Toby Keith has responded to Max Blumenthal's blog post calling him a moron.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,400084,00.html
Toby Keith says it is about the "Old West" and not the South. So is Toby Keith saying lynching okay in the West!?
Despite Toby Keith's denials let's not kid ourselves about what his lyrics mean.
"Grandpappy told my pappy back in my day, son, A man had to answer for the wicked that he'd done, Take all the rope in Texas, Find a tall oak tree, round up all of them bad boys, Hang them high in the street."
"Find a tall oak tree," then round up who the public thinks are villains and hang them. Where is the trial and law in this process? I am not an expert on the old west, but did lawful governments use "tall oak trees" or did they use gallows? I think they used gallows.
Toby Keith song then talks about saddling up the horses and smoking guns and after his preferred type of "justice" is handed out, the group handing out this "justice," meeting afterwards at a saloon to celebrate with drinks.
Go to Max's blog on the song to read the lyrics.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-blumenthal/toby-keiths-pro-lynching_b_115526.html
Doesn't sound like any judicial system I am familiar with. Toby Keith's song is about lynching. I don't think lynching is good anywhere and is dispicable anywhere it happens.
Fox News very selectively quotes from the song.
There should not be complacency about lynching. It is kept at bay by the knowledge that law enforcement will not tolerate it, and that intolerance by law enforcement is driven by public opinion against lynching and support for the law. If the view of the public becomes tolerant of lynching, it could come back.
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