Right in tune

Re “ ‘So gallantly screaming,’ ” Opinion, Sept. 13

We thank Patt Morrison for expressing so well what we have been saying about the vocal mangling of the national anthem ever since we came to this country in 1958. May we suggest simply replacing all of those ego-driven “interpretive performers” with a tape of the U.S. Marine Corps Band and spare us from such gut-wrenching embarrassment. By the way, Morrison should have added the most recent horror inflicted on the anthem by Liza Minnelli at the U.S. Open Tennis tournament finals.

Merrill and

Dawn Sarty

Los Angeles

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Congratulations to Morrison for her erudite judgment of the national anthem. I’ve long championed Katharine Lee Bates’ “America the Beautiful,” which truly is descriptive of the entire nation, not just a paean to the War of 1812. It’s easy to sing, tells a glorious story and deserves being more than an also-ran for the anthem.

Mary Ann Keating

Redondo Beach