This makes me want to buy some more Hank Jr music!!!

PhillipM wrote: Humphrey Bogart was asked his political opinion once. He said, "If an actor wants to send a message, he should use Western Union."

I agree with Bogey 100%!!

PhillipM wrote: Of course ESPN has a right to fire Hank. Just because they have a right does not mean it is the correct thing to do and that is the difference between the Hank firing and the Dixie Chicks boycott.

Why was one right and not the other? In each case, a musical performer made a public statement of opinion about the President of the United States. In each case, they suffered financial repercussions and lost work because of it. So what is the difference except for the political point of view of the person deciding that one is "right" and one is "wrong"?

PhillipM wrote: We as Americans have the right to express our opinion without government persecution, the first amendment doesn't say someone spouting off can't be vilified by the public.

What does that have to do with the discussion at hand? As far as I know, the government had nothing to do with either case so the First Ammendment is a non-issue with either Hank or the Dixie Chicks.

Gonzo

TheGreatGonzo wrote:Oddly enough enough, a lot of the people who supported such a move when it was the Dixie Chicks' music are suddenly against it when it is Hank Williams Jr.

This statement was what I had in mind when I replied, I apologize for being clear as mud. I should have differentiated right as a civil right and right as in a correct decision.

I suppose I should ask why is this odd? What's wrong with private citizens expressing opinions based on their values?

My opinion is worth the same as yours,

PhillipM wrote:

TheGreatGonzo wrote:Oddly enough enough, a lot of the people who supported such a move when it was the Dixie Chicks' music are suddenly against it when it is Hank Williams Jr.

This statement was what I had in mind when I replied, I apologize for being clear as mud. I should have differentiated right as a civil right and right as in a correct decision.

I suppose I should ask why is this odd? What's wrong with private citizens expressing opinions based on their values?

My opinion is worth the same as yours,

Heck...no apology needed. My reply came off as a lot more argumentative than I intended it to.

At the end of the day, I just wish most entertainers would shut up and do just that...entertain. I guess I'm turning into an old fogey. I miss shows like "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "I Love Lucy". Sigh....
Gonzo

ESPN is following a logical cost motive in breaking involvement with Hank. In today's media anyone who doesn't blindly follow "O" is a racist and should probably, at a minimum, be shot*. The folks at ESPN believe they are avoiding offending the largest part of their viewers. Avoiding ESPN in protest is unlikely to hurt their bottom line simply because sports fans are, by in large, going to watch anyway.

Am I mad at ESPN? No, but I support Hank in the statement he made. Given "O"s stance on Israel, it closer to the truth than Hank intended or many seem to realize.

*the only time they approve of the death penalty (or firearms). Child molesters, murderers, rapist are victims of society and hence get a free pass.

TheGreatGonzo wrote:At the end of the day, I just wish most entertainers would shut up and do just that...entertain. I guess I'm turning into an old fogey. I miss shows like "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "I Love Lucy". Sigh....
Gonzo

No kidding, more often than not they loose my support when they open their mouths.

There is a key difference between what happened with Hank and hat happened to the Ditsie Chicks.

The Ditsie Chicks made a statement that offended the majority of their fans. Had they been pop musicians this would likely have blown over BUT of course being country it killed their careers.

Hank, on the other hand, made a statement that, if you listen to much of his music, is no shock. Other than the football gig he probably didn't offend many of his actual fans. He actually has likely seen a bump (short lived prolly) in music sales from this incident. On a side note my favorite part of the interview was where they asked him who he liked in the race for the GOP nomination. His answer was "none of them".

I guess I was right. Ole Hank is making hay while the sun is shining:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MUSIC_HANK_WILLIAMS_JR?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-10-10-08-21-58

Good luck to him, I'll prolly buy the album on iTunes when it hits there.

You are supposed to be able to download his new song here:

http://www.hankjr.com/

but I couldn't.

Probably because of all the "no-script" stuff I run to avoid pop-ups on the Clarion Ledger web site.

I'll have to get on the home computer to get it.

Jarhead5811 wrote:I'll have to get on the home computer to get it.

Just downloaded it; they send you a confirmation email and it downloads after you click the link in the email.

Keep the Change!

Keep the change song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iRReHtq_dk&feature=youtube_gdata_player