As sweet as maple syrup

Re “O, say, will you sing?” Opinion, Jan. 17

Timothy Garton Ash seeks to elevate our drinking-song-turned-national-anthem into the equivalent of a stirring hymn, such as “La Marseillaise.”

In addition to jingoism, Ash apparently suffers from tone deafness -- the range of “The Star-Spangled Banner” makes it nearly impossible to sing well.

Amazingly, Ash churned out a dozen paragraphs on national anthems without mentioning one of the most beautiful songs in the world.

The best (and perhaps only) reason to attend a hockey game in Los Angeles is when the opponent hails from the true north strong and free.

Then you can hear and easily sing along to “O Canada” in all its musical simplicity, while absorbing the elegant lyrics that reflect national pride, sans arrogance and militarism. Nice, eh?

Karl Lawson

Camarillo