Confederate Railroad Releases Statement About State Fair Cancellation
This story has been updated.
Outlaw country and Southern rock group Confederate Railroad has finally addressed the situation of being removed from playing at the Du Quoin State Fair in Illinois this August due to the band’s name. Originally scheduled to perform with Restless Heart and Shenandoah under the banner “90s Country Reloaded Day” on August 27th, it was announced over the 4th of July holiday that the act had been removed from the bill.
“The Illinois Department of Agriculture has removed Confederate Railroad from our 2019 Du Quoin State Fair Grandstand lineup,” Du Quoin State Fair Manager Josh Gross confirmed to the Pinckneyville Press in a prepared statement. “While every artist has a right to expression, we believe this decision is in the best interest of serving all the people in our state.”
On Tuesday (7-9), Confederate Railroad’s frontman and singer Danny Shirley released a statement thanking fans for support, but urging them to not pressure Restless Heart and Shenandoah from performing at the State Fair as well.
As many of you know, we were scheduled to perform at the Illinois State Fair in Du Quoin, Illinois on August 27, along with our friends Restless Heart and Shenandoah. We have since been removed from that show by the Illinois Department of Agriculture because of the name of our band. This was very disappointing as we have played this fair before and enjoyed it very much. The outpouring of support from Confederate Railroad fans, fans of other acts, and the public in general, has been both overwhelming and very much appreciated. I would also like to thank the actors, athletes and fellow country music artists who have spoken out in support. It has been brought to my attention that several people have asked both Restless Heart and Shenandoah to cancel their shows in protest of our cancellation. I have spoken to both acts and encouraged them to perform as scheduled. Live concerts are how we pay our bills and feed our families. I would never want to see another act lose a payday because of this. Please go out to hear these two great bands. As I have said many times onstage, I am by no means a saint but, I am a man of faith and I have faith that God will see us through this as well as whatever comes next! Thank you for your support.
The removal of Confederate Railroad has stirred a public backlash against the fair, and become a national issue as many are concerned about the overreaching of political correctness. Facebook groups and other support networks have been set up in the aftermath, urging fans to call and email the Du Quoin State Fair, and to boycott the fair over the decision. A Facebook group called #boycottduquoinstatefair has started by Larry Dean Basler has gained traction. Basler tells The Southern Illinoisan, “I never thought it would explode the way it has. I think we’re going to hit them in their pocket books, even with parking alone. And I think fair officials and the Department of Ag should apologize and see if they’ll still come play. Instead of up-north politicians cramming their agendas down our throats, you should be catering to Southern Illinois and what the people here like.”
Du Quoin, Illinois is located in the very southern tip of the state. The primary State Fair for the State of Illinois is held in the Capital of Springfield, which is over two hours north of Du Quoin. In 2019, the Illinois State Fair in Springfield will occur August 8th thru the 18th, while the Du Quoin State Fair is being held August 23rd thru September 2nd. The purpose of the Du Quoin State Fair is to represent the individuals in southern Illinois, many of whom identify more regionally with Missouri and Kentucky, and who are regularly underserved in a state where the power and population centers reside much farther north.
The cancellation of Confederate Railroad was not due to any public outcry, petitions by local residents, protests in any part of the region or state, or social media activity from any community on the local or regional level. Instead, the decision to cancel the Confederate Railroad performance is being attributed to a post on June 17th by a political blogger named Rich Miller writing for Capitol Fax that questioned whether a band with the term “Confederate” in the name should be allowed to play a state-owned venue.
Some fans and local promoters are attempting to organize a makeup show for Confederate Railroad, but are running into roadblocks. Despite being cancelled, Confederate Railroad still might be subject to a radius clause in their State Fair contract prohibiting them from playing in the area for 60 days. The band may have also received partial financial compensation to facilitate the cancellation.
Fans also feel a double standard has been presented due to Snoop Dogg playing the State Fair in Springfield. In 2017, the rapper released an EP called Make America Crip Again that depicted a dead President Trump draped in an American flag.
State Rep. Terri Bryant on Illinois said in a statement, “I am a firm believer in First Amendment Rights. But, if these arbitrary ‘politically correct’ lines are going to be drawn for certain acts, then I would like to know from the administration where this starts and where it stops. If Snoop Dogg is allowed to play at the Springfield State Fair, I would urge that Confederate Railroad be reinstated as an act at the Du Quoin State Fair.”
– – – – – – – – – – – –
UPDATE 7-9-19 11:35 CDT: Shenandoah has also released a statement.
Confederate Railroad has been extremely wronged by having been booked and then cancelled. The event’s organizers knew their name when they were booked, and now this firestorm will likely effect them in a negative way for the remainder of their career, taking their ability to provide for their families away from them. 100% of the comments Shenandoah has received have asked us to cancel our show as well, but we are contractually obligated. Plus, we wouldn’t want to do that to our own fans that want to see us. This ‘political correctness’ has to stop. It’s tearing our country apart. – Shenandoah
Dawg Fan
July 9, 2019 @ 9:02 am
Not a big fan of CR but a class act with their response. Here’s hoping the publicity about this unfortunate incident results in more bookings in the future and maybe a little radio airplay too. And whoever the hell Rich Miller is, a pox upon him!
Sturgill_Jennings
July 9, 2019 @ 3:31 pm
One of the largest Harley Davidson dealerships in the Midwest is located in southern Illinois. Black Diamond Harley I believe is the name and they have been having concerts the last few years…(Jamey Johnson, Hank Jr, Eric Church etc.) They posted earlier today that they have a big announcement planned for tomorrow. A lot of people seem to think they might have booked Confederate Railroad.
TheKillerRocksOn
July 9, 2019 @ 6:49 pm
My local Harley dealer also has a concert venue. CR played it last year or so., good turnout and great show.
Patty
July 10, 2019 @ 1:18 am
….it says they can’t play anywhere near there for 60 days
Sturgill_Jennings
July 10, 2019 @ 8:16 am
Black Diamond announced this morning that they booked CR for September 5th
TilBillyHill
July 10, 2019 @ 2:16 pm
I guess all in all, (they) took it like a man.
(Sorry, couldn’t resist)
Aggc
July 9, 2019 @ 9:03 am
Not sure why their religion would matter but whatever…
RD
July 9, 2019 @ 9:07 am
Not sure why their religion mattering to them would matter to you, but whatever….
K8
July 9, 2019 @ 10:49 am
I will tell you why religion matters because our faith guides our actions we try to save lives not destroy lives like so many on the left do.
This is norhing short of Communism to control those who don’t conform to today’s faithless Society. . We recognize that the time is near where we will all lose our freedoms..
Aaron
July 9, 2019 @ 1:00 pm
Did you feel the same way about the Dixie Chicks?
gary
July 9, 2019 @ 2:46 pm
Two completely different circumstances. Which state signed the dixiechicks, and then canceled them? Though, I guess they would not be allowed here either. But then, maybe so, since the word “Confederate” is what the objection was. Dixie might be alright. At least that would be the logic of letting them play.
Buzz Meeks
July 10, 2019 @ 2:19 pm
And you would love to see everyone forced into and conform to your faith correct? Like they do in Islamic countries like Iran or Saudia Arabia? Quick to call out communism but facism is okay as long as its Christian based, right?…..c’mon you Evangelical Right are as easy to peg down as the SJW left.
Luckyoldsun
July 9, 2019 @ 1:35 pm
@Ag. You sound like the kind of zealot who would make q scene over someone saying “God bless you” after you sneezed.
Aggc
July 9, 2019 @ 1:59 pm
Sure. Sorry about my outrageous outburst of emotion. I hope I didnt scare you too badly.
Luckyoldsun
July 9, 2019 @ 4:23 pm
Scare me? I laughed.
