Amid bridge tragedy, Washington Post calls out Francis Scott Key as a racist



Francis Scott Key is best known for writing the poem that became America’s National Anthem: "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Key wrote the lyrics after an 1814 British attack on Fort McHenry, which is right by the bridge that has just collapsed in Baltimore this week. The bridge also happens to be named after Francis Scott Key.

Americans all over the country woke up to the collapse of the bridge this week — but the Washington Post is already calling out Key for his “racist views” in what Pat Gray believes is an obvious attempt to erase American history.

“Nobody even knows the verse they're referencing here,” Gray says.

Rather, Key was just “a patriot” who “obviously wanted America to win this war and would have been pissed about anybody siding with the British at that time.”

The verse being criticized begins, “No refuge could save the hireling and the slave from the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave, and the Star Spangled Banner in triumph doth wave or the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

“He didn’t want anyone joining the British,” Gray explains.

To make the accusation even more absurd, Key was a lawyer who defended several slaves and even freed multiple of his own.

“But, they still had to make him into a bad guy,” Gray sighs.


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Horrific accident or nefarious attack? What we currently know about the Baltimore bridge collapse



Last night around 1:30 a.m., a cargo ship departing the Port of Baltimore struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge after reportedly losing power. Upon impact, the structure immediately collapsed into the murky waters below. Thankfully, the majority of traffic was stopped prior to the accident, but a few automobiles and several contractors who were working on bridge repairs weren’t so lucky. While some have been rescued, others remain missing.

As with any unforeseen tragedy, people want to know: Was this a genuine accident? Or is there something more sinister at play?

Glenn Beck invites former Assistant Treasury Secretary Monica Crowley to discuss the incident.

“There is a very active search and rescue going on,” Monica tells Glenn. “The Coast Guard is out there; the National Transportation Safety Board is on site; the Navy is there.”

As of now, “it looks like an accident,” but it’s important to “wait for the investigation” before coming to any certain conclusions, she explains.

Considering the catastrophe is the result of alleged power loss, many people – including Glenn – can’t help but ponder the possibility of “an attack on electronics.”

“I think that, too, Glenn,” says Monica. “There is one report this morning that indicates that the crew alerted the Maryland Department of Transportation when they were leaving the port that they had lost control of the vessel.”

Those reports have since been confirmed. The crew was able to notify authorities of the power issues, and as a result, traffic was halted seconds before the collision, which likely saved numerous lives.

Regardless, “most of these vessels are under electronic control – not unlike some of our voting systems – and might very well be open to hacking by nefarious players,” Monica explains, while also acknowledging that the event could simply be nothing more than a horrific accident.

“Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar,” she says hopefully.

“I hope that's the case,” says Glenn, “but with all the cyber terror that is predicted … we're all on high alert.”

To see the footage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge’s collapse and hear more of Glenn’s commentary, watch the clip below.


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