Did right-wing rocker Ted Nugent cross the line during his show in Fort Worth?

Commenters sound off on the man people love and love to hate.

Photo by Elliott Muñoz

Ted Nugent is well known for playing the hollow-body Gibson Byrdland guitar.

When it comes to free speech, is right-wing rocker Ted Nugent too over the top? Opinions ran strong after we posted this list of the craziest 5 things he said during a recent Fort Worth show. Commenters on dallasnews.com and its Facebook page were adamant on both sides of the political fence. One thing's for sure: Freedom of speech got these folks talking.

First, here's some of what "Uncle Ted" (as he calls himself), said:

"I vow that I will use our freedom to get these dirty c**k s**kers out of the White House. The president is a bad man. The vice president is a bad man. They’re all bad people. If you don’t get that, you’re a dead mo**erf**ker. If you don’t get that, get out of Texas. Move to Illinois."

"All the skinny girls get a free machine gun tonight,” he said, holding up a machine gun on stage. "The big girls can load them."

Here's some of the many opinions expressed:

Rick Collins: "It's called freedom of speech people. I don't agree with everything that anyone may say...nor people may agree with what I say but let's be real. We should not forget the freedom of speech we have in our country."

Dennis Mitchell: "Yep, if we pick and choose which political faction musicians can speak out against, then many a good songwriter will be silenced. This is NOT about right or wrong, left or right wing, it's about freedom of speech."

Vince Wright: "To the people touting his use of "free speech". Are you unable to see that if someone speaks against what he has said that is also "free speech". He has the right to say what he wants just as much as we have the right to think it ridiculous."

Terence Krebs: Is he not entitled to say what ever he wants when he wants ? I mean don't buy a ticket if you don't like him, but I think the majority of his fans know where he stands. I don't go to his concerts and don't plan to. I know what kind of character he is, but it's not my place to censor him nor is it anyone else's.

Karen Crouch: "He has every right to say what he wants and confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt what an idiot he is to the entire world."

Marc Turner: "It's no different than the Dixie Chicks or Springsteen saying anti-GWB stuff. At least uncle Ted said it on American Soil."

Molandes Chet: "When I was a kid growing up in Texas. I loved Ted Nugent and played the heck out of his song "Cat Scratch Fever" but now in my opinion he needs to stick to doing what he does best. That is playing rock and roll and not politics."

Jessica Smith: "For all of the feebles that rely on Google for their blatant mis-information...including their "draft-dodger" comments...Ted's number was NEVER called so stop playing that worn out card.... Ted has done more philanthropic work and donated more towards our military than you'd ever dream of. Why don't you EVER comment on that?? Google it... Now move along to how lame our country is going to be when Obama's socialist agenda comes to fruition and stop acting like intimidated feebles and start worrying about the direction of our country, economy, and personal freedoms/rights. Ted Nugent is not a draft dodger."

Buddy Hake: "It's well known that Nugent claims to have gone to great lengths to flunk his Draft Board physical. What's not so well-known is that he got a student deferment at the same time he was touring with his rock band, putting in an average of 300 shows a year. How was he going to school and touring that much at the same time?...As the Rutland Herald reported, Here's what Nugent said he would have done if he went to Vietnam: '... if I would have gone over there, I'd have been killed, or I'd have killed, or I'd kill all the hippies in the foxholes ... I would have killed everybody," he told the Detroit Free Press in an interview published July 15, 1990.'"

Chuck Bloom: "Why does this paper/ebsite give this crazed fool a single inch of space to espouse his venom and hatred? He's a has-been that should never be relavent again. It ain't entertainment...it's garbage!"

Lynne Schilt: "I have no interest in Ted Nugent nor am I concerned about what he says in a concert. The important thing is that we all live in a country where we have rights to voice our opinion. At least he was decent enough to spout in a limited media. The national news outlets spout their opinions every night as "fact." No one gets all over their case. Liberal media bias? Why would anyone think that........"

Barry Crook: "I look forward to your continuing coverage of stupid political things musicians say instead of playing their songs. I absolutely love the music of Bruce Springsteen and Jackson Browne for instance. But I can't stand their stupid politics. I accept that I have to listen to them rant in order to hear the music I love so much. Would I prefer that they just sing to me instead of insisting that I have also paid to hear them give a political speech? Of course, but it is now the price of admission that an artist thinks I want to listen to what rattles around in their head about everything under the sun."

What do you think?

bigironranches, anonymous:

What? You mean Ted Nugent used his freedom of speech to vent on liberals?? AWESOME! Yeah. I and several thousand close personal friends went to the concert with the specific purpose of listening to our favorite gun/guitar slinger sing and dance and play AND vent against our common enemies of freedom and the constitution. We were not surprised or disappointed. Ted only disappoints liberals. Disappointment in Ted is a pretty good litmus for "am I a liberal?".