Josh
July 9, 2019 @ 2:25 pm
I presume that the reason he brought up “God [bringing them] through this” was in keeping with the sentiment that he did not want fans eschewing the shows of Shenandoah and Restless Heart because of it. In other words, “Please go and support the other guys. Any monetary loss we receive because of this is okay, the Lord will get us through. Please don’t let the cancellation and, thereby, subsequent loss of money, keep you from supporting the other shows. We’ll be alright.
Tex Hex
July 9, 2019 @ 9:08 am
Since the other comments section is packed with posts already, I’ll say this here. While I don’t think this is a cut and dry 1st Amendment freedom of speech issue (nobody is under any obligation to book this band and nobody is actively trying to ban or silence the band – plus, if any signed contract was broken then there is certainly some legal recourse, maybe there’s already an agree payout in case of cancellation) I do think this all sets a bad precedent and is indicative of a certain censorship culture that has manifested itself over recent years by virtue of biased, ideological private media working hand-in-glove with certain government mechanisms.
Some blame bureaucracy and an unwillingness on the part of the local government organizers to offend or court controversy rather than some insidious conspiracy, and though I agree with that to some extent, I don’t think it excuses anything. Spinelessness is not better than active malevolence, and both can lead to the same terrible results.
Trigger
July 9, 2019 @ 9:34 am
This is most definitely a 1st Amendment issue. Du Quoin State Fair Manager Josh Gross believed it was a 1st Amendment issue. That is why he mentioned “expression” in his statement. State Rep. Terri Bryant on Illinois believes it’s a 1st Amendment issue. That is why she cited the statute in her statement. If artists and bands can be removed simply due to their name, especially if it’s by a governmental entity, and especially if they had been previously vetted and deemed appropriate for the event, it is most certainly the jurisdiction of the 1st Amendment.
That said, in my first article on this matter, I did a poor job making this case. I assumed most everyone would see it as a 1st Amendment issue (as many do, esp. the people directly involved in the issue), and instead of making a broader argument of why it is a 1st Amendment issue, I zeroed in on why it was unique as a 1st Amendment case since it involved a state-run event.
The 1st Amendment is a broad statute, and has many different interpretations. But the underlying principle is to ensure that people are not persecuted for freedom of speech or expression, especially by the government.
Tex Hex
July 9, 2019 @ 12:13 pm
I agree with you on this thing in principle, but I think this situation is much more nuanced and complex than you let on. As you say, the 1st amendment is a broad statute, open to interpretation. Does a band name constitute protected “speech” as intended by the Constitution and does the cancellation of a paid performance by that band constitute suppression (or abridgment) of speech – especially when the band (and their name, by association) is not banned from performing anywhere else.
We know the performance was canceled because of the band name, because the organizers said so – which was a mistake on their part (both doing it and saying why). To me, yes, on a very broad scope it can be interpreted as a free speech issue, but more specifically it’s a contract/labor dispute. In these cases, litigation is often the best way to make a broader point and compel a certain righteous outcome.
Presumably, the band negotiated with the event organizers on a work for hire basis. Work for pay. All parties should’ve signed a contract. Depending on the language in that contract, if the festival organizers canceled after the fact then they are in breach and there should be legitimate legal recourse. However, without a contract, no entity (including the government) has a legal obligation to employ anybody – though they are free to set up and implement hiring policies that can exclude or favor certain candidates (that’s another rabbit hole, but I won’t get into it).
So, again, though I agree with you on this in principle (and I find the biased media meddling that sparked this whole thing particularly insidious), it’s not so cut and dry. There’s a lot of grey area and, frankly, is this one particular fight worth it? Maybe, maybe not. I think I know your answer on that.
On a related note, this exact situation comes up in the metal scene with increasing frequency. Bands with (real, implied, or assumed) associations with nationalist groups, or sentiments, or even fascist symbolism in their artwork (Slayer, for example) are frequently on the receiving end of protests (sometimes violent ones, if ANTIFA is involved) and performance cancellations.
Cackalack
July 9, 2019 @ 12:49 pm
In my (extensive, but certainly at a lower level than Confederate Railroad’s) experience, performance contracts with government entities often contain a clause that allows the client to cancel at any time, for any reason, in which case the artist is entitled to anywhere from a small percentage (usually the initial deposit) to the full amount of the contracted payment, usually on a sliding scale depending on when the cancellation occurs. It’s my guess that a clause like that was exercised, which (to my dumb, not-a-lawyer mind) would seem to shield them from any legal issues.
Tex Hex
July 9, 2019 @ 1:32 pm
I have some familiarity with federal government contracting and hiring process. It’s unbelievably bureaucratic, impractical, and frankly unethical (private businesses are flagged in a system, and there are quotas where certain business owners receive preferential treatment based on certain criteria regardless of the quality or price of the work/product) but there are arbitrary loopholes and any dumb decision or hire can be justified through “official” means.
Basically the process is an inefficient rats nest of arbitrary rules and policies, and I suspect that played a role in this particular case with the cancellation of this performance. Government bureaucracy has a way of enforcing group think, diffusing responsibility, and encouraging abuse, regardless of common sense or what’s right and wrong.
King Honky Of Crackershire
July 9, 2019 @ 8:18 pm
Trigger,
Have you read it lately? Was Congress involved in this Confederate Railroad situation?
“Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Trigger
July 9, 2019 @ 8:31 pm
Honky,
You have made it very abundantly clear that you do not believe this is a 1st Amendment issue. I respectfully disagree. So does State Representative Terri Bryant, who traveled to Springfield specifically to meet with the Governor about the issue. She says in part:
“Government censorship is a dangerous, slippery slope. What is and is not allowed on state property? Will vendors be allowed to sell Confederate flags? What about people who do temporary tattoos at the fair? Or is it just about whoever is in control of the government at the time, how far those First Amendment rights go?”
https://thesouthern.com/news/local/rep-bryant-words-twisted-by-pritzker-staff-on-confederate-railroad/article_67566ec9-02e5-5647-a769-a4e78ee7c942.html
King Honky Of Crackershire
July 9, 2019 @ 9:36 pm
Trigger,
Are you making an appeal to “authority”, instead of reading the actual text of the amendment, which is written in English, which happens to be your first language?
TilBillyHill
July 10, 2019 @ 3:05 pm
One key difference is the sponsorship of the speech: The State pays the band to be there, opening the door to the argument that the State is endorsing what the band says and displays. The vendors pay the State to let them have booths at the fair. The State is not endorsing what the vendors say or sell, but is sanctioning what they say or sell, to the extent that the State doesn’t review content and approve or deny vendor applications based on content.
This brings us to the question of censorship, in general, if the State denies vendors rental of booths based on the content of any speech or statement made by the vendor’s goods or services.
As has been noted, the first Nine Amendments in the Bill of Rights apply to Federal power. But, the Tenth Amendment says: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
Most States have their own Constitutions, which apply within them, as well as the US Constitution. I haven’t read Illinois’. But, it would not be at all surprising it the Illinois Constitution and/or its anti-discrimination laws and regulations authorize or support the action taken by the State to cancel the performance. From the headlines and full articles I’ve read, the Governor seems to be making the argument that applicable law not only allowed the cancellation, but compelled it.
Luckyoldsun
July 10, 2019 @ 3:53 pm
@ honky–Trigger is right. The Supreme Court has held long ago that with the implementation of the 14th Amendment et al, the Bill of Rights applies to the States as well as to the Federal Government. That’s been generally accepted certainly for the last 60 years and that’s the system we’re operating under. You may feel otherwise, but you should really take that up on a legal- or states rights blog–not a country music blog.
