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MillRatUSMC
08-05-04, 02:15 PM
http://www.michaelromanos.com/pictures/stock_photos/bruce_springsteen_color.jpg

Springsteen Gets Political with Attack on Bush

Thu Aug 5,10:39 AM ET

By Mark Egan

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rocker Bruce Springsteen has stayed out of party politics for 25 years, but now he says the stakes are too high and he's urging fellow Americans to vote President Bush out of office in November.

A day after he announced he would join two dozen other stars in nine "battleground" states for a rock 'n' roll tour aimed at ousting Bush, the man known as "The Boss" explained his decision in a sharply worded editorial.

"Personally, for the last 25 years I have always stayed one step away from partisan politics," Springsteen wrote in The New York Times, noting he built a career singing about universal issues like human rights, dignity and freedom instead.

"This year, however, for many of us the stakes have risen too high to sit this election out."

Republicans and Democrats both asked to use Springsteen's 1984 hit "Born in the U.S.A." -- a song about how unwelcoming America was to returning Vietnam veterans but often mistaken for a patriotic anthem -- for use in political campaigns. Springsteen declined the requests.

And in June, when a concert promoter urged Springsteen to headline a large concert to upstage Bush's nominating convention in New York, he insisted he would not play any events tied to the Democratic or Republican conventions.

TAKING SIDES

But now Springsteen, whose blue-collar roots have resonated through his music for 30 years, making him the quintessential American rock hero to the working class, is taking sides.

He says Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry and his running mate, John Edwards, "are sincerely interested in asking the right questions and working their way toward honest solutions."

Of the "Vote for Change" tour -- 34 shows in 28 cities -- in the first week of October, one month before the U.S. presidential election, Springsteen said, "Our goal is to change the direction of the government and change the current administration come November."

He then launched a blistering attack on Bush for undertaking an "unnecessary war in Iraq," running record budget deficits, cutting spending on social programs and giving a massive tax cut for the richest Americans -- a group that includes Springsteen himself.

"Our American government has strayed too far from American values," Springsteen wrote. "It is time to move forward. The country we carry in our hearts is waiting."

Six concert lineups will play simultaneous shows in a blitz of swing states which could go either Democrat or Republican in November: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin.

Dave Matthews, James Taylor, the Dixie Chicks, Pearl Jam, R.E.M , John Mellencamp, Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt are among the other performers.

While Springsteen has stayed out of politics, in May he posted the text of an anti-war speech by former Vice President Al Gore on his official Web site, calling it "one of the most important speeches I've heard in a long time."

My note;
Well we can see who CD's we won't be buying for a long time...

thedrifter
08-05-04, 02:30 PM
Not the Boss.....


I believe in Freedom of Speech...but Not this way......


I know I will not buy any of his CD's.....


Ellie

eddief
08-05-04, 02:54 PM
God bless him. If Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity (two blowhards who have no political experience whatsoever) can be pit bulls for Bush, then I see no problem with Springsteen throwing his hat into the political debate. I see this as contributing to the political debate, and I feel it's good for the country.

HardJedi
08-05-04, 03:53 PM
hell, I never liked his three chord music anyway. or his raspy no vocal range vioce. so now i just have one MORE reason to never buy his stuff. oh well.

MillRatUSMC
08-05-04, 07:00 PM
The release of this article, which I got at my yahoo comes at a bad time.
Many are calling and asking "how's the support back home?"
When these concerts start, many might question the lack of support they're getting.
Will the outcome be the same as when LBJ saw Walter Cronkite questioning the outcome of Tet of 1968.
With that LBJ said "all is loss, even Walter has turn against me."
We could have done like an ostrich and stuck our head in the dirt and imagined that this wasn't there.
But its a reality.
I wonder if these singers.musicans know that what they're doing is giving aid and comfort to our enemies and many might die because they gave more resolve to those seeking to kill a lot of us.
Now my question might be;
"Who's going to be the counter-weight and who's going to stand-up for the troops?
We're just little folks but we must give support to those now in harm way.
Now we also question, what is freedom of speech and what is treason for giving aid and comfort...

Semper Fidelis/Semper Fi
Ricardo

PS for anyone interested on the "Boss" offical web site;

http://www.brucespringsteen.net/news/index.html
The "boss" offical web site and there's Al Gore speech that the "boss" talks about.

ivalis
08-05-04, 10:40 PM
I'm confused here, how many of our "enemies" are going to be attending the Boss' concerts??

HardJedi
08-05-04, 10:50 PM
attend THAt concert, and you are my enemy ( Just kidding)

MillRatUSMC
08-05-04, 11:47 PM
None our enemies will be the "Boss" concerts and we defend his right to speak out on what he see as an unjust war.
But I must question the why of it.
The time for debate was when our elected officials had a chance prior to us committing troops to over-throw Suddam.
Even John Forbes Kerry voted yea on that vote.
Now he states that he was duped on false information.
I see this much like the radical left protesting against the war in Vietnam, while we were fighting an enemy with our hands tied by Rules of Engagement (ROE).
Recently I asked a mom of a young Marine Sergeant, "How was she dealing with all the stress and hearing the words, Marines have been killed in Iraq?"
That young Marine Sergeant is a friend and fellow Marine of mine.
He called her and asked her "How's the support back home?"
He one of many that want to know how the support back home.
What do we reply to that young Marine Sergeant?
He just seen another Squad Leader in his platoon get killed by IDE.
What do you think the troops will be thinking when they see these concerts with the message that it was a big mistake by President George W. Bush and company.
Will that say to them, that all the deaths have been in vain.
Who will step forward for the troops and tell them that we still support the dangerous job they performing with hardly any vote of confidence.
Many are now coming home to the same indifference that we came home to.
Will they too be seeking the why of it all.
It comes down to;
Do we voted George W. Bush and company out of Office?
Will Congress have the guts to change foreign policy as regards to the State of Israel?
The main party responsible for the Jews seeking to go back to Palestine was Nazi Germany.
If the Jews happen to lose the State of Israel would many countries do what they failed to do after World War II.
Take in any left after a war with terrorist mulsims.
Till we face that issue in the face and disregard the lobbiests for the Jewish State.
Our presence in the Middle East will be the only answer, appeasement isn't the answer to our problems...

Semper Fidelis/Semper Fi
Ricardo

eddief
08-06-04, 12:36 AM
Opposing the policy is not opposing the troops. I want to see them brought home so Iraqis can start fighting and dying for their own damn country. As for giving comfort and aid to the enemy, Allah gives these fanatics all the motivation they need. When you think God is on your side you don't need anything else to pump you up.