Ted Nugent Says He’s Done With ‘Hateful Rhetoric’ Following Alexandria Shooting
“We have got to be more respectful”. Right-wing rocker Ted Nugent is changing his tune. The horrific shooting of congressional GOP staffers in Alexandria, Va. has seemingly served as a wake-up call for Ted Nugent. The conservative rock star has made countless headlines for his rants against Democratic leaders, particularly President Obama and Hillary Clinton. Among other incendiary statements, he’s said Obama should “suck on my machine gun,” called Clinton a “worthless b-tch” and said both deserve to be hanged. But in the days following the June 14 attack, during which a gunman opened fire on Republican lawmakers who were practicing for a charity baseball game, Nugent has had a come-to-Jesus experience, thanks in large part to his wife.
In recent days, Shemane Deziel, Nugent’s 51-year-old wife, convinced her husband to stop using “harsh terms” when engaging in political speech. “At the tender age of 69, my wife has convinced me that I cannot use that harsh rhetoric.” And Nugent wants others to follow suit: “I encourage even my friends/enemies on the left in the Democrat and liberal world that we have got to be civil to each other, that the whole world is watching America, where you have the God-given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and we have got to be more respectful to the other side,” he said in an interview with ABC Radio. In no uncertain terms, Nugent said he is completely done with over-the-top speech, especially when it could incite violence. “I’m going to take a deep breath, and I’m going to back it down, and if it gets fiery, if it gets hateful, I’m going away. I’m not going to engage in that kind of hateful rhetoric anymore. I will avoid anything that can be interpreted as condoning or referencing violence,” he said. He further explained that he never meant the machine gun remarks literally and that he doesn’t “want anyone’s lips on my machine guns.”
Nugent also addressed his past inflammatory comments about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, attributing them to rock and roll energy. “I’m not trying to make excuses, but when I made those wild ass comments on stage against then-Senator Hillary Clinton and then-Senator Barack Obama, I don’t know if you can grasp the degree of adrenaline and intensity and over-the-top animal spirit and attitude that I live on stage,” he said.
Well known for his inflammatory comments as he is for his fiery guitar playing, Nugent was so shaken up by Wednesday’s attack on the GOP congressional baseball team in Alexandria, Virginia, that he is vowing to tone down his own often violent rhetoric. “I will avoid anything that can be interpreted as condoning or referencing violence,” he told the hosts on a WABC Radio show a day later. Nugent, while admitting that he had crossed a line in the past with verbal attacks on Barack Obama says he has come to realize the country has reached a “critical mass.” The Trump supporter added that he is still “feisty” and won’t back down from his conservative values, particularly for “strong, secure borders.” But he stressed that even though his way of speaking comes from growing up a “street fighter” in Detroit, he never actually meant to imply violence with his words. (Even the ones suggesting decapitating Hillary Clinton?) Nugent’s vow to turn over a new leaf comes at an extremely polarized time in American politics. The shooter who critically injured Republican House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was identified as James Hodgkinson, a progressive with deep-seated hate towards the Trump administration.
Even Far Right-Wing Conservatives Are Seeing America Is In Trouble And The Hate Must Stop!
Susan Z’s Conclusion:
Kudos for Nugent’s turnaround on projecting vocal violence in politics. He has a huge rocker following and he will make people listen.
Justice:
This card is about being honest with yourself and sometimes legal issues. I believe that Nugent loves what America represents and now even he is seeing what unbridled violent rhetoric can bring about in this political climate.
The Empress: Inverted (Upside Down)
The card is a woman who is nurturing and likes to have her way. Since inverted, I feel his wife put her foot down with Nugent and said enough is enough! She obviously has great influence on him.
Princess of Swords:
This is a young person with new creative thoughts. This makes me think possibly the outlook was presented to Nugent from his wife as: “Is this the world you want your grandchildren to grow up in?”.
Susan Z Rich is an emotional addiction counselor, spiritual intuitive and holistic therapist. She counsels others to see life in a more positive way and teaches personal accountability for life choices. She is also the author of several children’s books and Soul Windows…Secrets From The Divine.