Patty
July 10, 2019 @ 1:21 am
They would have a winnable lawsuit because the fair knew their Name when THEY Signed the Contract!
hoptowntiger94
July 9, 2019 @ 9:08 am
Classy statement. If I were them, I’d book 3 nights at the nearest club. All 3 would be sold out! This is the best thing that could have happened to CR.
glendel
July 9, 2019 @ 10:15 am
although it’s 85 miles away, Pop’s in Sauget, IL would be perfect for at least a one night stand for Confederate Railroad. plus it is allegedly close to a couple of strip bars that would make for a nice aftershow party
CeeCeeBee
July 9, 2019 @ 9:10 am
Extremely gracious statement. Don’t think they could have handled it any better.
jessie with the long hair
July 9, 2019 @ 9:13 am
This is the best exposure and press that CR has received in 25 years.
Trigger
July 9, 2019 @ 9:23 am
…which is something radicalized journalists should take into consideration before they create a problem where there isn’t one. Confederate Railroad lost the battle, but will win the war, and by a large margin.
CeeCeeBee
July 9, 2019 @ 9:59 am
Absolutely. And as you stated in your previous article, this will embolden the very kinds of groups these radicalized journalists are trying so desperately to silence with this silliness.
Moses Mendoza
July 10, 2019 @ 5:48 am
I don’t know anything about Rich Hill, but here is the full text of his “radical” blog post:
“A band named Confederate Railroad. In Illinois. The Land of Lincoln. Playing at a state-owned facility.
I’ve never heard anyone claim that the group has Confederacy-loving song lyrics or anything (although there is this). It’s just… well… Allow me to turn this one over to you…
* The Question: Appropriate or not? Don’t forget to explain your answer.”
Why is it radical to ask that question? If Confederate Railroad “wins the war” and proceeds forward without any kind response to question, or sense of accountability for how a large segment of the population experiences their name and use of the flag, will that be good for country music? Is this music just for aggrieved white people? Or is for everyone?
Trigger
July 10, 2019 @ 8:32 am
Moses,
The proof is in the results. This post stimulated Confederate Railroad being cancelled, a massive backlash and boycott, organized and active groups to be formed on social media that will outlast this issue, emergency meetings being held in Springfield, and you and me going back and forth on a music blog. It’s no different that Rolling Stone posting the title, “Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” was a country hit. Then country changed its mind,” and it causing a shit storm on a level we still can’t unfuck ourselves from. Words matter, and this obsession with reace isn’t resolving racism, it’s fueling it.
Moses Mendoza
July 10, 2019 @ 8:46 am
So it’s unacceptably radical to pose the question that a band celebrating the Confederacy might be a poor choice for the state fair? You’re talking out of both sides of your mouth. If words matter so much, then the word Confederate matters. It’s unarguably more offensive and shit-stirring to bandy about Confederate symbols than it is to wonder if said symbols are a poor choice for an inclusive public event.
Michelle
July 10, 2019 @ 9:44 am
How are they celebrating the Confederacy?
Trigger
July 10, 2019 @ 11:26 am
Moses,
Two days before I wrote my first article on Confederate Railroad being banned, I wrote an article on the potential return of the Dixie Chicks in the studio, and how that could impact country music. In it, I detailed how political vitriol led to the unnecessary blackballing of a very important band, and how the country music community should let them back into the fold. What happened to the Dixie Chicks is the perfect lesson of why we should not allow political vitriol to spill over into music. In the early 2000’s the hysteria was on the right. Now it’s on the left. But it’s hysteria nonetheless. And it’s unhealthy, and unhelpful.
It’s not what was said by the political blog, but where, and how. This blog is something the politicians in Illinois see daily, and it reached the right people to result in Confederate Railroad being banned, a massive backlash, and an exacerbation of racial tensions as opposed to resolving of them.
If you think the banning of Confederate Railroad from a backwater state fair subsidiary was effective at stamping out racism, then hey, more power to you. Full speed ahead! I for one think it was a terrible decision. And if it can happen to Confederate Railroad, it can happen to the Dixie Chicks.
Moses Mendoza
July 10, 2019 @ 12:20 pm
I think if we’re afraid to ask the question, then we’re fucked. Then this really is only music, and only a state fair, for white people. There is only one aspect of this situation that has the possibility to “exacerbate racial tensions” and that is the choice of the band to name themselves Confederate Railroad. Do you disagree with this? What else about this has anything to do with racial tension? So the choices we have are 1) we don’t dare talk about it, and hope any black people will stay quiet too, or not show up, or not care, or 2) we have a reasonable adult conversation about the appropriateness of the name, shared perceptions of Confederate symbols and where they diverge based on age, race, geography, etc… But from the very first, this blog, which purports to save country music, went all in with grievance and outrage, and zero interest or capacity for any other side of this. If you think being permanently aggrieved and defensive every time a reasonable question comes up the reach of country beyond a white audience, well, I don’t know who is going to save country music, but isn’t you, no matter how much I appreciate the intro to Jospeh Huber.
Ralphie
July 11, 2019 @ 7:10 pm
“If you think the banning of Confederate Railroad from a backwater state fair subsidiary was effective at stamping out racism, then hey, more power to you.”
Trigger,
That’s a pretty obnoxious statement, and Moses is right that you’re completely blind to the other side of this argument. Of course this incident isn’t gonna stamp out racism. A war is won by winning many small battles, just like country music won’t be saved by one person — it will take a concerted effort. Do I give a shit if Confederate Railroad is Confederate Railroad and they sometimes use that flag in their logo? Fuck no, but I’m a hillbilly cracker who didn’t have ancestors persecuted by the generals and plantation owners who backed that flag. The Civil War wasn’t only about slavery, but anyone who tries to diminish its role in that conflict is an ignorant fucktard. So, when the band plays venues with people involved who may take offense to the word and the imagery, then its their God given right to not want to participate in that. Bottom line: I admire the band for standing firm about how they wanna be and what they wanna do (but that’s a losing battle that benefits no one), and I admire the people affected by the band who want to shut that shit down. I don’t understand one bit what we have to gain by raising such a fuss and fighting for people to be allowed to fly a flag that represented such a flawed cause. History is history whether or not we have the Confederate flag, and it’s a stupid argument that the flag, or confederate war memorials, or the word Confederate are worth preserving in the name of free speech (and it’s highly debatable that an artistic contractor has any such right). Dixie refers to a region, so I think the Chicks will be fine (and if they face a situation similar to this, then I’ll be on your side 100%), but the Confederacy refers to one of the most racist governments in the history of the world, so fuck anyone who wants to preserve its memory or preserve its memory by proxy just so the band can exist. PC-shaming in the name of the Confederacy is such a retarded thing to do. As much as I like their music, if I had to choose between preserving Confederate Railroad’s legacy or helping to heal wounds that still fester after 400+ years of slavery, I’m gonna go with the latter, and you’re doing this site no favors by blindly supporting this reactionary situation.
Moses,
Get used to this type of reaction anytime a situation like this comes up. There’s a lot of Racist-lite stuff that is said in the articles and comments on this site. It’s innocent most of the time, but you’ll sometimes see this type of ignorant shit bandied about. And I looooooooooove Joseph Huber too, my friend. I’m anxiously awaiting his new album that’s supposed to be out this month, I believe.
SPREAD HILLBILLY LOVE, NOT HILLBILLY NONSENSE
Trigger
July 11, 2019 @ 10:47 pm
Ralphie,
That line was meant to make a demarcation between ideology and realism. Nothing else should be read into it.
Also, I disagree this site condones racism, or anything even close. In fact I have done more to promote African Americans in country music than any other site out there you can find. Period.
Ralphie
July 11, 2019 @ 11:12 pm
Trigger,
I never said this site condones racism. I said sometimes racist things are said that are usually innocent, and sometimes ignorant things are said which implies a lack of awareness. I’m well aware of your work promoting Charley Crockett, Aaron Vance, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Charley Pride, Tony Jackson, Mickey Guyton, Rhiannon Giddens, Yola, and others, and I sincerely applaud you for that.
