Florida Representative Allen West appeared on CNN this morning and discussed Ted Nugent’s comments yesterday that seemed to imply he wanted to personally kill and possibly behead the president.
West’s take on the whole thing? “He was just expressing his opinion.”
Specifically, Soledad O’Brien asked him, “Do you think he was threatening violence in any way, shape or form? What do you think he was saying?” To which West replied, “I think he was just expressing maybe his opinion about something, and of course everyone wants to sensationalize things, but let’s leave it up to the Secret Service to interview him and get to the bottom of it.”
In case you missed it, here was the quote from Nugent everyone worked so hard to sensationalize:
If Barack Obama becomes the president in November again, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year.
We need to ride into that battlefield and chop their heads off in November. Any questions?
The craziest part of Nugent’s statement—the part about beheading—is probably the one most easily chalked up to metaphor: He wants to behead them in the election. Maybe West can relate—he’s got some experience with ill-chosen metaphors, like the time he called the Democratic party a “21st century plantation” and Obama one of the “overseers of the people on that plantation.”
But saying the actions you will take as a response to the president getting elected will either get you killed or land you in jail is pretty hard to wave off as a metaphor. It’s pretty extreme. But then again, we are talking about a guy who used to ride a live buffalo on stage as part of his show.
April 19, 2012 at 2:39 pm, Hicks: Ted Nugent meets with Secret Service Thursday, following Obama remarks – San Jose Mercury News | Amazing News said:
[...] for killing the president.How Ted Nugent might fend off the Secret ServiceChristian Science MonitorAllen West says Ted Nugent was 'just expressing his opinion' with beheading …Death and TaxesRocker Ted Nugent stands behind Obama commentsCatholic [...]
April 19, 2012 at 2:40 pm, Hicks: Ted Nugent meets with Secret Service Thursday, following Obama remarks – San Jose Mercury News - Bowie Rocks said:
[...] News & World ReportHow Ted Nugent might fend off the Secret ServiceChristian Science MonitorAllen West says Ted Nugent was 'just expressing his opinion' with beheading …Death and TaxesCatholic Online -TPM -abc7.comall 1,047 news articles » [...]
April 19, 2012 at 7:27 pm, Steve Hall said:
wow, the irony of the 'motor city madman's' WORDS being investigated by the secret service. We know all @ the ACTIONS our brightest and best [secret service] when they hire dozens of whores ;which is apparently business as usual; and then refuse to pay for the sevices. Hold on- who is more reprehensible or is it simply that some animals are more equal than others on animal farm?
April 19, 2012 at 9:21 pm, Tom Pardue said:
Steve, you need to sort out the situation. The Secret Service is reprehensible for hiring hookers and then not paying them. Nugent is reprehensble to thumping his draft-dodging chicken chest and talking about beheading the president.
The Secret Service agents involved in the episode in Colombia will be punished; three have been dismissed. Retribution for their failure was pretty swift and unequivocal.
Now, Ted Nugent. voincing suggestions of harm to the president. He has walked on stage with a machine gun, telling Hiallry Clinto that she should "come suck on it". He has made thinly veiled threats against Obama and other Democrats in office for years. But he gets cut some slack…because he's the "Motor City Madman" and everybody knows that's just part of his schtick, right?
It's a federal crime to threaten the President or other government employee with bodily harm. You can tell the president to go f**k himself, but if you say to him "Someone ought to skull-f**k you" that could land you in trouble, because of course the way you skull-f**k someone is to blow a large hole in their skull first-usually with a .45.
The Secreat Service investigates ten of thousands of threats against the president each year; thir load has increased with the huge increase in threats by closet racists and bigots. Why should Nugent get a break for advocating harm to the president or any one else from the stage, where his audience is eaither as- or more-psycho than he is, and might take up the suggestion?
So tell me, Steve; who IS more reprehensible–Secret Service agents who were caught and punished, or a has-been rocker who stirs the pot and walks away innocently?
May 21, 2012 at 5:12 pm, Mark Mi said:
The greatest right-wing kookiness that one can witness, An Uncle Tom black defending Ted Nugent's kooky comments.