Yelling ‘O’ is the least of the offenses to the anthem

While we're talking about Orioles fans yelling "O" during the national anthem ("Stop yelling ‘O' during the national anthem," Readers respond, April 6), in Atlanta, I have heard it sung, "and the home of the Braves," and no one gets bent out of shape over that.

But what about the singers of the national anthem? We have seen scratching, tugging and rubbing of various parts of the anatomy. We endure the warbling of those that try to sound like a diva and the shrieking of those who think that they should be able to break all the windows in the surrounding buildings by screeching out the word "FREE-E-E-E-E-E."

True, the words of the national anthem are set to the tune of a very old English drinking song. As far as I am concerned, the Naval Academy Glee Club should sing at every home game. They do it right every time.

W. Brooks Riley, Parkville