Gretchen Wilson Folds Under Pressure

Saturday, August 27, 2005

Gretchen Wilson pockets Skoal controversy

Gretchen Wilson has agreed not to display a Skoal can during her concerts in response to the asinine request of the Tennessee state's attorney general. That's too bad...

It's not that I'm such a fan of chewing tobacco. I just think that to even respond to such an idiotic letter is to encourage more such letters being sent to other artists. He knew he didn't have any legal standing to send the letter: he was trying to intimidate her and any other artist he doesn't care for. And folding to the pressure is only going to tell him that governmental intimidation works no matter how far off base he is.

When an artist can be intimidated into changing an act that doesn't break any laws or advocate any illegal activity, we're heading down the slippery slope that leads to Puritans telling us what we are and aren't allowed to listen to...for our own good, of course because personal responsibility is completely out of the question: we need some jerk sitting in a government-paid job to tell us what's good for us.

It's utterly ridiculous, and I'm sorry that she and her people have given up that easily...