National Anthem

They're ready for ball. But first thing's first. On opening day for Barrington Little League, player Danny Pawling stands at attention next to George Sulock, the league's president, for the national anthem. The April 22 games marked the start of a special season - the league celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.

The concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra - Erez Ofer, an Israeli - has played and sung "Hatikvah," the Israeli national anthem, countless times in his life. But the Jordanian national anthem, "Long Live the King" - well, who'd have thought it? He'll be playing both anthems today, solo, when the city's Liberty Medal is given to Shimon Peres and to a representative of Jordan's King Hussein. Ofer had hoped for a quartet, or at least a piano accompaniment, for the performance.

To commemorate Flag Day, which is today, the North Penn VFW Post held a ceremony in Glenside to show the proper way to dispose of Old Glory. The post collected 3,000 flags in poor condition that it will burn. Yesterday's event also featured rifle firings and a reading of the history of the national anthem. June 14 marks the day Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the nation's symbol.

With fanfare from a torchbearer and the national anthem, residents of Bala Nursing and Retirement Center played in a Nerf Olympics program last Thursday, set up by 14 students from Bala Cynwyd Middle School in Lower Merion and teachers Bobbi Wolf and Nancy Murphy. The games were part of the students' Magic Me Program, in which Philadelphia Geriatric Center residents also participate.

AFTER 9/11, Americans rallied to be proud of our country. We were heard publicly everywhere, except when it came to our national anthem. For that, we inexplicably silenced ourselves. It must be remembered that "The Star-Spangled Banner" isn't a concert piece written for VIPs or professional vocalists. It was written for all Americans. We learned it in school, and were expected to sing it whenever it served as an event opener. While a featured voice (or voices) or instruments may be present, they are there only to set the key and get the assembly started, not to steal the show.

POP QUIZ: What's the official national flower of the United States? The official national tree? The official national sport? Americans don't know the answers to these three questions, but a move is underfoot - yet again - to name English our official national language. Proponents of the move say it is about time all those immigrants (read: "Mexicans") learn to speak English only, and claim that naming an official language will achieve that. Those immigrants did themselves no favors by angering many when they sang the national anthem in Spanish at many of the rallies they held against House Republican legislation on immigration reform.

As a font of originality, Rep. Andrew Jacobs (D., Ind.) is again watering the nation's imagination. He wants to change the national anthem from "The Star-Spangled Banner" to "America the Beautiful. " His proposed legislation has won the support of 315,000 Parade magazine readers who responded favorably to the question, should we change our national anthem? About 74,000 said no. The Jacobin theory - that "The Star-Spangled Banner" is a martial song that should be scrapped in favor of "America the Beautiful," which "celebrates our power and our ability to live and work in peace" - is on the mark, but only by half.

I'D LIKE TO SEE the Phillies stop playing "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch. Only special-interest groups want to hear that song. (And, no, I'm not talking about Irving Berlin fans.) Instead, I'd like to hear "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" or a repeat of the national anthem. Tim Short, Bryn Mawr Tat's ridiculous! Re the letter "Too Many Tattoos": I'll make this short and to the point. Never put a bumper sticker on a Mercedes.

James J. Kilpatrick expressed beautifully the case for dumping the shopworn, unsingable, highly militaristic "The Star-Spangled Banner" in favor of the lovely and ever more meaningful "America the Beautiful. " I wish Rep. Andrew Jacobs Jr. (D., Ind.) all success and godspeed in his pursuit of passage of House Bill 1052. I could then hold my head high in pride to stand and sing our national anthem at any time and on any occasion. Norman C. Hoffman Barto, Pa.