Students told to stop singing at Lincoln Memorial

I've heard some bad signing in my life, but never bad enough to warrant telling Americans to stop showing their patriotism at a patriotic place. Sadly, it was not due to the badness of the singing, but apparently due to the location of the singing.

A group of high school students attending a conservative leadership conference
in Washington, D.C. said they were ordered by a security guard to stop singing the national anthem during a June 25 visit to the Lincoln Memorial.

“They told them to stop singing,” said Evan Gassman, a spokesman for the Young America’s Foundation. “I was taken aback. You wouldn’t expect a display of national patriotism to be censored."

U.S. Park Police confirmed that the students were in violation of federal law and their impromptu performance constituted a demonstration in an area that must remain “completely content neutral.”

“The area they were standing in and singing is an area that is restricted for this type of activity,” said Sgt. David Schlosser. “The United States Park Police is absolutely content-neutral when it comes to any sort of demonstrations in these areas.”

It's just so hard for me to see how singing the National Anthem in America is a problem no matter where it is. To me it seems this is just one more instance of de-Americanizing America. While discussing the issue Sgt. Schlosser felt this would be Lincoln's wish.

“We need to make certain that all other visitors that don’t want to be a part of that or just choose to be tourists are able to do so in the same light that probably President Lincoln wanted – which is completely content neutral,” he said.

I'm thinking if people didn't want to be a part of the National Anthem or just wanted to be tourists could walk away.