Charlie Daniels' Open Letter to the Hollywood Bunch

[luv2bt&tickled]

Charlie Daniels' Open Letter to the Hollywood Bunch

OK -- Let's just say for a moment you bunch of pampered, overpaid,
unrealistic children had your way and the U.S.A. didn't go into Iraq.

Let's say that you really get your way and we destroy all our nuclear
weapons and stick daisies in our gun barrels and sit around with some
white wine and cheese and pat ourselves on the back, so proud of what
we've done for world peace.

Let's say that we cut the military budget to just enough to keep the
National Guard on hand to help out with floods and fires.

Let's say that we close down our military bases all over the world and
bring the troops home, increase our foreign aid and drop all the trade
sanctions against everybody.

I suppose that in your fantasy world this would create a utopian world
where everybody would live in peace. After all, the great monster, the
United States of America, the cause of all the world's trouble would
have disbanded it's horrible military and certainly all the other
countries of the world would follow suit.

After all, they only arm themselves to defend their countries from the
mean old U.S.A.

Why you bunch of pitiful, hypocritical, idiotic, spoiled mugwumps.
Get your head out of the sand and smell the Trade Towers burning. Do
you think that a trip to Iraq by Sean Penn did anything but encourage
a wanton murderer to think that the people of the U.S.A. didn't have
the nerve or the guts to fight him?

Barbra Streisand's fanatical and hateful rankings about George Bush
makes about as much sense as Michael Jackson hanging a baby over a
railing.

You people need to get out of Hollywood once in a while and get out
into the real world. You'd be surprised at the hostility you would
find out here. Stop in at a truck stop and tell an overworked, long
distance truck driver that you don't think Saddam Hussein is doing
anything wrong.

Tell a farmer with a couple of sons in the military that you think the
United States has no right to defend itself.

Go down to Baxley, Georgia and hold an antiwar rally and see what the
folks down there think about you.

You people are some of the most disgusting examples of a waste of
protoplasm I've ever had the displeasure to hear about.

Sean Penn, you're a traitor to the United States of America. You gave
aid and comfort to the enemy. How many American lives will your
little, "fact finding trip" to Iraq cost?  You encouraged Saddam to
think that we didn't have the stomach for war.

You people protect one of the most evil men on the face of this earth
and won't lift a finger to save the life of an unborn baby.  Freedom
of choice you say?

Well I'm going to exercise some freedom of choice of my own. If I see
any of your names on a marquee, I'm going to boycott the movie. I will
completely stop going to movies if I have to. In most cases it
certainly wouldn't be much of a loss.

You scoff at our military whose boots you're not even worthy to shine.
They go to battle and risk their lives so ingrates like you can live
in luxury. The day of reckoning is coming when you will be faced with
the undeniable truth that the war against Saddam Hussein is the war on
terrorism.

America is in imminent danger. You're either for her or against her.
There is no middle ground.

I think we all know where you stand.

What do you think?

God Bless America!

Charlie Daniels

Old Charlie doesn't hold any punches and says what he means!

Copyright © 2003 Charlie Daniels

😀

 

[kurchatovium]

I'm liking this guy more and more. Amen Charlie.

 

[Shem the Penman]

Personally, I could care less what Barbra Streisand says. But I do have to ask, what makes the "Hollywood Bunch" any less qualified to discuss what's going on in this country than, say, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, or Michael Savage? None of them are known as intellectual heavyweights, either, and if you think any of 'em hang out with truck drivers or spend a lot of time in small-town Georgia ...

 

[Stitch62679]

God Bless Charlie Daniels 🙂

 

[Limeoutsider]

He dosen't say much, but he speaks volumes.

 

[DutchTickler]

If this is the view of the majority of Americans, I'm getting increasingly more sympathy for the guys who flew into the Twin Towers...

