The Irrational Anthem

"Each of these aspiring anthems has its partisans. I think any of them would be an improvement, but my vote goes to "This Land Is Your Land," which most schoolchildren sing with enthusiasm and understanding by the age of 6. A classic American folk song, it movingly evokes the country's physical grandeur while conveying national ideals of freedom and equality. True, Woody Guthrie was a bit of a Communist, but Francis Scott Key was a slave owner, for goodness' sake."