An Open Letter From Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders to President Trump (Re: Julian Assange)

Chrissie Hynde's Facebook page ^ | 2/17/20 | Chrissie Hynde

[SilvieWaldorfMD]

An open Letter to Donald Trump, President of the United States

Dear Mr. President,

I often think of how much my father, Melville “Bud” Hynde, who proudly served his country as a Marine on Guadalcanal, would have enjoyed your Presidency. The other day when you gave that award to Rush Limbaugh, my father would have been so delighted. He loved listening to Rush, which is why I allowed my song, 'My City Was Gone', to be used on his radio show.

My father and I didn't always see eye-to-eye. We argued a lot, but isn’t that the American way? The right to disagree without having your head chopped off?

Soon, I will be participating in a protest in London against the extradition of Julian Assange. I know my father would be mortified, but I feel strongly enough to do what I believe is the right thing; to protest further punishment of a man who sought to defend Freedom, albeit in a way you rightly disagree with.

I know Mr. Assange broke the law (as i have done defending the treatment of animals) but I believe he has been duly punished and should now be set free.

Please consider my plea.

Yours truly,

Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders

[Fido969]

In 1999, Chrissie Hynde complained about his use of the Pretenders hit, 'My City Was Gone' as his theme song. However, Hynde allowed Limbaugh to play the song in exchange for a $100,000 donation to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and vocal support against chemical testing on animals.

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/rush-rush-limbaugh/

[Viking2002]

Agreed. (And the ‘79-’85 years were the best, Pretenders-wise.)

[mylife]

I think Rush used the riff despite Chrissy, now she is gloaming on to Rush

[US_MilitaryRules]

Why didn’t she ask the ex-president, obunghole, when it was in office?

[dfwgator]

Certainly seems civil. She’s wrong,but she’s not obnoxious about it.At least not in this letter.

She will still be persona non grata to the Left for not calling Trump "Hitler".

[OrangeHoof]

Assange has suffered enough. The Brits are going to slowly kill him so I don’t believe Ms. Hynde’s actions will produce any good.

Nice story about why she didn’t go after Rush’s theme song.

[a fool in paradise]

multiple plays a day for decades on a program syndicated to hundreds of stations.

I thought I read that she donated the “Rush” money to some leftist charity.

[Secret Agent Man]

Well cmon its worded so that ‘hear my plea’ means do what i want.

[kidd]

Wow, we can discuss ideas with a liberal. Refreshing.

I know Mr. Assange broke the law (as i have done defending the treatment of animals) but I believe he has been duly punished and should now be set free.

I'm willing to concede that Assange has punished. The courts can take this into account during sentencing to determine if he has been duly punished. Let the courts decide if he should go free.

[FroggyTheGremlim]

Well, I wish Mr. Assange would reveal who REALLY gave him the information.

I suspect strongly that it was SETH RICH.

But only Assange can verify that.

[bigbob]

This is far more rational that I would have expected, and I agree with her.

It’s too bad she’s on the other side because the time was ripe about 10 years ago under the Obamanation for a remake of her song, but it would have been “My Country Is Gone”.

Now it would have to be “My Country Is Back” but I don’t see her doing that...

Free Assange!

[Mr. K]

The Pentagon Papers were released similarly and no one went to jail

(Oh wait... that hurt Republicans, so it was OK)

[Blue Highway]

I’ve never heard her song being played on Rush’s show. The theme song isn’t hers FWIW.

[Chode]

ooooo, the RATS won't like that...

[GOP Poet]

bookmark

[Brookhaven]

If Julian Assange was working as a reporter for a major US newspaper (NYT, Wall Street Journal) he would not be in jail. He would be protected by the 1st amendment.

Assange is a victim of changing technology. The press no longer just means physical papers. It now includes alternative technologies. Wikileaks is as much a “press” operation as the NYT. The law just hasn’t caught up with technology and reality.

[SilvieWaldorfMD]

He pays a fee to PETA to use the song because that's what Chrissie wanted him to do. Apparently, about 25 years ago, EMI (Chrissie's label) told him to stop playing the song and Chrissie was told this by another radio DJ. In typical Hynde fashion, she told EMI to "Fuck Off!" and told Rush that she'd allow it if he pays the fee to PETA and if he says that he supports not using chemicals on animals - and he's kept his word since then.

She's been on record saying that she "can't stand him and what he stands for - but my parents loved him!" By all accounts (and I've read every book about her) Chrissie grew up in a conservative household in Akron and has always been traditional, anti-drugs (for the most part) and has a memory like an elephant. She would always go off on the drug peddlers (especially in LA) who ruined Pete Farndon and Jimmy Honeyman-Scott and did not like people who did drugs.

[SilvieWaldorfMD]

The theme song on Rush’d show (the opening song) is the instrumental version of the Pretenders’ “My City Was Gone”, written by Hynde.

[Brookhaven]

He has embarrassed a lot of powerful politicians throughout the world by releasing information they would prefer the public never see.

[mylife]

Chrissy is nowhere to be heard on Rush’s bumper music, he is using fair usage laws to jam it in her hynder.

Now she is using the linkage to her advantage