I don’t see the difference between defending the rights of a citizen to burn a flag and defending the rights of a Christian to practice his/her religion, again, as long as it’s not being imposed on others.
Many of the teachers I deal with struggle with the fact that they’re not supposed to “do Christmas” in the schools anymore!! The way around this is to do a unit on culture where you present Christian traditions, Jewish traditions, Muslim traditions, etc. and compare and contrast. And I think that it’s okay for you, as a teacher, to say to your students “I’m a Christian, so I believe in Christmas.” This should be absolutely be protected, your legal absolute right. I think someone saying, “I’m a Christian, so YOU should believe in Christmas” should not be protected.
I apologize for taking my stumbling into this forum to express myself. To tell the truth, I don’t get a chance to talk to folks of a different political perspective and I really miss the back and forth. I find that, regardless of political persuasion, we have a lot more in common that either “side” would expect. Thanks so much for the opportunity to talk to you.
By the way, my students and I deal with these kinds of issues all the time. Any examples of how creative teachers get around some of these ridiculous restrictions would be appreciated.
Denis
It makes me want to cry with happiness for my country. So moving.
I hate to intrude on this All-American Slugfest about which of you is the most American of Americans, but I’d sure like to know who the Texas Cuties are. I get a lot of videos and a lot of comments on how sweet they are (and of course whether the ACLU is more American than the John Birch Society), but little on the subject of the video–the Texas Cuties. For God’s sake people, relax, holster your jingoism and listen to the music. Those girls would be embarrased to see whe comments offered in exchange for their lovely Anthem performance.
Denis,
Well, that makes at least 2 of us that got to this site after hearing this moving performance of our National Anthem, & googling to try to find out how such a wonderful tribute came to be.
And that makes at least 2 of us here that supports the ACLU’s tireless efforts to protect our fundamental American values & liberties.
In this challenging time, when so many seem to seek refuge in the mirage of “Big Brother” security measures, and in a time when we have adopted pre-emptive waging of war into our formal National Security policy, and when so many who rhetorically claim to be “small government conservatives” have now adopted “unitary executive” theory and support the destruction of habeas corpus . . . . . . the ACLU’s patriotic work is more needed than ever before.
. . . . just as is our beloved National Anthem.
These girls beautiful rendition brings tears to my eyes.
I received this in an email today. Without question, the best singing of the national anthem I have ever heard. I listened to it many times and it moves you more each time. WOW…..just WOW.
Hi all,
I did some research on this and found that there’s a movement afoot to replace the Star Spangled Banner as our national anthem (and, no, it’s not the ACLU that’s leading the charge on that one
The rationale is that the Star Spangled Banner is hard for some people to sing. I think it’s an amazing anthem partially BECAUSE it’s hard to sing — you get the full range of emotions out of something like an octave and a half of musical range. The high notes wouldn’t seem so high (and stirring) if you didn’t have to reach for them. Anyone who thinks the Star Spangled Banner should be replaced should be sent this video link.
By the way, a previous poster was frustrated that he couldn’t find out more about the Cactus Cuties, but Jay was thoughtful enough to post the “To Learn More About Them” link at the time of this page.
Denis
The ACLU only defends the parts of the Bill of Rights that it agrees with. It’s happy to let the Second Amendment just fade away in a cloud of twisted words.
Norm
Your performance was amazing. You should be proud of yourselfs. You all have very beautiful voices and you will be my idle for a while.
i hope that you all will sing more songs that people can enjoy. thanks so much. ilove you……no homo….
I found this site by seeing and hearing the Cactus Cuties on a daily blog sent by a friend and googeling. I am not a particularly patriotic person but I am simply blown away by the singing. I did a little stroll around the blog here and through a couple of links. I also read with interest the comments above. I visited the ACLU site and found the reference to a bunch of cases the ACLU has addressed, definding religious freedom and particularly Christian freedom in schools, public and business.
http://www.aclu.org/religion/govtfunding/26526res20060824.html I thought it was most interesting.
My dad was a school administrator and always said, “I have no problem with prayer in school, AS LONG AS I GET TO WRITE THE PRAYER.” Someone would invariably say, “How come you get to write the prayer?” and he would reply, “If not me, then NOT ANYONE.”
Jon
You can pray in school. You can’t pretend to anoint your faith for the children, however. Those kids, like the Cactus Cuties, have religious rights, too. Who are you to substitute your judgment about God for the Cactus Cuties’ judgment? Why would you want to?
What’s so difficult to understand about that?
Norm, STACLU has never defended most of the Bill of Rights. Only the ACLU — ONLY the ACLU — defends all ten amendments, regardless who attacks them. No other group.
Those who oppose the ACLU oppose the Bill of Rights. Never forget that only the ACLU defends the Bill of Rights alone.