 

[kurchatovium]

In the words of Ol' Charlie:


"The Last Fallen Hero"

Oh the cowards came by morning and attacked without a warning
Leaving flames and death and chaos in our streets
In the middle of this fiery hell brave heroes fell

In the skies of Pennsylvania on a plane bound for destruction
With the devil and his angels at the wheel
They never reached their target on the ground
Brave heroes brought it down

Chorus:
This is a righteous cause so without doubt or pause
I will do what my country asks of me
Make any sacrifice
We’ll pay whatever price
So the children of tomorrow can be free
Lead on red, white and blue
And we will follow you until we win the final victory
God help us do our best we will not slack or rest
Till the last fallen hero rests in peace

Now the winds of war are blowing and there’s no way of knowing
Where this bloody path we’re traveling will lead
We must follow till the end
Or face it all again

And make no mistake about it, write it, preach it, talk it, shout it
Across the mountains and the deserts and the seas
The blood of innocence and shame
Will not be shed in vain

Chorus:
This is a righteous cause so without doubt or pause
I will do what my country asks of me
Make any sacrifice
We’ll pay whatever price
So the children of tomorrow can be free
Lead on red, white and blue
And we will follow you until we win the final victory
God help us do our best we will not slack or rest
Till the last fallen hero rests in peace

God help us do our best we will not slack nor rest
Till the last fallen hero rests in peace

 

[ShiningIce]

Hmm So where does this guy live? A mentle institution?

 

[Stitch62679]

I've played the last fallen hero myself many times, it's an amazing song. I've never heard a crowd chant USA at a concert before.

 

[BettyBoop2002]

GOD BLESS GOOD OLD CHARLIE!😀 He ain't scared of nobody! But he is a good man!🙂

 

[Stitch62679]

WOOHOO You go Betty!!!!!!! 🙂
CDB is the best 🙂

 

[MadKalnod]

Personally, I could care less what Barbra Streisand says. But I do have to ask, what makes the "Hollywood Bunch" any less qualified to discuss what's going on in this country than, say, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, or Michael Savage? None of them are known as intellectual heavyweights, either, and if you think any of 'em hang out with truck drivers or spend a lot of time in small-town Georgia ...

I think, Shem, the cause for complaint is not so much that actors and singers have no right to discuss their opinions, rather that they seem to labor under the notion that their opinions somehow count for more than anyone else's because of their celebrity status. Further, the media seems more than willing to humor them on this. Witness the "Not In Our Name" press conference where reporters addressed Martin Sheen as "Mister President." Witness Mike Farrell and Janeane Garofalo appearring on talk shows and presented as experts on the matter. If 100 accountants or dental hygenists got together to sign a paper saying "all of us think the war's a bad idea" I don't think they'd be booked on the Today Show as readily as 100 A- and B- List celebs have been.

I think Charlie goes a trifle overboard in criticizing them for their failure to liase regularly with rural America, but the underlying sentiment of questioning their credentials is not without merit. For years, I've blinked with incomprehension over such sights as Meryl Streep testifying before Congess about banning certain pesticides such as alar, there for no other basis than her portrayal of a farmer's wife in one movie; and her testimony is treated as being somehow more profound and heartfelt than that of the farmers who maintained the ranch she hung out on for the six months of filming, who have used the substance in question reliably and safely for most of their adult lives.

