San Antonio
I just happen to be in San Antonio this week.
There are certain cities that seem to belong to all Americans – New York, San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, and San Antonio are a few of them. They are cities unlike any others – they are anything but generic.
I was born in Houston and love it, but my heart lives in San Antonio. It is diverse, colorful, happy, hot, and loud. San Antonio is a 12 year old boy. The Air Force does basic training here and it is a very popular place for military retirees. But the city is dominated by young people because a dozen universities are here.
One of my sons went to college here. My sons are 5th generation Texans. His roommate, Miguel Tapia, was a 6th generation Texan. “I didn’t cross the border,” Tapia said, “the border crossed me.”
So, when a gifted young man of Hispanic background was the victim of obscene racist slurs for simply singing the National Anthem at a Spurs game, I was sickened.
Today I got to be a witness to this city, with class and grace, respond.
Sebastian, thank you for singing at the Spurs game again tonight. Thank you and this city for responding to hate with courage, class, and kindness.
I love yew, San Antonio.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/rep-steve-king-illegal-aliens-invaded-office-210709687.html
1Those illegals are getting so uppity and brazen. Actin’ like they were were here first or sumpin.
Gee, almost makes me wish I had a twitter account. Mama plug your ears, this ain’t gonna be pretty. I see the following upstanding American citizens, a WOP, A guinea (hell if I know now to spell that) a Mick, a Spick and an N***ger. (still can’t say that), a cheese eating surrender monkey, a Kraut or Pollack. etc, etc.
2We need people to remember it’s a big diverse country made stronger by every different nationality and ethnicity that comes here.
I am now gonna go wash my mouth out with soap for those terms of ignorance and hatred and then sing Da Chipster’s Demographic Polka. And maybe a bourbon to go with my blues that anyone is that damn stupid about a kid singing the Star Spangled Banner.
Hippie in the Hollar
Grace and peace. Thank God for little boys who like to sing, and for San Antonio.
3Thanks for sharing this, my faith in mankind has been restored. My husband and I were sickened by the response to this wonderful little boy with such a beautiful voice. Eric Erickson said, “The mutilation of a child’s spirit is the deadliest of sins.” That’s what these hate mongers wanted to do. How wonderful that this young man didn’t allow them to win and that San Antonio and Spurs sent them the message that they wouldn’t be a part of such a thing.
4Watch Sebastien’s interview on kens tv (CBS) on 6/13/2013. An 11 year old Hispanic from San Antonio shows how much smarter he is than a 60 year old redneck from east Texas.
5San Antonio is my hometown. I grew up in Houston but moved to San Antonio as soon as I could. I lived there for almost 30 years. I love the city, the people, the culture, the food. I love San Antonio. I am so proud of the mayor (I knew his mama when he was a little boy) and the people who stood on the side of right for Sebastian. It’s a good day to be from San Antonio.
6My heart is in San Antonio, too. I am so proud of the gifted and generous hearted Sebastien and so proud of the Spurs for inviting him to sing again.
7Hey, Hippie in the Hollar where did you come up with that? That sounds like my first platoon in the US Armee. Actually, sounds like most of the US Military. Fine Americans all from what I could tell.
I did not hear the kid sing, nor watch the game, but I had a HARD time believing that there were some creeps that went racial on his rendition of the National Anthem.
8Captain Dave,
See tumblr Juanita Jean linked to. Now look at the names of all the ‘fine upstanding Americans’ who slammed this young man in their tweets. Now look at the names and pictures of the commenters.
What I was getting at were all the commenters belonged to groups that were not welcomed in these United States and depending on where you live still aren’t.
Hell, my family consists of Germans, Austrians, Slovenes, Mexicans, Portuguese, English, Welsh, Jamaican and one of the First Nation peoples(which tribe is lost in family history).
We range in color from fish belly white to a nice cafe au lait.
We are America.
Hippie in the Hollar
9Hippie,
The “I had a hard time believing” was sarcasm because I live in SA. Unfortunately, there are more than a few here who can’t, or won’t, accept the diversity around this city. BTW, my roots sound a lot like yours.
10Dave,
The interweebs needs a sarcasm font, really, truly. I never know if I am expressing is what I want to say. Do much better in person-I use a lot of hand waving and making of faces.
I’m just a cross the river from Cincinnati in Kentucky and we probably could all swap stories.
Lindy aka Hippie in the Hollar.