In this case the vitriol you’ve been spitting at the people who have a problem with the word ‘Confederate’ and the Confederate flag has put you in the racist camp, whether you realize it or not. Everyone has their racist moments, myself included, but it’s usually because of a lack of empathy which can usually be remedied with introspective thought. Think about it, sir.
Tom
July 10, 2019 @ 1:06 pm
I take it you’ve never heard the phrase “F**ked up as a Confederate railroad”. An old-timer in my hometown used it all the time. Southern railroads during the Civil War had all kinds of problems, and their unreliability helped in some way to bring down the Confederacy.
Bottom line, it’s a self-deprecating name that celebrates absolutely nothing.
Moses Mendoza
July 10, 2019 @ 1:51 pm
Thanks! I’m not familiar with the expression, despite having lived in the South for a long time. It’s a interesting bit of context, for sure, although I’m not sure it really changes the issues with their name. It seems like it might have been wise, at some point (and maybe they have), for the band to explain their name for people who are unfamiliar, and what statement if any, they are making about the South, and the history of slavery and the Civil War. And while I can appreciate that they aren’t a guns blazing “redneck/southern pride” band, they are, at least at first glance, pretty steeped in that imagery, bearing the name Confederate and putting the flags in their logo.
Ralphie
July 11, 2019 @ 10:37 pm
“Bottom line, it’s a self-deprecating name that celebrates absolutely nothing.”
Tom,
That’s a bit of a flimsy declaration on your part. The reason Confederate railroads were always having problems is because the Union was bombing the shit out of ’em to cut supply lines, so they could keep plantation owners from tearing this country apart. Confederate sympathizers have been reveling in the glory of defeat for the last 155 years.
Today’s Abolitionists are Progressives who have their heads shoved up their asses because they love the smell of their own shit, and today’s Johnny Rebs are the faggots who ride around in their jacked up trucks blaring Jason Aldean with a Confederate flag waving in the wind.
TilBillyHill
July 16, 2019 @ 1:40 pm
Reading this, and how it emphasizes the “Land of Lincoln,” my first thought wasn’t about a flag. It was that Lincoln was assassinated in the name of the Confederacy.
Specifically, that misinformed Confederate-sympathizer John Wilkes Booth assassinating President Lincoln as part of a plot to keep the (already dead) Confederate fight alive.
Around 15 years ago, we went to NY to see Paul Newman and Jane Curtin Off-Broadway in “Our Town.” The play was at Booth Theatre…yes, THAT Booth family. Only after looking into the history of the theatre and the family’s disavowal of Booth’s actions did it stop feeling creepy and disloyal to Lincoln (and his office) to go see a show there.
Black Boots
July 9, 2019 @ 9:16 am
That’s class
Never heard a note of their music but I’ll check them out now
CountryKnight
July 9, 2019 @ 1:07 pm
“Queen of Memphis” and “Daddy Never Was the Cadillac Kind” are their best songs. Just good 90s country music. I miss that sound and storytelling.
Fat Freddy's Cat
July 9, 2019 @ 1:19 pm
It’s a lesser known song, but I always thought “When He Was My Age” was a terrific song; it reminded me a lot of my dad.
King Honky Of Crackershire
July 9, 2019 @ 8:29 pm
CountryKnight,
What about, “When You Leave That Way You can Never Go Back”, “Elvis and Andy”, Jesus And Mama”, and “She Took It Like A Man”? Oh yeah, and “I Hate Rap”, one of my personal favorites.
I’m so glad these guys are in the news again.
Black Boots
July 10, 2019 @ 4:48 am
I hate rap, eh?
On second thought…..
scott
July 10, 2019 @ 5:27 am
So, Honk, are you saying these guys are country? Inquiring minds need to know…
Kross
July 9, 2019 @ 9:25 am
classy response by CR. There are few people I can think of that could learn from their example. And lets face it, you can’t buy publicity like this. Now we need someone to complain about 38. special. I’m ready for them to make a come back.
NPC
July 9, 2019 @ 9:29 am
Shenandoah has also released a statement in response to Confederate Railroad’s statement: https://www.facebook.com/Shenandoahband/photos/a.10151796261338190/10157167666083190/
Trigger
July 9, 2019 @ 9:41 am
Thanks for the heads up!
Numerous updates to the story have been posted above for anyone who read the story when it was first posted.
NPC
July 9, 2019 @ 12:31 pm
You’re welcome! Restless Heart has now released a statement: https://www.facebook.com/RestlessHeartOfficial/posts/10156197908591604
J. Wayne Stewart
July 9, 2019 @ 9:50 am
One of our radio station (WYNR FM)
Had the pleasure of working with
Confederate Railroad on several occasions. Great preformers and
one fine show. Real pro and they
stole the shows. We also had the
pleasure helping break the song
Trashy Women. Never had one
complaint. The PC bullshit is helping
destroy this Nation.
Gina
July 9, 2019 @ 10:38 am
Agreed. I cannot wait until this puritanical, pc time is over, if it ever is.
RD
July 9, 2019 @ 12:20 pm
Don’t hold your breath. Its only going to get worse. The portion of the country with any ties to the historical nation is rapidly aging and dying off. Be prepared to be ruled by smug urban twerps and demagogues who whip up the passions of the illiterate masses. Thin California, or Guatemala, writ large.
Trainwreck92
July 9, 2019 @ 1:38 pm
What does “ties to the historical nation” mean?
Cool Lester Smooth
July 9, 2019 @ 4:37 pm
Knowing RD, it probably has something to do with phrenology.
RD
July 9, 2019 @ 6:05 pm
How do I know you?
King Honky Of Crackershire
July 9, 2019 @ 8:33 pm
TW92
Is your question rhetorical?
Trainwreck92
July 10, 2019 @ 4:27 am
@KIng Honky – No, it’s not rhetorical, I truly don’t know what that phrase is referring to.
Greg Green
July 14, 2019 @ 5:55 am
An understanding of the constitution is the way I would take it.
Fat Freddy's Cat
July 9, 2019 @ 10:06 am
As Trigger pointed out: “The cancellation of Confederate Railroad was not due to any public outcry, petitions by local residents, protests in any part of the region or state, or social media activity from any community on the local or regional level.”
For many people this is an important point. Some of us are just plain tired of people who have nothing better to do than to go on “social justice” crusades, supposedly on behalf of others but in fact for their own selfish purposes to let them cosplay as “heroes”.
liza
July 9, 2019 @ 10:09 am
I’m ashamed to be from Illinois.
hoptowntiger94
July 9, 2019 @ 11:08 am
You should be ashamed at the white supremacists that took confederate imagery away from the south, not a state trying to make everyone feel included.
liza
July 9, 2019 @ 11:24 am
They didn’t ask them to remove the flag symbol. They canceled them. I’m more liberal than you are and that’s bullshit.
wayne
July 9, 2019 @ 11:31 am
Wow hoptown. Illinois is “trying” to make everyone feel included by actually excluding. Thanks for making the aforementioned case.
Chris
July 9, 2019 @ 11:37 am
I’m as left-wing as they come, but “inclusion” is frankly a terrifying concept. It’s so vague but seemingly positive that it can be used to bully anyone you don’t like.
hoptowntiger94
July 9, 2019 @ 11:41 am
How do you explain it to an African American family attending the fair (funded by state government)? It’s best the government stay away from it (like it supposed with religion).
MH
July 9, 2019 @ 1:46 pm
“How do you explain it to an African American family attending the fair (funded by state government)? It’s best the government stay away from it (like it supposed with religion).”
Did you ever stop and think that most African Americans don’t really give a shit?
