MA School Deletes God from Lee Greenwood Song: Parents, Lee Greenwood Fight Back

[William Korach]

06 April 2012

 

by Bill Korach

The officials of the Stall Brook Elementary School in Bellingham, Massachusetts  dropped “God” from the Lee Greenwood song “God Bless the USA.” “God Bless the USA” was scheduled for an assembly, but an unnamed administrator decided to change the words to “We Love the USA.” Parents strongly objected and the Stall Brook School relented.

Superintendent of Schools Edward Fluery says he’s sorry if the change was considered disrespectful.

 ”Political correctness is certainly a consideration in the public sector,” Fluery said in a statement. “There are traditional parts of our culture that are sacred, and we certainly had no intent to disrespect that culture.”

Superintendant Fluery’s statement provides a startling insight into the mentality and lack of commons sense abroad in the public school system today. Educational standards, accepted morality, math, science are all sacrificed at the altar of political correctness. The antidote to this kind of silliness, is common sense and involvement of parents as demonstrated by the Bellingham parent’s successful reversal of the Stall Brook officlal’s wrong headed decision to remove God for “God Bless the USA.

Lee Greenwood told Fox News:

“The most important word in the whole piece of music is the word God, which is also in the title ‘God Bless The USA,”

“Maybe the school should have asked the parents their thoughts before changing the lyrics to the song. They could have even asked the writer of the song, which I of course, would have said you can’t change the lyrics at all or any part of the song,” he said.

According to Greenwood, the lyrics, “God bless the USA” has a “very important meaning for those in the military and their families, as well as new citizens coming into our country.”

Greenwood said the song as written is played at naturalization ceremonies behind the national anthem.

“If the song is good enough to be played and performed in its original setting under those circumstances, it surely should be good enough for our children,”

Greenwood said the school could have asked the writer his thoughts.

“Which I of course would have said you can’t change the lyrics at all or any part of the song. The most important word in the whole piece of music is the word ‘God,’ which is also in the title “God Bless The U.S.A.,” he said.

“We can’t take God out of the song, we can’t take God out of The Pledge of Allegiance, we can’t take God off of the American currency.”

Greenwood and the Parents of the Stall Brook Elementary students are right and the school is wrong. This week, The US District Court for Eastern Missouri ruled that school must remove Internet filters from school libraries so kids can see sexually explicit material. What has happened to common sense, and educational standards in America’s schools? www.thereportcard.org

[Patricia M. McBride]

I really think many parents don't try because they figure it won't do any good.  What happened in Massachusetts shows that it does work and fighting back does make a difference.  Wonder why we aren't seeing this story on every network (I jest).

[William Korach]

The good thing is that parents fought back, and won. Thus they defeated mindless bureaucracy, but its a battle we all have to fight.

[Patricia M. McBride]

Thank you so much for posting this William.  I went over to your web site when I saw it posted on Billie's blog, and I am hard pressed to understand how the school thought they could use someone's copyrighted song and change the words like that but especially the word they changed.  I understand how Mr. Greenwood must have felt when he heard!