Tag: free speech

July 8, 2012 - Rightwing extremist and has-been musician Ted Nugent spouted his drivel in an Op-Ed on the rightwing rag The Washington Times, attacking SCJ Roberts after he was the pivotal vote in upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Health Care Act (known as "Obamacare" in the Teabagger world), and even going so far as to say, "I'm beginning to wonder if it would have been best if the South won the Civil War."  Okay, tell that to African-Americans! To read the rest of the hate speech and drivel, corrupt your cache with a Washington Times Cookie and go here. (Make sure you clear the cache, and have a holy man cleanse your computer of bad joojoo when after you read Nugent's Op-Ed)

MAY 25, 2012 - Max Ehrlich was a cabaret star in Germany through the 1930s, and was stopped and censored by the rigthwing Nazi brownshirts, and fled Germany. He returned, but then left again after the "Kristallnacht". He fled to Holland, but like many of the people in the arts, he was imprisoned by the Nazis in Westerbork concentration camp. While he was imprisoned there he formed the "Camp Westerbork Theatre Group", which brought some life to an otherwise horrible existence for camp prisoners. Unfortunately in 1944 he was sent Auschwitz and died there. Listen to a recording of him below in a video from jonjamg on YouTube. You can check out Max Ehrlich's legacy on the Max Ehrlich Association, and read more about this extraordinary individual at Wikpedia. (Photo credit: The Max Ehrlich Association)

APR 23, 2012 - It's been a tough month for "Uncle Ted" Ted Nugent. First he caught a lot of heat for his rant of extremist rhetoric against President Obama and his administration at the NRA convention in St. Louis, then he had to plead guilty to an illegal bear kill stemming from his hunting show in 2009. Now Fort Knox has told him he is not welcome for a July 28, 2012 concert that would have featured him with Styx and REO Speedwagon. In a statement on their Facebook page, Fort Knox said, "...after learning of opening act Ted Nugent's recent public comments about the president of the United States, Fort Knox leadership decided to cancel his performance on the installation."

Many conservatives, including some journalists, seem bent on defending Nugent and trying to imply that Nugent was singled out. They seem to forget that the Dixie Chicks were zealously attacked and protested, after what now seems so mild in comparison, when Natalie Maines made a comment about George W. Bush in 2003. One journalist is implying that since comedian Jay Phillips who did a recent stand-up routine at Fort Knox "is supportive of Obama through his Twitter activities" and was not canceled, and they claim to be "apolitical"; that there is somehow a conspiracy that favors the other side or something. I have never heard of this comedian Jay Philips, and we are talking a musician here I thought, this is a false equivalency. Plus, if Ted Nugent had just Tweeted, "I support Romney please vote for him" it wouldn't have blown up in Nugent's face like it did. 

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APR 20, 2012 - Ted Nugent is in the news again, this time for shooting off his arrow rather than his mouth. In 2009 when he was filming his "Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild" show for the Outdoor Channel, he shot an arrow and wounded a bear, and didn't chase down the bear and assure the kill; which is very unethical to many hunters. He is entering a plea agreement with the Alaskan authorities, which reads that Nugent "failed to locate and harvest the wounded black bear". 4 days later Ted shot and killed a different black bear, and transported it off Alaska's Sukkwan Island. The problem is Alaska's bear season limit is 1, and the first bear Nugent shot is considered his first kill. Under a plea agreement he will plead guilty to one count of transporting an illegally hunted bear. 

"Uncle Ted" won't get any jail time, but he will have to do Public Service Announcement videos for a year emphasizing the importance of hunters being familiar with the regulations in the areas they hunt (can't wait to see those).  He will face a hefty fine ($10,000), be on probation for 2 years, and no hunting in Alaskan or US Forest Service lands for those 2 years. Ouch. Oh, and he got caught by the Lacey Act, which should drive conservatives crazy. They have been upset at that law since the Gibson Guitar plants were "raided" in 2011 by Federal officials for alleged illegally harvested wood from Madagascar. Read about Ted's trouble with Alaskan authorities on LATimes.com here.   (photo credit: Weatherman90/Wiki)

Is there a double standard for conservatives when it comes to artists speaking out? Remember the Dixie Chicks 2003 statement? "Just so you know, we're on the good side with y'all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas."

Now compare that to Ted Nugent's violent rhetoric. Will conservatives destroy Ted Nugent CDs? Will they protest outside his concerts?