My doctor is black. Do you think he gives a shit about the Confederate flag?
hoptowntiger94
July 9, 2019 @ 2:20 pm
MH –
Your doctor may not give a shit, but the families of the 9 church goers murdered by Dylann Roof may care deeply.
MH
July 9, 2019 @ 4:28 pm
Pretty sure those families from South Carolina don’t give a shit about a fair in Illinois either.
Cool Lester Smooth
July 9, 2019 @ 4:34 pm
MH – Have you ever asked your doctor his opinion on a flag that celebrates people who committed treason rather than risk their descendants not being able to own other human beings as chattel?
He’s probably not a huge fan, even if he doesn’t bring it up with paying clients.
Cool Lester Smooth
July 9, 2019 @ 11:46 am
Have you read the Confederate Constitution, haha?
The first article includes the clause:
“No bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law denying or impairing the right of property in negro slaves shall be passed.”
Then there’s the fourth article, which is solely devoted to enshrining slaveholders’ rights in the Constitution, a marked departure from the American Constitution, written before the invention of the cotton gin, which went out of its way to avoid mentioning the word “Slavery,” even in the 3/5 compromise, and the clause outlawing the slave trade starting in 1808.
Any Confederate founding father would proudly tell you that the CSA was built unabashedly by and for slaveholders – the primary debate regarded whether secession would prolong slavery or give the Union a pretense to wipe it out, rather than smother it.
MH
July 9, 2019 @ 4:44 pm
My doctor is making more money now than his descendants could ever imagine (even if his descendants stole and sold other black people to the wealthy). He makes more money than I do as well.
So I ask you again – do you think he really gives a shit about a 100+ year old flag?
Cool Lester Smooth
July 9, 2019 @ 5:27 pm
I don’t know what you’re doctor thinks, and I’m not going to try to speak for him.
I do know what all of my black friends think, though, and they’re not all that keen on the traitor flag.
They’re only paramedics, and law students, and public school teachers, and in financial services, though.
Maybe if they were doctors, they’d see things differently.
A few of my friends who are doctors still have a weird hang up about a 70+ year old flag, though…so maybe not.
Trigger
July 9, 2019 @ 6:17 pm
Many people regard the Confederate flag as a symbol of hate and racism, and whether that’s fair or not, you cannot deny the connotation that flag carries for many, if not the majority of people.
Luckyoldsun
July 9, 2019 @ 6:27 pm
@MH
Try looking up the word “descendant” in the dictionary.
MH
July 9, 2019 @ 6:40 pm
Luckyoldsun,
Apologies-I meant ancestors.
That doesn’t change the fact that the easily offended Cool Lester Smooth and his easily offended black friends are a bunch of pussies though.
Cool Lester Smooth
July 9, 2019 @ 7:11 pm
Someone needs a safe space!
Sorry if I triggered you by not showing proper obeisance to a bunch of effete dandies who betrayed their country because they were terrified of working with their own two hands.
King Honky Of Crackershire
July 9, 2019 @ 9:14 pm
MH,
I agree with you. I doubt most black Americans are terribly bothered by the former flag of the Democrat Party. It seems most of the folks who really cry about it are young, white, leftist, urban dwellers, whose meat is their own emotions, and who probably haven’t had one independent thought in their entire lives.
I find it very strange that people still care about this flag so much, from either side, that it triggers an emotional response in them.
Why are self-proclaimed Republicans, whose party was created for the expressed purpose of ending slavery by defeating the Democrats, now hellbent on protecting old Democrat symbolism?
I know the uneducated and easily-duped will whip out the mythical “party switcheroo”, but since that never happened, what the heck is really going on?
Could it be that most Republicans, ignorant of history, simply associate that flag with the South, and not with any of the things it really stood for (slavery, slavery, states’ rights to have slavery, and more slavery)?
And Democrats, are they, also ignorant of history, especially that of their own party, now trying to pin the injustices that the flag stood for, on the other side? Or, are the Democrats less ignorant of history, and intentionally trying to hide from their past, instead of owning it, and moving on from it.
It’s all really strange.
I’m not a big Cool Lester fan, because in his desperation to be “Mr. Clever Guy”, he speaks almost exclusively in sarcasm, which is obnoxious, but he is right about the Confederate Democrat nation and it’s former flag, it was all about the slavery, baby.
Trigger
July 9, 2019 @ 10:27 pm
The modern Democrat party is no more responsible for the atrocities of the Civil War South than Confederate Railroad is. How about we quit blaming people for the sins of the past, and start mending wounds as opposed to ripping open scabs?
King Honky Of Crackershire
July 10, 2019 @ 9:34 am
Trigger,
“The modern Democrat party is no more responsible for the atrocities of the Civil War South than Confederate Railroad is. How about we quit blaming people for the sins of the past, and start mending wounds as opposed to ripping open scabs?”
I think you missed my point. I tried to explain it further, but I think you deleted it.
I agree with your sentiment here, and like I’ve said before, I despise both parties, but until the historical record is clarified and acknowledged by the Dems, I don’t think the blame game will ever end.
Gina
July 9, 2019 @ 10:36 am
Great statement. The perfect tone, IMO.
ScottG
July 9, 2019 @ 11:15 am
I have to respect that it’s their prerogative for them to take the high road. And it’s not surprising. Many don’t want to fight this, and that’s their right, no question.
However, IMO, this should be fought tooth and nail wherever possible. Each little battle lost, or in this case not even fought, could in the end lose the war.
liza
July 9, 2019 @ 11:22 am
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois has canceled a state fair appearance by the Southern rock group Confederate Railroad because of its use of the Confederate flag.
A spokeswoman for Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Emily Bittner, said Tuesday that the administration prohibits using state resources “to promote symbols of racism.”
Did they just cancel them or did they ask them not to display the confederate flag?
Trigger
July 9, 2019 @ 11:51 am
This is bullshit. The Confederate flag had nothing to do with their decision. They are now using this as an excuse because they believe this is more tenable than saying it was because of their name.
Cool Lester Smooth
July 9, 2019 @ 4:35 pm
The whole thing is about some bureaucrat in Springfield worried about getting fired.
Very dumb, but hard to get all that worked up about.
Luckyoldsun
July 9, 2019 @ 4:40 pm
Does Confederate Railroad even show the Confederate Flag anymore?
They’re hardly a hard-core political southern band.
I’ve never seen them live, but I’d guess that they have displays and trimmings with designs that EVOKE the Confederate Flag but that they don’t display the actual flag. Certainly not if they’re appearing at a state fair.
Trigger
July 9, 2019 @ 6:20 pm
Confederate Railroad is not a Confederate Flag band. There are quite a few of them out there, but Confederate Railroad is not one of them. With strong enough glasses, you can see some Confederate flags sticking out of the smokestacks of their logo. Perhaps they have some Confederate flag merch. But the Confederate flag was not cited at all in the original political blog post that started the controversy, nor was it cited by the fair officials, or the Department of Agriculture. It’s only here nearly a week later and this AP story the Confederate flag is even being cited. I guarantee this is because some political expert told the Governor’s office people wouldn’t forgive canceling a band because of their name, but they would because of the Confederate flag.
Ronald
July 10, 2019 @ 8:34 am
“Confederate Railroad is not a Confederate Flag band.”
I mean in the same paragraph you said it is used in their logo and probably their merch. What makes a band a Confederate Flag band?
Trigger
July 10, 2019 @ 8:53 am
Oh trust me, you know a Confederate Flag band when you come across one. Rebel Son is one. David Allan Coe is another. There are dozens of them and I get pitches from them all the time. You go to their Facebook pages and websites and the very first thing your eyes train on is the Confederate Flag because it’s all over the place, and their songs are all “Born in the South” kind of stuff. Confederate Railroad is not like that. Also interesting to note, a lot of those bands are hick hop.