As a fellow Sci-Fi Guy, Shem, perhaps you can appreciate this analogy. I'll bet you've seen this happen at conventions. I don't mean to pick on Jimmy Doohan or George Takei, because they're really nice guys who treat the fans with love and respect, but I think we can agree that the only jobs they've had worth speaking of since 1966 have been playing Scotty and Mr. Sulu. Between 3 years of daily filming on the series and 30+ years of answering questions at conventions with the occasional movie shoot in between, these roles have defined their lives for longer than I've been alive. You would think that would make them the go-to guys on the matter of faster-than-light travel and warp engineering. I mean, if Susan Sarandon can be treated as a death penalty expert after starring in Dead Man Walking, or Julia Roberts can become a reliable source on the dangers of water pollution for playing Erin Brockovitch, then it makes sense that Doohan and Takei should know from whence they speak about about Federation technology, right?
But you've seen this happen. Some goon in the audience will ask Doohan exactly how many dilithium crystals are needed to keep the Enterprise's engines running, and he'll stare blankly and mumble something vaguely Scotty-ish. Later the same guy will ask Takei exactly what a Standard Orbit entails, and George will flounder as if the questioner is speaking in tongues, even though his job was to put the ship into a standard orbit every day for years. And everyone else in the auditorium, you and I included, will groan and think "Why are you asking him that when there's 300 different tech manuals in the dealer's room just outside?" You may argue that since the information in this instance is entirely fictional, it isn't a fair comparison to the real-world issues mentioned above. That's certainly a valid point, but I feel that it only reinforces mine: Since the data on the Enterprise exists solely to assist Jimmy and George in playing their characters, and has no relevance outside their roles, the only roles for which anyone knows them these past three decades, it does not speak well of the case for actors as authorities on any matter when they can be so regularly shown to know far less about their field than the audience. If the men who played Sulu and Scotty can talk of bringing the Enterprise to Warp Two every day for thirty years without the first idea of how fast that actually is, then how can we expect Streep or Sarandon to have mastered the complex debates about pesticide use and death penalty law from one movie part each? Can we not further suppose that sitting behind a replica of the Oval Office desk does not grant Martin Sheen any special insight into foriegn policy quandaries; any more that playing that That Guy Who Came After Trapper John on M*A*S*H qualifies Mike Farrell to expound on military ethics? No more than it qualifies Farrell to perform heart surgery and remove shrapnel, I'd imagine. Like Alan Rickman said in Galaxy Quest: "May I remind you that it's a costume, not a uniform?"

Further, there's the matter of Hollywood's reaction to the general public's reaction to their behavior. Martin Sheen's TV ad for the Visa check card was pulled recently, as a lot of people told Visa that they were offended by some of his statements and did not wish to patronize any product that he endorsed. Ratings on the West Wing are also slipping, for much the same reasons I should think. NBC asked Martin to tone down the speechmaking, as it would cost them revenue from sponsors withdrawing their support. Almost immediately, the Writer's Guild and other Hollywood types put out statements to the effect that no actor should be persecuted for having the courage to express their beliefs by having their right to work restricted. They invoked the hoary old specters of Blacklists, McCarthyism, and Censorship. I admit that I may not be the most observant guy around, but I haven't seen anything like that. All I've seen is some celebrities using the position granted to them by their work to make statements that a fair-sized chunk of their audience does not appreciate, and so they've been force to deal with the consequences of that audience shrinking of its own accord. They've been reminded by their employers that they are paid not-inconsequential sums of money to be actors, not activists. I have not seen legions of Thought Police in faceless black armor rounding up the cast of 24 and herding them onto trains bound for the gulag. (And if you want to talk about Blacklisting, try naming prominent, openly Conservative celebrities, and see how many you can come up with before you draw the same blank I do after counting Arnold Schwarzenegger and Charlton Heston...)

I mean, think of it this way. I work for a Land Surveyor, drawing up the maps with AutoCADD. If I were to insert a statement on all my survey drawings advocating the repeal of Roe vs. Wade, right there between the note about the fence encroaching the Southwest property line by 0.23' and the note about corner markers not being set as per agreement with the title company, I would not be surprised if some took offense to my proselytizing about controversial issues in the performance of my duties. If my boss came to me and said that he was losing clients because of my insistence upon forcing my anti-abortion views onto customers paying for a non-politicized product, he would be perfectly justified in asking me to take the graphic photo of an aborted fetus off of the construction site plan. I would not then loudly proclaim that baby-killing Feminazis were conspiring to silence me. I fail to see why this reasonable standard apparently does not apply to Hollywood.

Here's the bottom line: Celebrities are perfectly correct in asserting that the First Amendment grants them Free Speech, giving them the right to voice their opinion. What they fail to understand is that the Constitution does not guarantee them any theoretical right to be listened to without question or criticism, or to have that opinion automatically taken seriously and acted upon, especially if their authority to speak about such matters is open to debate. They certainly do not have some right to be shielded from the naturally following consequences of that speech.

