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"Welcome to Free Republic."

I've noticed a lot of new posters on these threads. I think it's safe to assume that they didn't register here because they are Liberals etc; they registered here because someone posted a link on a Brucie message board which caused them to sign up to defend one of America's greatest singers.

I hope some of them continue to post here.

If 40,000 fans are at a concert in which Brucie says something that offends maybe about a dozen humourless people, it is fair that some of the majority (who enjoyed the event and were not offended) should be given a right to reply.

If the same complainants go to Brucie's next concert in the hope of hearing - and deliberately misinterpreting - a similar quip, it is clear they are trolling. Brucie won't ban them. He will just happily take their money and laugh all the way to the bank.

I think it's safe to assume that they didn't register here because they are Liberals etc; they registered here because someone posted a link on a Brucie message board which caused them to sign up to defend one of America's greatest singers.

Of course, The Great Singer is entitled to his political opinions, and we are permitted to analyze those publicly-stated opinions..

Springsteen suggested buying Prankin' Al Franken's book and (in my original post on this thread) I mentioned one of the reasons why I wouldn't buy it. For purposes of brevity, I did not mention all the reasons I wouldn't buy the book.

It did not occur to me that a poster who chose the name "AdlaiStevenson" had a music-fan's motivation rather some a politics-fan's motivation. Maybe that is because Adlai E. Stevenson was somewhat of a political hero to me, while I was growing up.

Well.....now that I've finished giving my feeble excuses for my bad behavior--

I ask forgiveness for all my conscious and subconscious wrongdoings in this thread, whether they are committed in the past or in the future
Next time, I will try to be more open-minded to the musical motivations of someone who accuses me of lacking a sense of irony.

I was there and this whole thing is blown out of proportion. He said it jokingly in the process of introducing Clarence Clemens. Not that he didnt mean it, he had several derogatory comments about Dick Cheney. He clearly has some resentment towards him.

I had to just consider the source and enjoy the music. This incident was about 10 seconds of about a 3 hour show.

The Dixie Chicks are a different animal. I would love to see them play at the MCI center here in DC. I just can't do it. Sometimes , as in the Springsteen concert, you just cant take it too seriously.

I'm sure I would be skeptical if I were you as well, but I don't even like Bruce Springsteen's music, much less spend my time on any fan website. Ever since Born in the USA came out,I noticed that like for most pop tunes, people tend to read into it what they expect. So I punched up Google to get the lyrics and make sure I didn't just remember it wrong. I am, however a liberal, like our new Presidential candidate Gen. Wesley Clark, who sees no contradiction in being proud of the fact that, as General Clark said on Bill Maher's show last week, we live in a liberal democracy. The reason I registered on Freerepublic is the same reason I have listened to over 3000 hours of Rush Limbaugh ( thats right, 6 hours per week since spring of '92) During my 400 mile per week commute to my surgical practice in Lower Bucks County PA. It is the same reason that I've read William Buckley's classic work "UP FROM LIBERALISM"(out of print but available), and read conservative literature in about a ten-to one ratio over liberal works for more than 25 years. It's because I'm committed to get more intelligent with time, not more closed minded. I'm sure that all members of Freerepublic would find that their policy positions would be enhanced if they they read valid opposing views as much as possible. Let's face it, since I can appreciate "Maha-rushdie at the golden EIB microphone", some of our conservative bloggers can read Paul Krugman's "The Great Unraveling". Good reading!