Look, let’s all be honest. Time and relevancy long since passed Confederate Railroad by. Same with Shenandoah, and Restless Heart. These are nostalgia acts for 50-somethings that are perfect for the rural county/state fair circuit, and are perfectly harmless. They’re just living off their glory days and trying to make enough money to retire.
scott
July 9, 2019 @ 12:04 pm
I’m guessing that Snoop is being cancelled as I type this…
NPC
July 9, 2019 @ 12:46 pm
After seeing Confederate Railroad a few weeks ago at a venue that’s probably similar to this one, I can 100% say that there is NO Confederate flag imagery anywhere on the stage during their sets; not even the band logo is displayed. While I have no idea what merchandise was for sale at the show I most recently attended, I would suspect that there is also little-to-no Confederate flag imagery in their merchandise (aside from maybe the extremely small Confederate flags in their official band logo, and I have no evidence that the band logo is in use in their current merchandise). It is a total knee-jerk reaction from the governor’s office at the word “Confederate” and shows that they have absolutely zero knowledge of either the band or their music catalog; they haven’t even said anything about their band logo, which one would think could be a sore spot. Is Illinois going to begin censoring the words “Confederate” and “Confederacy” in their textbooks, museum exhibits, and Lincoln historical sites? We have reached full-throttle lunacy from the highest office in Illinois.
618creekrat
July 9, 2019 @ 1:17 pm
Dang, I’m actually surprised Pritzker was actually willing to leave his fat little fingerprints on this.
Cool Lester Smooth
July 9, 2019 @ 11:57 am
I still think Illinois should have just said “A fellow named Sherman bought a ticket, and we didn’t want to risk a fire.”
CountryKnight
July 9, 2019 @ 1:11 pm
Ooh, edgy comment.
Quite disappointing, actually. You missed out on the obvious Sherman’s Neckties joke.
GrantH
July 9, 2019 @ 1:08 pm
Classy response from CR, and it’s actually kind of nice to see them trending in the country music sphere again. There’s a great opportunity here to cut a song and see if the attention coming their way boosts it up the charts, or at the very least to address it on their next album. “Daddy Never Was the Cadillac Kind” is one of the best country songs of the 1990’s, in my opinion.
Bacot
July 9, 2019 @ 2:37 pm
The first government the United States of America instituted WAS “Confederate”. The Constitution that the States ratified was called the “Articles of Confederation”. It established a general government between States that largely retained their sovereignty – as opposed to Nationalism and a national authority. At the time confederate and federal were basically synonymous.
DJ
July 9, 2019 @ 3:26 pm
Not to mention that Conscription (used in the war of aggression) is Slavery-
Cool Lester Smooth
July 9, 2019 @ 4:31 pm
So you’d equate Muhammad Ali to Frederick Douglas, for risking everything to escape conscription during the Vietnam War?
Interesting take. I can see your point, on that front.
DJ
July 12, 2019 @ 5:44 am
Not equating anything- merely pointing out a fact- Conscription, no matter how it’s blessed, is Slavery- of course when godvernment does it it’s different- being in debt is also Slavery- being beholden to or in forced submission to is slavery- not that a State would ever admit that- but, by GOD, a “symbol” is a sin- SMH- unself aware snowflakes rule the day LOL.
Cool Lester Smooth
July 9, 2019 @ 4:29 pm
Of course, that was before railroads existed.
Bacot
July 9, 2019 @ 5:15 pm
There were more slave States in the Union than in the Confederate States of America when the Civil War started. Men, women, and children were legally held as chattel slaves – chattel meaning moveable property – based solely on African ancestry before, during, and after the Civil war (until the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified) in the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation only declared free people enslaved in areas not paying Federal Tariffs by 1863, i.e. “areas under rebellion” – not applicable in areas already under Union occupation or in States loyal to the union. Of course the Thirteenth Amendment does not outlaw slavery, but instead declares slavery and well as involuntary servitude completely legal for anyone who is “duly convicted” of a crime as a “punishment”. The Civil War was not fought to end slavery, it was fought to end Federalism and institute Nationalism. “One Nation, indivisible…”
Cool Lester Smooth
July 9, 2019 @ 6:24 pm
Oh, the Union only fought to prevent Secession – Lincoln was an anti-slavery/Free Soil man, but he was never an abolitionist. He wanted to slowly smother slavery, not fight a war over it.
Secession, however, occurred for the sole purpose of protecting the institution of slavery – the right to expand slavery to new territories is explicitly enshrined in the Confederate constitution.
Bacot
July 9, 2019 @ 8:23 pm
The institution of slavery was legal and protected by Federal law. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 even required ordinary people in “free States” to assist local law enforcement in capturing and returning people held as slaves who escaped therein.
So you are saying that the Southern States only reason for leaving the Union was to protect an institution that was already protected by the Union?
Secession occurs to protect the institution of political sovereignty. “These colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states…”
Of course, people enslaved were counted in the census (3/5ths clause), and the more people you have counted, the more seats you have in the House of Representatives. Thus, the Federal Constitution was constructed in such a way that people enslaved became political power for the States that wielded them. As you can see, opposition to the expansion of slavery was not always simply motivated by a sense of morality.
Luckyoldsun
July 9, 2019 @ 6:47 pm
If the booting of Confederate Railroad is not crazy enough, the political response in Illinois is insane.
Per the Southern Illinoisan, it was Governor Pritzker who was personally behind the decision. Representatives of the governor who’ve surely never heard of the band are going on explaining why Confederate Railroad is far more objectionable than Snoop Dogg, whose latest album cover shows what appears to be the corpse of President Trump on its cover, and who is welcome at state venues.
The answer is that Snoop Dogg is satire, so everything and anything he does or says is OK.
The “Trashy Women” band, on the other hand is dead serious–and are (apparently) a bunch of Confederate Flag-waving racists.
https://thesouthern.com/news/local/rep-bryant-words-twisted-by-pritzker-staff-on-confederate-railroad/article_67566ec9-02e5-5647-a769-a4e78ee7c942.html
scott
July 10, 2019 @ 5:47 am
Thanks for the link. Reading this just gets me more pissed at the buffoons running this state.
J Hemingway
July 9, 2019 @ 7:04 pm
I agree with the many others, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS is going way too far !! I am not a racist by any means, but if a name of band thats been around for years makes people uncomfortable about going to see them because of their name, then we need to start inquiring about things like ” BET” , Black College week, Black Student Unions or any other races that feel the need to publicly seperate themselves from society by using names that are personalized to race or beliefs….sorry but Conferderates were part of US history, I wasnt part of it, so stop the constant punishment and whining about the past. Political Correctness needs to be imposed on everyone or none….
Corncaster
July 9, 2019 @ 7:28 pm
Since when do people who feel pained by the confederate flag get to say, over anyone else, what it means? To a lot of people, the rebel flag just means “the South,” and a kind of rebellion expressed by people from particular places against placeless global/urban society. But now only the offended get to determine what everything means?
Genuine question.
Cool Lester Smooth
July 9, 2019 @ 9:43 pm
…maybe when “the offended’s” determination of “what it means” aligns exactly with what the people who fought under it thought it meant?
https://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/we-want-no-confederacy-without-slavery/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornerstone_Speech
https://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/csa_csa.asp
https://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/csa_scarsec.asp
https://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/csa_geosec.asp
Corncaster
July 10, 2019 @ 2:07 pm
They are all dead, and have been for a very long time.
Cool Lester Smooth
July 10, 2019 @ 3:32 pm
So it’s very good thing that they were kind enough to write down what the Confederacy represented!
Imagine if they hadn’t – the world might be filled with people claiming that the South seceded for any reason other than a desperation to preserve the institution of chattel slavery!