As for the pundits you mention, Shem, there is a slight difference. I freely admit to not really liking Bill O'Reilly (too much of a preening, confrontational muckracker for my tastes) and not knowing much of anything about Michael Savage, and while I generally enjoy Rush's show I'm the first person to tell you that there are frequent days when he's just too in love with the sound of his own voice for his own good. However, as the hosts of talk shows, it actually is their job to say provocative things for the purposes of getting people involved in a discussion. If they were stand-up comics or sitcom leads, and said the same things they say now on a regular basis in that context, then by all means it would be out of line. However, the whole point of what they do is to say things that get people thinking and talking, and if people disagree strongly enough to speak up about it, that is not just beneficial but a requirement of the format. And, while I cannot vouch for the street cred of the others in terms of contact with blue-collar average Joes, Messers. Limbaugh and Hannity do spend three hours per day, five days per week listening to and speaking with truck drivers, rural Georgians (or Brooklynites in Sean's case), and other such everyday folk as a primary component of their jobs. The modern wonders of the telphone and e-mail no longer make whistle-stop tours a requirement of meeting and interacting with the public.

 

[Texas_Tickle]

I think, Shem, the cause for complaint is not so much that actors and singers have no right to discuss their opinions, rather that they seem to labor under the notion that their opinions somehow count for more than anyone else's because of their celebrity status. Further, the media seems more than willing to humor them on this. Witness the "Not In Our Name" press conference where reporters addressed Martin Sheen as "Mister President." Witness Mike Farrell and Janeane Garofalo appearring on talk shows and presented as experts on the matter. If 100 accountants or dental hygenists got together to sign a paper saying "all of us think the war's a bad idea" I don't think they'd be booked on the Today Show as readily as 100 A- and B- List celebs have been.

Exactly, so. I cannot speak for anybody else, but I am not saying they have no right to protest the war, but just because they are the "Hollywood Elite", does not automatically make their opinions any more valid than the next person's.

Martin Sheen has his right to protest the war, but just because he **is** Martin Sheen, does not automatically mean he has "more of a right" to voice his opinions, vs. the next person.

 

[MadKalnod]

If this is the view of the majority of Americans, I'm getting increasingly more sympathy for the guys who flew into the Twin Towers...

So, you're saying that a man who, admittedly, uses some colorful language in the process of expressing his disapproval and dwindling patience with behavior that he sees as putting his home and fellow citizens at needless and rapidly increasing risk, and demands that those those who do so should consult the people who will be affected by that behavior before continuing, is somehow more reprehensible to you than the individuals who planned and executed the unprovoked massacre of some 3,000+/- innocent men, women, and children precisely because they were unarmed civillian non-combatants?

How fascinating. Is this that "superior, enlightened moral sense" which the Europeans are so proud of developing on display?

 

[Texas_Tickle]

So, you're saying that a man who, admittedly, uses some colorful language in the process of expressing his disapproval and dwindling patience with behavior that he sees as putting his home and fellow citizens at needless and rapidly increasing risk, and demands that those those who do so should consult the people who will be affected by that behavior before continuing, is somehow more reprehensible to you than the individuals who planned and executed the unprovoked massacre of some 3,000+/- innocent men, women, and children precisely because they were unarmed civillian non-combatants?

How fascinating. Is this that "superior, enlightened moral sense" which the Europeans are so proud of developing on display?

They would not be so uppity and smug if somebody rammed a plane into the Berlin Wall or the Eiffel Tower.

But since it happened in America....well, that's a different story. Just as long as the French can continue to enjoy their over-priced cheese and over-rated wine, they could care less what happens in the rest of the world.

 

[General Zod]

I agree God Bless Charlie Daniels One thing I've always wondered is,would this generation of hollweird elitest have the guts to protest a war against Hitler? Remember,he started out small Just making war aganst his own people and people of other nations thought they could talk to him and there wouldn't be any war Wasn't it British Prime Minister Chamberlain who said "Peace in our time"?

Look what happened A very costly world war in Europe that America had no bussiness fighting IMO No I'm no pro-nazi Hitler never attacked America I find it ironic when people say America has no bussiness sticking their nose in other nations problems But they never mention America fighting and dying in W.W 2 Europe I wonder why
DutchTickler,where the hell do you get off saying you have sympathy for the people who flew into the twin towers? How dare you?