11KLBJ was discussing this yesterday (the first I’d heard of it) and they played a clip of Sebastian graciously saying it doesn’t bother him. He’s a very classy and talented Texas kid.
12@Hippie (or @Da Chipster)
13Could we have an encore of the Demographic Polka? I do not believe I’ve ever heard it. Thank you in advance.
Ya know, it’s just too early in the morning for me too be weeping because my beautiful country that I love dearly seems to be chock full of small minded racist jingoistic loudmouths that hate kids and anyone that doesn’t look just like them! And I’m on my way to work so bourbon is *NOT* an option!!
14PS I love San Antonio too, great-great etc grand Unca David is buried there at this gorgeous little old MEXICAN shrine…
Gracias, Sebastian!
15Hippie,
16Please run over to the Holiday Inn in Erlanger and say HOWDY to all my diverse friends. Military all from almost 50 years ago.
Just about every ethnic group and proud to be brothers and sister.
Especially Pam from NZ.
If you missed the game and want to see Sebastian’s encore, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=f2c4YXGNjx8#!
Pretty impressive.
17Several months ago Keith Harkin, a loyal Irish citizen, sang at a Boston Celtics game. I didn’t hear any outcry about it.
18So it’s not being a “foreigner” that’s problem.
That young boy sang an extremely difficult song better than many adults.
I’m angry at the stupid, but this mostly makes me want to cry.
Sebastien has a beautiful voice and … whoa … he hit that really high note!
I swear, if this garbage continues on with the immigration crap, we will have to send the Statute of Liberty back to France where she came from!
I’m old, the weather is hot, Colorado is burning, and I’m just cranky and none of this negative crap makes me happy!
19The irony is that the same doofuses who got all snarky about Sebastien’s rendition of the National Anthem have been talking about their state seceding from the union. So then, what significance would singing The Star Spangled Banner have for them? The dirty little secret is that you can lift up their toupees to expose the holes in the tops of their heads. Someone occasionally sticks a hand-held blender in there to rescramble their brains.
20The entire arena erupted in cheers as soon as Sebastien was spotted out on the floor. He has sung The National Anthem several times and has Always done the song justice.
He has handled all of this with amazing maturity.
Go Sebastien Go!
Go Spurs Go!
Just saying…..
21Not only is she French, Marcia, she was originally a Muslim. Just say that to room full of Republicans and watch them heads start to poppin’.
22This precious child, dressed in the handsome mariachi suit, sang out National Anthem more beautifully than most professional singers. He is a credit to our country, but the hate-mongers are a disgrace.
23I was so sickened by the comments about that young man that I stopped following the story…
24Thank you San Antonio, for supporting him and showing grace while under fire.
Times like these make me wish I was from Texas instead of AZ
Yes, Sebastien has more class in his little 11-year-old pinkie finger than all of the idiots making the comments combined. Just when I was reading what the twits were Tweeting and about to give up hope, I find Sebastien’s interview and some of that hope is restored. Again, a classy, graceful, wise-beyond-his-years 11-year-old. He made me proud.
I normally don’t start watching “sport” events until after the anthem, but I made it a point to tune in last night. The HUGE ovation that kid received made my heart swell.
25Cairocat
My copy of the original post doesn’t format right.But this is the basics.
OOMpah oompah OOMpah oompah
26Lotsa gals they like to say that they’re emancipated
And the folks that have The Gay claim their rights are equated
Folks that used to be enslaved all say that they’re entitled
Even those who are not saved all run their mouths unbridled
We don’t care or give a hoot about these special cases
We just care about our friends who all have pasty faces
Anyone who’s not a WASP to us is just a joke-a
We will play and sing and dance the Demographic Polka
(OOMpah oompah OOMpah oompah)
Anglos somos mas mejor que todos otros gente
We should just show them the door out of our Land of Plent-ay
Furriners who do not shower should not be so demanding
They will never take our power while we are gerrymanding
We don’t care or give a hoot about these special cases
We just care about our friends who all have pasty faces
Those of you who aren’t like us are just inferior folk-a
And so we whirl and jig and dance the Demographic Polka
(oompah x4)
Reality we give the boot it’s got a lib’ral bias
And if you think we will not shoot then come along and try us
We love America, our land, and aren’t afraid to show it
So if we ever lose command we’ll have to overthrow it.
We don’t care or give a hoot about these special cases
We just care about our friends who all have pasty faces
We don’t like or recognize the folks of other races
We just want to make it so they remain in their places
If we have to we will win with fire and mirrors and smoke-a
We just don’t get that we’ve lost the Demographic Polka.
