Numerous stories have been written speculating that Beyoncé lip synced The Star Spangled Banner at President Obama’s Inauguration, along with satirical accounts of Republicans calling for Obama’s resignation in light of this recent scandal as published on ABC, NBC and HuffingtonPost. Is this newsworthy? Do we the American people have the right to feel betrayed? What are the ramifications?I am not really sure why this is newsworthy. Had Beyoncé not lip-synced, most Americans would not even know that she sang The Star Spangled Banner at the Inauguration. By lip-syncing, she enjoyed a lot of free press and linked her name in the public forum to the Democratic President Obama. Beyoncé has been around for years and at her level of stardom, does she not have the talent to sing without resorting to the safety net of a pre-recorded track? Words like tarnished, tacky, and undignified have repeatedly shown up describing her actions, while members of the entertainment industry argue there is always a pre-recorded track for an event of this size outdoors with possibilities of inclement weather. I always feel betrayed by lip-syncing stories because I know even with my less than harmonious pitch and slightly off-key voice that the recording studio, with the flick of some levers, can make even me a worthy American Idol contender. What ever happened to the thrill of a live performance? I have headphones and an MP3 player if I want to hear a recording.I think she did her talent a disservice but who cares? Memories are fickle and Beyoncé who was starting to fade in the public eye is now in the limelight. I would assert that her shrewd management team came up with this free media blitz. There is a story in every major news source spouting the same facts. Anonymous posts on the CNN website assert she was only interested in boosting CD sales in response to the rationale which has been reported by numerous media sources that she lip synced because she did not have time to rehearse. To me this is an insult. She is a professional vocalist; it is her job to rehearse and she was bestowed the honor to sing at a national event. She cheapened herself and disrespected the country with that excuse. And really, these events are planned months in advance. I did not hear any stories about her being selected at the twilight hour to perform. Various anonymous posts on internet sites argue that her lip syncing is perfectly acceptable in light of Obama lip syncing the Oath of Office. Our country is in a time of severe economic turmoil and the media chooses to give space and attention to lip syncing. To me, that has been the most valuable comment to come out of this charade: “Is Obama lip syncing the Oath of Office?” In an age where the best political authenticity is show business, Beyoncé’s actions are in accord with the current cultural climate. Our nation has given up on real for hyper real. We live in an era where fake is “in” and this is no more evident than in a lip-synced performance at a national event.                 Beyoncé has a history of lip syncing, with her 2009 Grammy performance being called in to question. Nothing against Beyoncé, but it does need to be noted the other performer Kelly Clarkson did not feel the need to lip sync. As for me, I just feel nostalgic for the Reagan era when the White House seemed to stand for America and there was economic growth and less poverty. Now we have an economically wrecked country with a President threatening not to pay troops, veterans, disabled and retired if he does not get his way. Beyoncé lip syncing is just a sign of the times.