Believe it or not, America’s not about free T-shirts and standing applause at memorial services. It’s about jumping in and helping those who need it without the nanny state telling you where and when and how much.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU8zyB3W0pU
Here’s the story:
Elizabeth Hughes, 8, made her debut signing the national anthem at an AHL Norfolk Admirals game against the Connecticut Whale last Friday night. Angelic voice, bundle of nerves … and then after the words “gave proof,” her microphone abruptly cut out.
What happened next might be something we’ve seen before at a sporting event, but that never lacks for inspiration (and maybe a misty eye or two). There’s a moment around 1:30 into this clip that gives us hope for humanity:
An 8-year-old girl is about to suffer a moment of extreme embarrassment that’s not of her creation. A woman in the crowd cackles at this moment; not laughs, cackles. You then hear someone “shoosh” those like her during the brief silence. You then hear the crowd pick up the tune in unison.
From Kim P., an Admirals season-ticket holder who sent over the clip:
The little girl did not lose composure at all and after a second the crowd took cue and started singing. But even the players were singing and did a stick tap at the end.
The good news: Elizabeth’s been invited back to sing at another Norfolk home game later this season.
Source: Yahoo Sports
H/T: Kimmy Queen
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
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41 
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For all of our bumps, scrapes and bruises, America is still the greatest country in history. Just like the crowd mobilizing to help this young girl, no other country is as willing, benevolent or ready to assist others in crisis… even our sworn enemies. Sounds like a Christian nation to me (Matthew 5:44).
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20 
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There is nothing more I could add to your comment – excellent!
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15 
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And there might even have been a few people in that helpful crowd that aren’t Christian. I’m not, and I would have jumped in, too. She’s remarkably good as a singer for her age, and she did a great job of recovering, with a little help from her friends.
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15 
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Rock, I am quite certain you are a great patriot and decent human being that would have readily jumped in to help that child finish our anthem. My remark concerning “Christian” was regarding our foreign policy for federal response to international disasters and not the event featured in the video.
I know of no Marxist or moslem-dominated countries that respond to disasters in a way relative to their means. I suppose my remarks were directed at them and American progressive/Marxists who love chanting the “separation of church and state” mantra.
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9 
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That is obvious and any patriot would agree. I guess the point is that our values come from a good place regardless of where someone stands now on the specifics. Most people are good people and most people still love their country.
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These are the kind of events that give me hope that this nation will not perish! Kind of made me teary eyed there at the end. I love this country better than any other I’ve ever visited or spent time in, and I’ve been in a lot!
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The Star Spangle Banner always gives me goosebumps and frequently gets me misty, like this example did profoundly. I sincerely hope she isn’t quite so wound up next time. She has a beautiful voice and with a little more control she will really do our nation’s anthem proud. God bless her.
I think the surviving members of the Grateful Dead sang it at the world series once or something shortly after Jerry Garcia croaked, not sure what the event was. They did a great rendition.
But now I’ve had to calm myself and self-edit my profanity – when that bitch roseann barr shamed herself and our Country, I was hoping something would happen to her, something bad, possibly really bad. That was years ago. I was so unaware of her continued existence until her Ted Nugent match on andy coopers show that IHTM displayed here last week or so. Now I remember she’s still alive and all those feelings well up, those damn liberal wacknuts make me utterly nauseous.
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17 
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The girl had a wonderful voice. It fills me with something warm and fuzzy inside, to not see people laughing at the misfortune of the electronic malfunction (except that one idiot, who got shushed quick), to see everyone standing up and continuing on. Bravo to everyone (except that idiot) in that stadium who joined in.
Almost waiting for the idiotic liberal stance that it was somehow offensive to someone somewhere about something.
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8 
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That cackling squat should have been ejected or tossed onto the ice so everyone could see which ass it was.
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20 
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I love this story just like the story of the little boy who was accompanied by American bikers after an idiot school admin told him he couldnt fly the flag on his bike. I love this country. I believe in the conditions under it was created and I believe in its ability to raise from the crap… even the crap that we make for ourselves. This is America even with all of its failings and all of its issues. Beautiful.
Oh… and that one b*tch if I was there I would have destroyed her after the game.
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11 
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I’m sure she got what is coming to her. Norfolk is a very pro-military, pro-America city….
