Fee To Sing National Anthem Already Paid By Our Men & Women In Uniform

Earlier this month the State Senate passed legislation to prohibit any city in the State of  New York from requiring a permit for the singing of the national anthem or the reciting of the pledge of allegiance on public or private land.

The  legislation, which I co-sponsor, is in response to a recent incident at the 9/11 Memorial where a security guard told a group of visiting students they could not sing the national anthem unless they had a permit. This was a truly embarrassing incident and I am hopeful that this bill, combined with better trained security guards, will prevent this kind of shameful event from occurring again.

While I am pleased this legislation passed, it is unfortunate that the Senate had to act on such a measure in the first place. It is clear to me, as it should be to every American, that the cost of saying the pledge of allegiance or singing our national anthem has already been paid.  It was bought for us by the blood and sacrifices of countless Americans who put on uniforms to protect and defend our values and our rights.

This weekend, as we pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation we must not forget that this is the price every generation of Americans must be willing to pay in order to preserve the core freedoms and values that make our nation great.