Miller sends old boots to ABC anchor after country music snub

AJC ^ | 6/27/02 | The Associated Press

[CFW]

WASHINGTON -- ABC's decision to cut an angry anti-terrorism song from its July 4 television special has prompted a smelly protest from Georgia Sen. Zell Miller, an avid country music fan.

The Democratic senator announced Wednesday that he would mail a pair of his own boots to ABC News anchor Peter Jennings in retaliation for the network's decision to remove country artist Toby Keith's song from the concert.

"This is a disgrace and the rankest kind of hypocrisy from these so-called advocates of free speech," Miller said in a floor speech.

The network deemed the song, entitled "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)," too angry to lead off a prime time family special. The lyrics include this warning to the Sept. 11 attackers: "We'll put a boot in your ass."

ABC News spokesman Jeffrey W. Schneider explained the decision was "a matter of tone and logistics." The network wouldn't have ruled out using the song later in the show, Schneider said, but Keith demanded to perform first because he had to leave early for a concert in Utah.

The senator intends to ship his boots, along with a nasty note, Thursday from his Washington office. Hundreds of other pairs are expected to be mailed next week from several different country radio stations.

"The shipping of boots seems to be perhaps an expensive publicity stunt, but we'll be happy to get them and pass them along to homeless people living in New York City," Schneider said.

Miller spokeswoman Joan Kirchner said the boots, black with a white round circle featuring the Georgia state seal, are about 12 years old. Lately, they've been displayed in the bookcase of Miller's Senate office.

"They look like they've been worn a time or two," Kirchner said.

Scheduled performers on "In Search of America: A July 4th Musical Celebration" include Sheryl Crow, Brooks & Dunn, India.Arie, Gillian Welch, Tom Petty and the Boston Pops. |

[Bigg Red]

Good old Zell!

It figures that the AntiAmerican Broadcasting Company's July 4th special is entitled "In Search of America..." Those clymers, unlike true Americans, have no idea of where America is ... or what it really is.

[xsmommy]

zell is sticking up for my Toby!

[chuknospam]

I've got some old boots, I know what to do with them now!

[TxBec]

yours? I saw him first.

[xsmommy]

don't make me drag that meaningful eye contact story out of storage, tx....; )

[TwoStep]

**ZELL~~~~BUMP**

[Aquamarine]

Zell loves country music. I've seen him at a few concerts in North Ga. in the past.

[TxBec]

don't make me drag out my ticket from when he was so new to the scene that he played in a mall parking lot (1995?)

[hobbes1]

don't make me drag that meaningful eye contact story out of storage

Were you dressed as a Lumberjack....?

[capt. norm]

I don't have any boots to send but: "Where there's a garage sale, there's a way" and Saturday (National Garage Sale Day) is only 40 or so hours away. I'm going to fine the grodiest pair of boots available and send them.

Who knows...maybe Pete is into "leather"!

[3AngelaD]

Senator Miller is a stand-up guy. Why can't we recruit him for the GOP? I am hoping that his Dem brethern will soon go a little too far for him, and he will switch to his natural grouping.

[bigdog]

Sorry, but ol' Zig-Zag Zell is a Democrat. He ran as a liberal populist his first term as governor.

Then he zigged a little toward the right in his second term as the political winds shifted in that direction.

But, he was still liberal enough in '92 to nominate The Stain in the famous "He Feels Your Pain" speech.

Always remember: Zell Miller is a Democrat.

[VOA]

Miller sends old boots to ABC anchor after country music snub

Only because my insomnia got me to hear the replay of yesterday's Mike Gallagher Show did
I hear him interview "Crash and Burns", DJs at KTST-FM in Oklahoma City.
They have arranged a deal (if I understand correctly) in which their listeners in the
Oklahoma City metro area can drop by their boots at their station...
and UPS has volunteered to deliver the lot of 'em to Peter Jennings.
They said they've gotten quite a few "donations", including some old military
boots dropped by folks whose spouses are presently on deployment to defend Peter Jennings.

(I don't know how long this will go on...so if you or OKC friends want to participate...hurry!)

Here is the link I found and a snippet about the event:

http://www.thetwister.com/crashandburns.html

ON THE SHOW THIS WEEK
We Want Toby Keith on ABC!
Drops your boots by the Twister Tower-10th Floor at 50 Penn Place and be part of our
"Courtesy Of The Red, White And Boots Drive" to send to Peter Jennings in New York!

[Jim Noble]

BFD.

Did he vote for Daschle for majority leader, or not?

End of story.

[American Preservative]

Kick*ss BTTT! ; )

[strela]

Hmmm. I've got an old pair of boots as well that would
be great for this purpose. Especially after I
"break them in" a bit by walking around in a pasture
with a wide selection of particular fragrant meadow
muffins lying around.

[Pagey]

ABC, What a joke, they can show Dennis Franz A__ on NYPD Blue week after week (I don't watch the program but I remember there was an original brouhaha when they began that)but they won't allow the use the word A__ in a song that is Pro-America.More Symbolism over Substance from the Left at CH 7.Did you expect anything less?

[TxBec]

grr