We should all be extremely thankful that we still have the words of the Vice President of the CSA to clear up any misconceptions about the nature of “the cornerstone” of secession.
Corncaster
July 11, 2019 @ 10:26 am
You missed the point. Meaning is not just historical.
I get why you want it to be, but it’s just not the case.
Trigger
July 9, 2019 @ 10:44 pm
As someone who feels like Confederate Railroad was wronged in this situation, I also completely understand why certain people find the Confederate Flag offensive. Frankly, that ship sailed at some point in the 90s, and I don’t understand how some are just now waking up to the fact that people have a problem with it, or why. Remember the big fight over the Georgia state flag in 2001 when they eliminated the Stars and Bars? Remember Brad Paisley’s song “Accidental Racist” from six years ago? The Confederate Flag was a massive topic around the Charleston, SC Church Shooting in 2015 where nine people died. I personally think the flag’s detractors are giving it way too much power by making it solely a racist symbol and obsessing over it, but I also completely understand why some have such a big problem with it because of how it’s been used by some over the years. I would fight for anyone’s right to fly it because it’s a matter of free speech, just like I’d fight for the right of a protester to craft a sign purposely meant to offend whites, males, Christians, or conservatives. But personally, I don’t understand the point of engaging in offensive symbolism simply to evoke pride and anger. There are much better ways of expressing yourself, and extolling your heritage where it won’t be so rife with misunderstanding.
Cool Lester Smooth
July 9, 2019 @ 11:54 pm
Did the external links get my posts caught in the spam filter, or is this a hint to stop pouring gasoline on the “Has never read a single contemporaneous Confederate primary document but feels nonetheless entitled to lecture people on what the Civil War was ‘really’ about!” trashfire?
If so…that’s probably a good call.
I honestly never get sick of quoting secessionists to Lost Causers blubbering about “Heritage” and “States’ Rights.”
RD
July 10, 2019 @ 3:42 am
You really are quite impressive. You never tire of choreographing beautiful morality plays
Just out of curiosity, do you live in a studio apartment? Does your building have bike parking? Has there ever been a “food truck rally” outside your building? Do you live within a half mile of a bar that infuses smoked wood into whiskey?
Cool Lester Smooth
July 10, 2019 @ 8:45 am
Again, hon, if hearing the reasons Confederates gave for succession, in their own words is so triggering for you, feel free to go back to bragging about your pure Aryan skull shape elsewhere.
Trigger
July 10, 2019 @ 9:23 am
Folks, I am trying to keep this comments section as open as possible since we’re talking about a free speech issue. But I ask that you please refrain from back and forths, or personal insults. Let’s please keep this on the matter at hand, which is what happened to Confederate Railroad and the implications thereof.
Thanks!
Trigger
July 10, 2019 @ 8:37 am
It appears they did get stuck in the spam filter. Lots of links will do that, esp. if they’re from the same user name in successive comments. Just approved them.
Justin C
July 10, 2019 @ 7:16 am
Is “If the south woulda won” ithe reason why Hank Jr has not been inducted into the country music hall of fame yet?
Justin c
July 10, 2019 @ 7:16 am
Or “if heaven ain’t a lot like Dixie”
Trigger
July 10, 2019 @ 8:25 am
Hank Jr. hasn’t been inducted yet because the Country Music Hall of Fame system is set up to where whomever kisses the most ass gets in , and he refuses. That’s how Ray Stevens got in despite not being nearly as qualified as two dozen others. Gotta promote CabaRay!
Cool Lester Smooth
July 10, 2019 @ 1:26 pm
Hank Jr.’s indulging in racist conspiracy theories doesn’t help him, either.
They’re fine with a certain level of “edgy,” but he’s worked his way into a surefire posthumous induction over the last decade or so.
TilBillyHill
July 10, 2019 @ 2:48 pm
Good point. Charlie got in a few years ago, and probably has at least said things edgier than he sings in “The South’s Gonna Do It Again.” (Come to think of it, I think there’s a song called “This Ain’t No Rag, It’s a Flag.”)
He’s been somewhat political in songs:
“Still in Saigon”
“Simple Man”
“What This World Needs is a Few More Rednecks”
But, his use of “redneck” (at least through the mid-90’s) came across more like a country boy / sometimes hippie, against violent crime (other than vigilantism), but not singling out an entire race or religion. The older he gets, the more it seems like he’s approaching those edges… but I think he also gets a little slack for being (now) 82. Hank Junior’s no spring chicken, but he’s at least a decade younger…and seemingly a lot louder or more eager to seek out political forums.
Cool Lester Smooth
July 10, 2019 @ 3:37 pm
Yeah, calling the sitting President of the United States “a Muslim who hates America,” less than a year after comparing him to Hitler, probably didn’t sit too well with the Hall of Fame.
hoptowntiger94
July 11, 2019 @ 10:59 am
That’s when everyone who’s vote counts ran away from Jr. And if he said that, what’s he going to say next? Not that he ever had a filter, but he’s such a loose cannon.
With that said, I love him, but totally understand why the HOF stays clear of him.
Some of those songs I loved as a kid, do make me uncomfortable as a grown up … if the south would have won. But they were accepted at the time.
Cool Lester Smooth
July 11, 2019 @ 11:17 am
Oh, he’s a fantastic talent who absolutely deserves enshrinement.
However…they’d be justifiably living in terror of the inevitable headline “Country Music Hall of Famer calls POTUS a Muslim lesbian c*** who bathes in the blood of American soldiers’ infant children.”
Same reason Curt Schilling’s taking so long to get into Cooperstown, haha!
TilBillyHill
July 12, 2019 @ 11:59 pm
It’s long past time for us to acknowledge that, while country folks can survive, the New York City friend got the better end of the deal with “Hillbilly” Hank Jr., receiving homemade wine in exchange for pictures of Broadway life.
Alas, due to a brutal, fatal attack by a man with a switchblade knife, we may never know whether credit for the friend’s negotiation of such a favorable trade should go to his grandfather’s teaching him to be a business man, or whether the 43 dollars of cash carried on him served as a subtle tribute to “The King,” Richard Petty.
As of last update, Bocephus and his .45 were eager to meet the switchblade-wielding mugger. The friend’s family learned of his death via relentlessly aggressive strangers inquiring about the availability of his apartment.
Jim
July 10, 2019 @ 7:34 am
Looks like they’ll be playing 20 miles away at Black Diamond Harley-Davidson…
https://www.facebook.com/blackdiamondharleydavidson/photos/rpp.53051898164/10156737316988165/?type=3&theater
Ben Jones
July 10, 2019 @ 8:34 am
Hey Trigger,
Its been a few years, and it seems the task of Saving Country Music is
still going strong. Certainly “country” music has been saved but not, in my
opinion, by the “music industry” but by those pickers and singers
who keep it alive everyday as a part of their lives and the lives of their
families and communities. Where I live, in the Blue Ridge Mountains
of Virginia, it is the traditional music of the culture, and the culture is rich
with it. Our culture is also rich with reverence for our ancestors who gave
their all in the War Between the States, the crucible of the American
Experience.
We can always tell when a person is uninformed in the matter of our reverence
for the Confederacy when the St. Andrews Cross Battle Flag is referred to as
the “Stars and Bars”, a vey different flag which was the emblem of the Confederate
Government. The St. Andrews Cross banner was the emblem of the Southern soldier.
And in my opinion the Battle Flag is not going anywhere, nor should it.
I often say, “Whenever they take one down, we put two of them up…” And, in fact,
we do.
I’d like to join in this colloquy because I believe I bring a different (and hopefully
informed) viewpoint. I am a son of the South, soaked in its many cultures and
curiosities. I grew up on the black side of the tracks, without indoor plumbing
and electricity. I was deeply involved in the Civil Rights Movement. I am a life
member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and an honorary life member
of the NAACP.
