Now, Here's The Rest Of The Star Spangled Story

We all know the words to our national anthem, don't we?

Uh-h-h-h...turns out we don't. There's a little known second verse to The Star Spangled Banner which makes it clear that we identify ourselves as a nation of people who believe deeply in God and who believe our cause--the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness--is just. I didn't know about this "unknown verse" any more than you did; I freely admit my original ignorance. But an email from my friend Red Elk forwarded a YouTube video he'd received, a video of a former Marine who stunned a Tea Party by belting out what We the People needed to hear.

Yep. What that verse states without reservation is that while you, Mr. Radical Islamic Terrorist, may have bedrock belief in your so-called Holy War, you are not alone. We Americans have our own bedrock. When we are pushed, we push back.

Yep. What that verse states without reservation is that while you, Mr. Government-Is-God Radical Liberal, may believe people are sheep to be flocked thoroughly, you are misguided. At the deepest level, our people are Jedi knights, and the Force is strong with us.

Yep. It's time for this writer--uplifted by his own first listen to that oh-so-special video--to shut up and let you-the-reader have your own experience. Here it is.

Note #1: The captioning refers to this as a "Fourth" verse to The Star Spangled Banner. I've identified it as a "Second" verse because the Marine who sang it identified it as such.

Note #2: Also mentioned in the captioning is the notice, "David Hedrick 4 Congress". On his website, he's quoted as follows:

"A politician can bring home the pork, but first he has to steal your pig."

The website, which identifies Mr. Hedrick as running for Congress this year in the state of Washington, describes the candidate this way:

David served in the United States Marine Corps as an infantry Non-Commissioned Officer. Since he is a disabled Veteran, he can no longer defend our freedom as an active member of the armed forces, but he can protect our freedoms by serving in the United States Congress.

Note #3: Since we live in Arizona, we can't vote for David directly. We're rooting for him, though.

Now...excuse me. Gotta go watch that video one more time...and hope Sarah Palin discovers this gem in time to use it as part and parcel of her Presidential campaign in 2012.