Brawl erupts after song played at rodeo
So what is going to happen when someone plays a Dixie Chicks song? The drunken troll responsible for this incident clearly seems not to understand that America is not about blind allegiance to anything- particularly Lee Greenwood's nationalist anthem.
I'm thinking that John McCambridge could best serve his country in Iraq- as a human shield
(3/14/03) — Talk of war with Iraq has sparked an atmosphere of tension and anxiety. And it may be to blame for a brawl that broke out at the rodeo Thursday night.
With some 15,000 to 20,000 folks at the rodeo drinking beer and having fun, things can get a little out of hand at times. It happened when a tape of Lee Greenwood's song Proud To Be An American was playing. Some rodeo fans were standing and others were sitting down. Felix Fanaselle and his buddies chose to remain seated.
"This guy behind us starts yelling at us (because) we're not standing up," said Fanaselle. "He starts cussing at us, telling us to go back to Iraq."
The 16-year-old said the man seated behind him started spitting at him and spilling his beer on him and his friends.
"By the end of the song, he pulled my ear. I got up. He pushed me. I pushed him," said Felix. "He punched me in my face. I got him off me."
When the dust settled, Fanaselle had been handcuffed and released. He and John McCambridge were cited for "mutual combat" and fighting in public. That's a $200 fine. Fanaselle's lawyer says you don't have to stand for a country and western song.
"I guess next time, he'll think maybe we need to stand for the Okie From Muscogee," said attorney Clayton Rawlings. "This is phony patriotism. This man needs to be ashamed of himself for what he did."
The problem here is that John McCambridge is not alone, but merely a symptom of a wider problem. War hysteria has bred an alarming degree of intolerance for anything deemed to be different, whether it be music, opinions, or something as basic as a person's appearance.
Where is it written that anyone is required to stand for Greenwood's nationalistic trash? Since when did the only thing he will be remembered for become recognized as a national anthem?
Look, I am proud to be an American, but being an American involves recognizing that not everyone looks, thinks, or acts like me. That diversity is part of the beauty of this country. It's just too bad that trolls like McCambridge and his ilk refuse to recognize that.
