You have to respect Norman Lear. He's done some really great things for this country. But this is not one of his best efforts. Too bad, because it's beautiful and clearly cost a good chunk of change.
It's a music video, starring "ordinary Americans" from around the country, of various hues and traditions. I can even understand the metaphor of being a "born-again American" once I take into account their pledge that basically calls people into more active citizenship.
But to include the line "My Bible and the Bill of Rights" seems to unnecessarily cross the tricky lines of civic religion. What's especially weird is that the singers include a Muslim man and a Jewish woman. Because of that line being included, by the end of the song, it just ends up feeling like a messy conflation of faith and patriotism, which it didn't have to be.
What's especially tricky is that in a note in his bio, the song writer, Keith Carradine refers to the line as "my bible is the Bill of Rights" which means something completely different. But the singers are clearly saying "and" not "is", and the words accompanying the video also say "and". Amazing what a difference one tiny little word can make.
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