Sunday, April 22, 2012

Army Cancels Ted Nugent's Performance at Fort Knox - First Amendment Faux Pas?

In a direct assault on our Freedom of Speech, the US Army cancelled a concert by Ted Nugent scheduled to be held at Fort Knox. The reason: Ted Nugent's inflammatory comments about Barack Obama; as he is entitled to make under his First Amendment right. 
The losers in the Army's bad decision: The troops looking forward to a rocking good time. 
Free Speech is a right accorded to ALL Americans...not just those who are sympathetic to Obama.
Wake Up America!

Ted Nugent's concert at Fort Knox cancelled because he criticized Obama

 It's lights out on Ted Nugent's scheduled performance at an Army base in Kentucky.

Commanders at Fort Knox have decided against allowing the "Motor City Madman" to take the stage at the base in June, the latest fallout over Nugent's comments that he would be "dead or in jail" if President Barack Obama were re-elected.

"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," according to an announcement posted Saturday on the base's Facebook page.

The concert at the base is part of the "Midwest Rock n' Roll Express" tour featuring co-headliners Nugent, REO Speedwagon and Styx.

"Army Entertainment and the Fort Knox Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation remain committed to carrying out the June 23 concert, and the possibility exists that a replacement will be selected," the announcement said.

It was not immediately clear whether Styx or REO Speedwagon planned to carry on with their scheduled performance.

Nugent and Fort Knox public affairs officials did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment.

Response to the announcement was mixed, with more than 1,000 people weighing in with comments.

"I feel they had little choice after the comments Ted Nugent made at the NRA convention. As president, Obama is their commander-in-chief," Carrie Peterson wrote on Facebook in response to the announcement.

Some urged the soldiers and their families to boycott the concert, while others urged Styx and REO Speedwagon to pull out of the show if Nugent is not allowed to perform.

Still others were angry at the base commanders.

"I'm very disappointed to hear that you canceled Ted Nugent - this man is a patriot and embodies the spirit of the 2nd amendment, one of our constitutional rights. I believe that the US Army is around to fight for our constitution and our rights. As a former US Army soldier, I am ashamed of your actions here," Michael Edgerly wrote in his post.

On Thursday, the Secret Service said it resolved questions regarding comments that Nugent, a conservative activist and gun rights advocate, made about Obama during a speech at an NRA convention in St. Louis, Missouri.

"If Barack Obama becomes the president in November again, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year," Nugent said, according to a video that the NRA posted on YouTube. "If you can't go home and get everybody in your lives to clean house in this vile, evil, America-hating administration, I don't even know what you're made out of."

The video has since been removed.

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