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I almost want to know what happened to her after that, I would have stopped her and gave her a piece of my mind… especially if I saw her there with kids. A grown woman doing that to a child is disgusting.
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8 
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Thank you KimmyQueen for the sweet video. Got me a little misty eyed.
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oh I found it last night and I was like I’ve got to share that! I was touched too. I am glad you liked it.
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16 
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Several years ago there was a similar incident here in Milwaukee at a Marquette basketball game. It was a young woman singing the anthem when her mike failed but the audience picked up the tune and sang it to conclusion,
then everyone cheered and applauded. I was proud of my fellow Wisconsinites.
There’s still lots of patriots out there.
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7 
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I miss the people, most of them, from Wisconsin. They really are a bunch of good friendly sorts. Helping hand virtually anytime anywhere. Florida is my where I live now, but will never really be my home.
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18 
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YES! Now THIS is the America I know and love!
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Because it makes the story more dramatic. We can hear the cackle before the crowd picks up the tune.
If you can’t tell the difference between a dramatic moment and freaking out…
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putz
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I mean… the person is describing the video… you CAN hear it I mean what is the problem? yes she could have laughed at that or at something else but someone shooshed her and she was the only one once again showcasing that there will be always idiots anywhere but they are thankfully still the minority. Another good aspect of the video overall.
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Probably an MSLSD viewer.
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More than likely… but perhaps she is so stupid that she doesn’t know how to turn a TV on anyway.
I am sorry people I am working on my impatience, but people like that make me sick.
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7 
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This is a great story!
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Given my disappointment at many sporting events at the lack of willingness to sing the National Anthem, or even know the words, I am thrilled to see THIS crowd still knows it and is proud to sing it! And they sound pretty good! Kudos for supporting a young, talented performer through a technical glitch, giving proof to the true America we all know and love is hiding out there.
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Thanks, I got a little teary eyed watching. If you want to see one of the best renditions of the Star Spangled Banner open a new tab and do a search for…..
The Cactus Cuties sing The National Anthem Original
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Gotta admit, it choked me up a bit. God Bless this great nation.
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I saw her on Fox this morning. By chance too, I was pretty lucky as I was rushing around. In any case, she is very cute, but she is so “big” and precocious (sp? sorry tired) and she was very happy and pleased and I am sure her Mother is very proud and she should be.
Children need to learn how to be Americans, we cannot rely on things just automatically happening anymore.
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We never could KQ, we never did. All of us learned how to be Americans by examples like my grandparents, who survived quite well during the Great Depression.
My mother, aunt and uncle were all born during the Depression and they learned from their parents, my grandma and Papa, how to survive tough times. And all us kids learned the lessons too. We got our little butts whipped when we did something wrong. We went to school and enjoyed it! It beat the hell out of working in the fields or with the livestock all day! We learned how to read and write, add and subtract. If we didn’t learn it right it came back to the butt whipping thing again.
Since there was no such thing as welfare, foodstamps, any of that kind of nonsense, and my parents were too proud to take a handout anyway, they understood the importance of a good education and did their damndest to make sure we went to school and did well.
Anyway, I am getting off the subject, children only learn what their parents teach them. School teachers do not teach a child how to be an American, a proud American parent teaches their children how to be a good citizen and an American. Relying on pubic schools to do the job is like relying on Bill Clinton to tell the truth about the meaning of “is” and little blue dresses. It ain’t going to happen.
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A lot of people no longer find it their responsibility to teach their children about being a US citizen. I find that a lot of US born people around my age or younger know little to nothing about the country… and are so disgusting and taking everything for granted. I think as the generations get younger you may find more people like that than people like you. That is definetly unfortunate.
It is true, people get out of things what they put into it and it is the parents’ ultimate responsibility to teach patriotism and civility to their kids. It is just sad as an immigrant to see that because this country is great and so many people do not appreciate it for what it was, is and what it can be.
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This is great and says a lot about the basic goodness in the American people. And that this is a great country! One thing I think I noticed, however, was Elizabeth’s plan on ending the anthem the way many of today’s singers do by jazzing up the finish. The fans, here, however, finished the anthem the way it was written. Elizabeth’s voice is great and I hope she takes a cue from the crowd in future renditions.