It must be difficult for those who dislike this country.  To not be able to see the opportunities and freedoms that our citizens enjoy.  To borrow from D'Souza, our values of innovation, rule of law, freedom of expression, and empowerment of women make our country great. These values are not unique to this nation, but we embrace them better than most cultures.  And as such, we have become a world leader.  We allow people to succeed.  That's why there is a lengthy queue waiting to come in.  People come to this country not to bring their culture in, but to partake in our culture.  As for singing during the anthem, everyone does it different. I barely lip sync the words.  But it gives me a moment to be thankful about how lucky I am to live in this great country.  Like singing happy birthday.  If you don't sing along loudly, can you not still be happy for the honoree.  If you don't sing, that's okay too -- in our country.