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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What I still don't see out there is conservatives who zealously attacked the Dixie Chicks in 2004 for mild statements (compared to what Nugent said) against George W. Bush remember that ugly incident. When conservatives who now scream Nugent has a "right to free speech" were confronted with Natalie Maines' "right to free speech" back then, they said it "was the free market and they paid the price for speaking out against the President during wartime!". Well, last time I checked we have troops in Afghanistan, etc. and we are still at war. Nugent is paying his price then, and not just by people on the left; independents are sickened by what they heard from Nugent's mouth. After Nugent's rant a petition on Change.org was started calling on Nugent to be dumped from the Styx/REO Speedwagon tour, and that and the heat is what led to his cancelation; not some implied "leftwing conspiracy". Getting attacked for speaking your mind is one thing, getting called out for extreme rhetoric is another. People are tired of this bitter political climate, and I think THAT is what really nailed Nugent. (photo credits: 48states/Lenny Fancioni/Wiki)