I was a regular member of “The Dukes of Hazzard” and I served a couple
of terms in Congress from Georgia. My wife and I own and operate several
“Dukes” shops and museums called “Cooters” and we do music festivals and
shows every week. (Confederate Railroad is part of our festival in August.)
I am a student of the South and all of its very diverse cultures and peoples.
The Rebel Battle Flag is not going anywhere. Because of the “politically correct”
attack on all things Southern, more of them are being sold than ever. This thing
runs very deep down here. And it is very prominent on top of the world’s most
beloved car, The General Lee.
There are roughly 40,000 members of “hate groups” according to the Southern
Poverty Law Center, which tracks such groups. Thats a lot of bigots, burning
Christian crosses, and waving both the American flag and the Confederate
Battle Flag. But there are 330 million people in the United States. Approximately
75 million of us are descended from those who fought for the South. Add to that
the fact that the flag was prominent on top of the General Lee Dodge, and you
have a lot of positive exposure for the Rebel Battle Flag. Back when there were
only three networks, approximately 40 million Americans watched the “Dukes”
every Friday night. It is now shown all over the world, and is beloved in several
languages.
So that’s where I am coming from. Political correctness is, in my opinion, a
cancer on the nation. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. never spoke against flags,
or statues, or monuments. He wanted an America where, as he so eloquently
phrased it, “The sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners
will dine together at the table of brotherhood.”
We have been doing just that in the South until quite recently when this “cultural
cleansing” movement began. I has not brought us together, but has strained
friendships and divided relationships.
Hazzard County was wonderfully colorblind, the way the world should be. And we
had a very large African/American audience.
I believe that music can be a positive part of the healing of this rancor.
All the best,
Ben Jones
TilBillyHill
July 10, 2019 @ 2:15 pm
Ben!!!
Glad to see that you and Shirley are doing well! While living in DC/NOVA, we visited the Sperryville location a few times and enjoyed hearing your band and meeting you and Shirley. Having lived in Georgia for several years, I still think the outcome of your last runs for office in GA and VA are the respective State/Commonwealth’s loss and the Nation’s loss. I respect your work for Civil Rights and include your story and some of your quotes when trying to bring people together. Your Nashville location was closed for the day when I was at the Palace, but I hope to stop by there or Pigeon Forge one day.
My ideal would be to see the “Rebel Flag” (as it was known in the Union state where I was raised) taken back from racists and turned into a symbol of reconciliation, consistent with the end of President Lincoln’s second inaugural address, and with the efforts made to bind up the wounds of war.
We have a long way to go. It ended up costing me several thousand dollars to have said at a work event that some people might have grown up sincerely with a narrow view of the flag, devoid of historical context in the War or during the backlash against desegregation. My point was not to argue against those who have a different experience with the Flag, but to suggest that (with no insult intended), some embracing the Flag might simply be ignorant of its use and power. We all lose when we mistake ignorance for animus, or respond to ignorance with animus instead of an effort to hear each other. As we saw with Dylan Roof, animus is out there, is real, and is dangerous. I appreciate that you don’t pretend otherwise, and that you seek to better inform all of us, and move us forward together. (We still have our Cooter’s Garage t-shirts – 13+ years later. We chose ones that don’t include the Flag, but have the 01).
TilBillyHill
July 10, 2019 @ 2:32 pm
Ben – my apologies to you and your lovely wife, Alma! Got the wrong name in my head from the next post. We still have pictures of y’all holding an infant as you have a little speech. If memory serves, that was a grandbaby…I’m not even going to TRY to remember the name 🙂
Shirley
July 10, 2019 @ 8:49 am
I can hardly believe this!!! Why does one persons comment have to effect a whole country? If they don’t like CR they can go see another band with a name they do like. This world is too busy minding other people’s business.
Jerry Wawak
July 10, 2019 @ 1:16 pm
How can anyone enforce a radius clause if they cancelled the act?
Trigger
July 10, 2019 @ 1:28 pm
If the fair was forced to pay them a cancellation fee or part of their agreed guarantee, hypothetically they could also still evoke the radius clause.
Rick Walk
July 11, 2019 @ 8:05 am
I didn’t think it was the Dept. of Ag. I thought the decision was the Governors?
Trigger
July 11, 2019 @ 9:21 am
It was the Department of Ag for five days until the Governer’s Office released a very suspicious missive via the AP saying it was them and the Confederate Flag emblem and not the name, and the Governors office not Ag that made the decision. My guess this is political spin control to take pressure off of local officials.
Shiloh Marks
July 11, 2019 @ 8:23 am
I was FOH engineer for a band that opened for CR. We knew it was a big show and arrived early for sound check. CR arrived late, but had their soundboard scenes preset on a memory stick. They still took an hour and a half to tweek their kick drum sound. Their crew said it was necessary for a national act. The show started late, the celebrity MC was not happy with CR’s crew and the venue never hired them again. Good to see some comeuppance for the most unprofessional national act I have ever seen.
Melody
July 11, 2019 @ 9:43 am
From Illinois State Representative Terri Bryant. “In fact, I was told by one of the Governor’s staffers that I should use this case as a ‘teachable moment’ for the people of Southern Illinois. I am serious…that is what the staffer said. In short, the Pritzker administration canceled Confederate Railroad because the Confederate flag offends many people. They refused to cancel Snoop Dogg even though it offends many people. I believe in very limited government censorship. I believe even less in double standards.”
The purpose of government is not to provide “teachable moments.”
Luckyoldsun
July 11, 2019 @ 12:22 pm
There are all sorts of “teachable moments.”
Maybe this should be a “teachable moment” for Governor Pritzker and the Fair staff to learn that you shouldn’t jump to conclusions and assume that a band is racist based on an old, and somewhat ambiguous name.
Or that freedom of expression and the First Amendment have value and when you’re in government or a public authority, you should be very careful about squelching someone’s freedom.
Or that government needs to be seen as fair to all segments of the population–and that when it gives a pass to an artist like Snoop Dogg and censors a group like Confederate Railroad, it gives people reason to think that it is not living up to that requirement.
Liberals (and I’ve often considered myself liberal on many things) seem to think that a “teachable moment” is, by definition, that THEY get to teach anyone with a contrary viewpoint to see things as they do.
of Roanoke
July 11, 2019 @ 4:33 pm
Have you ever heard of the Corwin Amendment? It was endorsed by Lincoln and passed overwhelmingly by Northern Congressman and Senators. It would have enshrined slavery in the US constitution.
Seriously, guys. Learn history. The North promoted and profited from slavery just as much as the South. There were just as many racists in the Norrh as the South. The reason you havent heard of that is because the North won the war.
DJ
July 19, 2019 @ 2:12 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfXs0m32A8E
Be sure to read the comments- they’re recent- LOL
Chief
August 3, 2019 @ 6:38 am
What’s next on the FASCIST lefts agenda?
Burning books?
Destroying television and radio stations that show something the left disagrees with?
Imprison people for speaking?
If anyone wants to actually understand to what fascism is, just watch the lefts actions. Their actions describe it to a T.
BTW, the scum who decided that the “people of Illinois” didn’t want this band to play at the fair do NOT speak for 95% of the state.
hitler, stalin and mao would be proud of pricker and madigan.
Sam Morris
August 26, 2019 @ 2:07 pm
I can only hope for the band to hire a lawyer and sue the state of Illinois for compensation, lost revenue, and defamation of character. I would hope that other artists and bands would boycott the Illinois State Fair. I would also hope that the state of Illinois would be required to cut the price of tickets in half because Confederate Railroad will not be there. This is a move driven by Muslims for black Americans to force the cancellation of Confederate Railroad. Muslims would probably like their previous name; The Kentucky Headhunters.