MONDAY NIGHT FAREWELL

The raucous voice of Hank Williams, Jr. bellowing out the trademark "Are you ready for some Football?" on ESPN'S Monday Night Football (MNF) telecast has been unceremoniously subdued. The award-winning country music star's videotaped weekly performance was pulled Monday night (10/03) after Williams made what some would consider controversial statements that morning regarding President Obama on FOX & FRIENDS, a news and entertainment program which airs weekdays on the FOX News Channel (FNC).

Most readers are undoubtedly familiar with Hank's remarks, but in the interest of those who perhaps have not read or heard the singer's comments this blogger shall repeat the gist of them here. Williams, Jr. began the interview with FNC by labeling "the biggest political mistake ever" by republicans as a friendly game of golf between President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, republican Speaker of the House John Boehner and Ohio republican governor John Kasich.

In offering an explanation of his remarks Williams exploded with the "H" word by stating that "that [golf outing] would be like Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu," the current Prime Minister of the Jewish state of Israel. Williams concluded his analogy by admonishing the now-perplexed hosts of FOX & FRIENDS that "they may not want to ask me a question because I'll give you too straight of an answer."

One would be hard pressed to find someone who would argue that Hank Williams, Jr. did not in this particular instance respond with a straight opinion though ill-advised. What could be reasonably debated however is whether or not Williams actually compared the president of the United States to the notorious mass-murderer Adolf Hitler as many have alleged. Would it not be just as rational for one to conclude that the country music legend was drawing stark comparisons between two polar opposites? Well, of course it would be just as rational, but that supposition miserably fails to further the liberal, pro-Obama agenda and therefore must be thunderously rejected.

Moreover, the outlandish use of the name Hitler is not only politically poisonous but remains feverishly forbidden unless, of course, it, or a like comparison, is implemented to describe the personal and political beliefs of George W. Bush, Tea Party members, Christians and all non-liberals in general. To indiscriminately label these groups as "terrorists," "hatemongers," or "violent racists" will engender extravagant applause from liberal elites and result in the one doing the labeling being inundated with repeated offers to appear on CNN, MSNBC, The Bill Maher Show and other like-minded venues.

As for this blogger, he could not care less who sings the introduction to Monday Night Football or if there even is an introduction. This writer occasionally watches MNF for the explicit purpose of viewing the game of football, not to hear "Are you ready for some Football?" screamed from the top of his lungs by a whiskey-drinking, foul-mouthed Nashville performer surrounded by scantily-clad women. I am not a fan of Hank Williams, Jr. nor do I condone his decadent lifestyle so often glamorized in the lyrics of his music.

However, I do decry the double standard applied by liberals as it relates to free speech. For example, in the event that Williams' comments to FNC had equated the aforementioned George W. Bush or the political leanings of Sarah Palin with the maniacal Nazi from Germany he would have been celebrated and vociferously defended by the American Left. Or, consider that had he changed his musical genre and "rapped" (as did the rapper Common) about the killing of cops Hank would have been revered as a "martyr" and a "foot soldier" for the cause by thousands of duped individuals and most likely would have received a cordial invitation (again, as did the rapper Common) from Michelle Obama to give an encore presentation at a glitzy White House affair.

Had Williams actually murdered a police officer himself he would have been warmly and lovingly praised (as was convicted cop-killer and recently executed Troy Davis) as an "innocent brother" by Princeton University's very own professor of foolishness and resident anarchist Dr. Cornel West. Williams, Jr. would have earned himself a distinguished seat at the table as guest of the Congressional Black Caucus had he only vilified Tea Party members as racists thugs who desire to see people of color hanging from the outstretched limbs of the nearest oak tree.

Yes, a double standard exist that is so glaringly obvious that only the willingly blind fail to see it. The case of Hank Williams, Jr. is just one of many in a long list of examples that could be related. In the end, ABC, which owns ESPN and the rights to Monday Night Football, probably had no choice but to pull the plug on Hank considering the political climate of today.

One can wonder, however, if those who call the shots at ABC would have been just as quick to pull the trigger had Williams' remarks been directed at a conservative. It is not often that this blogger feels comfortable quoting Hank Williams, Jr., but his statement following this fiasco delivers appropriate words with which to close this post:

"Every time the media brings up the Tea Party it's painted as racist and extremist - but there's never a backlash - no outrage to those comparisons." Well said Hank, well said.