Yes Shining Ice we are are aware of your ever increasing Anti-American views Didn't you post awhile back saying you were thinking of becoming a Navy SEAL? And an officer at that? Or did you change your mind?

Chad aka General Zod

A truck driver in the U.S. who is becoming more and more anti-social

Let the flaming begin

 

[inkling]

It's not anti-American to consider Charlie Daniels an idiot. Let neither Hollywood pinheads nor guitar-playin' shitkickers determine your political stance.

 

[Texas_Tickle]

It's not anti-American to consider Charlie Daniels an idiot. Let neither Hollywood pinheads nor guitar-playin' shitkickers determine your political stance.

Nobody saying it's un-American to protest the war. I don't have any beef with those who disagree with the war.

But just because just because Martin Sheen is against the war does not automatically make my opinions, or anybody else's any less valid.

Martian Sheen, Tom Cruise, Alex Baldwin and others are entitled to their opinions on the war. Nobody is disputing or challenging that.

They have a right to protest the war, just like those who approve of the war. But just because they are Hollywood, and international celebrties, it does not mean they are "more right" than others or have a larger right to voice their opinions vs. anybody else.

They have a right to protest the war, and people have a right to approve the war.

Opinions on both sides should be equally valid and deserve to be heard, regardless if you are a movie star, or not.

 

[WallStreet]

I am in agreeance with the great Charlie Daniels that famous people who aren't qualified should keep there mouths shut. It's not like regular taxpayers like us voicing the opinions that we're entitled to. You have alot of semi-hasbeens looking for some exposer at the war's expense.
Why doesn't Sean Penn donate a couple of million dollars to the people of Iraq. He can afford it. He's so concerned about them. Why doesn't he pack up his things and move there?
And don't get me started on Barbara Streisand. She spent more money on her wedding than most people in Iraq, or America for that matter, spend in an entire year on food. Who the hell is that f**king bitch to complain about ANYTHING?! She didn't even have the courage to share a stage with Celine Dion (another wacko), and yet we have American and Iraqi soldiers who must now summon courage that most people couldn't possibly imagine. That pampered spoiled bitch has no conception of real courage.
I reiterate: The people of the TMF who are American citizens and pay their taxes have a right to voice their opinion. The only thing you guys have to gain is the satisfaction you get from voicing these opinions. There are no ulterior motives.
But these rich Hollywood phonies, who will never know hard times like the peasants in Iraq, should keep their phony-ass Hollywood mouths shut. And Barbara Streisand should definitely shut the f**k up!

 

[Deleted member 2452]

If this is the view of the majority of Americans, I'm getting increasingly more sympathy for the guys who flew into the Twin Towers...

if your's is the view of most dutchmen, then i'm sickened at being part dutch! you have synpathy for mass murders? i can't decide who makes me sicker, them or you?
steve

 

[shark]

Dutch tickler

Using your logic,the Serbs would have your sympathy for the massacre of 7500 Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica in 1995.

The reason I point this out is that a report by the Dutch government
blamed your own retarded Dutch peacekeepers for the massacre.They decided to turn the civilians over to the Serbs,which ultimately meant their massacre.Were they peacekeepers,or just covering their own asses?

Not that the UN is blameless.....it was their insufficiencies that put the Dutch in the position they were in, and more proof how incompetent they are.Looking at the track record of the UN,tell me why the US should trust them with anything,let alone our self-protection?

 

[shark]

easy pickings

Shining,the word you want is MENTAL.

 

[milagros317]

If this is the view of the majority of Americans, I'm getting increasingly more sympathy for the guys who flew into the Twin Towers...

The guys (as you call them) murdered approximately 2,800 people in cold blood, as a planned act.

If your view is representative of thinking in the Netherlands, then we should have left you as a Nazi vassal state.


PS God bless Charlie Daniels.

 

[Texas_Tickle]

The guys (as you call them) murdered approximately 2,800 people in cold blood, as a planned act.

If your view is representative of thinking in the Netherlands, then we should have left you as a Nazi vassal state.

Amen.

 

[Stitch62679]

I thought shit-kickin' guitar players knew a lot about politics? that's what my pappy told me!