(oompah oompah oompah oompah oompah oompah oomp
That’s a great song–makes me proud to be Swiss and have Poland in our family’s make up as well. I once was lucky enough to see the world best accordion player do a concert–his accordion was amazing and his rendition of Bach’s Toccata and fugue in G ( cant remember major or minor) was amazing, had us all weeping… He was a Russian, who lived in Canada
27I am grateful for all of the cultures that contribute to our wholeness as a people…music does miracles all over the world…
He was one of my favorites on America’s Got Talent (my daughters got me hooked) and is so talented & humble. I am appalled at how people take to social media to tear each other down and how it has become acceptable (by some) to be just flat-out rude and intolerant.
28I am from San Antonio but now live in New Mexico. I too have a hard time understanding how anyone who lives in San Antonio thinks that somehow the Hispanic community are all illegal citizens. How absurd. Texas was part of Mexico as New Mexico. The white people moved here not the opposite. I too love my city for its diversity of cultures but cannot stand the state of Texas (sorry folks) and the big daddy Texan blowhard culture. Thankfully the fools that think they have the right to exclude others of different races, ethnicities and culture are a dying bread. Cannot be fast enough for me.
29hippie i am “borrowing” your polka to show some friends. sue me if you like, but my friends will love it.
signed, disabled vet, first gulf war
30Sebastian just showed the bigots of America why they are losing the immigration argument: he’s smarter & has more class than all of the haters combined.
Yep, the kid’s are alright. And America’s future will be too.
31Elise: The most famous Bach Toccata and Fugue is in d minor. Is that the one? It is commonly played as mood music at Halloween. Is this it?
32http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNi5MIXsEsA
He’s baaaaaaaaccckkkk – take that, racists! http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/watch-11-year-old-boy-returns-to-nba?ref=fpb
33I saw it on the news on Wednesday. They also showed the charming boy’s interview where he pointed out that his Dad was from San Antonio and so was he; that he was not Mexican.
I thought it was really cool.
He sings wonderfully well. Pitch perfect with beautiful breath support.
Thanks for the words to the Demographic Polka. Did daChipster write it?
34We’re looking forward to moving permanently to the San Antonio area in a year . As much as we loved our time in Pearland, I would not consider a job offer that took us back to the Houston area. I can stand heat better than torrential rain or the threat of hurricanes. I’ve been downtown in San Antonio at night and felt perfectly safe; I can’t say the same for Houston. I love Houston and all our friends there, but I’m San Antonio bound.
35From my Internet research and as a proud resident of SA, most of those tweets were not from San Antonio. They were from people from all around the US, including a “proud father and fireman from Albany Ga” and college students from South Carolina, etc. San Antonio has supported Sebastien, he’s sung at several Spurs games prior to the finals without any type of this racist backlash. Now we just need the Spurs to get back on track this Sunday!
36Although born and raised in Texas, I lived in California from 1965 to 1999, when I retired. While living in California, I visited Houston, Austin and San Antonio a number of times because I had a brother in each city. Juanita Jean, you described perfectly my reasons for choosing San Antonio as my home, and I haven’t been sorry about my choice for a minute.
Sebastien is a very talented, special boy and I believe he will be a special man. Everyone I know is very proud of him.
37Ever since we elected a Black man to The White House (twice!), the racists have come out of the woodwork. I blame right wing talk radio, and Fox News for that. It has become “cool” for them to spew their ignorant and hateful views. What kills me the most is that these same folks will claim to be “christian”. Christ, who was born Jewish, AND in the Middle East!!!! More power to you, Sebastian! Viva Mexico!
38I think inviting this talented young man back to sing again was the perfect response to the racists. San Antonio is such a wonderfully warm and welcoming city, and Sebastien is a fine representative of the cultural diversity that makes San Antonio a major travel destination.
39It’s time like this I miss Molly.
40@ Maryelle–thanks I have a hard time linking–arthritic fingers don’t carry the energy well to the touch pads–ATMs and such are a pain… But I think it’s this one…
41http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=PhRa3REdozw&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DPhRa3REdozw
It’s G Minor–made us weep, it was so wonderful under the summer stars…
The Demographic Polka was written by our own Da Chipster.
Lord knows I can’t carry a tune in a bucket let alone write a song.
Credit da Chipster if you pass it around. Better yet we might ask him if it’s ok.
Lindy aka Hippie in the Hollar
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