On October 10, the Discovery Channel will air a special on gun culture in America starring Washington Times columnist and National Rifle Association board member Ted Nugent. In doing so, the channel will give mainstream treatment to a divisive right-wing figure who has made countless inflammatory remarks on the topics of race, religion, LGBT equality, politics, equal treatment of women, immigration, and vigilantism.
VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED: Discovery Channel To Air Special Starring Ted Nugent
Written by Timothy Johnson
Published
Discovery Channel Is Promoting “Staunch Second Amendment Defender Ted Nugent” ...
Discovery Channel Will Give Viewers “An Inside Look At American Gun Culture Through The Eyes Of Staunch Second Amendment Defender Ted Nugent.” From a September 26 press release published on Nugent's website:
With more than 40 million albums sold, Ted Nugent is a rock and roll legend -- but music is just one of his passions. He's also a strong and vocal advocate for guns, hunting and all things America.
In Discovery Channel's all-new one-hour special TED NUGENT'S GUN COUNTRY, premiering October 10th at 10PM E/P, viewers will get an inside look at American gun culture through the eyes of staunch second amendment defender Ted Nugent.
Meet Nugent's family and visit his sprawling Spirit Wild ranch just outside Waco, Texas, home to many species of big game that freely roam the meadows and pastures. An avid hunter and conservationist at heart, Ted has his eye on the herd of scimitar-horned oryx that have bred far faster than he anticipated. Knowing the land can't support the booming population, he plans to thin out the herd - and that sends him on a mission. He needs the right firearm and right ammo to get the job done. For that, it's a trip to top-grade firearms maker LaRue Tactical.
Nugent gets his hands on their new OBR PrediTAR .308 rifle and gets a lesson on the finer points of the weapon from renowned military sniper trainer Todd Hodnet. Ted's highpoint of the day: a 1,000 yard target that, when he hits it, causes a massive explosion that even he didn't expect.
On hunt day, Ted and his son Rocco set out at dawn to track their elusive prey and put his new weapon to use. Hours pass without any sign of the crafty antelope. But the father-son duo comes up with a plan and eventually their patience pays off. A firm believer that no animal goes to waste, Ted prepares a festive meal at the ranch that includes guests from Wounded Warriors - his way of giving back to those who fought on behalf of the country he loves so much. [Discovery Channel via TedNugent.com, 9/26/12]
...Despite His History Of Threatening Inflammatory Political Violence
Nugent: “If Barack Obama Becomes The President In November, Again, I Will Either Be Dead Or In Jail By This Time Next Year.” From an interview at the National Rifle Association's annual meeting in St. Louis, Missouri on April 14, as transcribed by PolitiFact:
NUGENT: Because I'll tell you this right now: If Barack Obama becomes the president in November, again, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year. Why are you laughing? Do you think that's funny? That's not funny at all. I'm serious as a heart attack.
[...]
Our president, attorney general, our vice president, Hillary Clinton, they're criminals. They're criminals. That guy on the radio the other day said, 'Well, name the crimes.' About 10 minutes later, I said, “Have you had enough?” I mean, who doesn't know the crimes our government is committing?
[...]
But what I feel in this room, is I feel this: I'm not taking this crap anymore. I've about had it. Leave my damned paycheck alone. Unless you can be accountable, you get nothing. And if you take that adamant, we-the-people defiance -- remember, we're Americans because we defied the king. We didn't negotiate and compromise with the king. We defied the emperors. We are patriots. We are Braveheart. We need to ride into that battlefield and chop their heads off in November. Any questions? [PolitiFact.com, 4/19/12]
Nugent: “Piece Of Shit” Obama Should “Suck On My Machine Gun.” From an August 22, 2007 concert where an assault-rifle-wielding Nugent also referred to then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as “a worthless bitch”:
NUGENT: I was in Chicago last week. I was in Chicago and said, “Hey, Obama you might want to suck on one of these you punk.” Obama, he's a piece of shit, and I told him to suck on my machine gun. Let's hear it for him. And then I was in New York. I said, “Hey, Hillary, you might want to ride one of these into the sunset, you worthless bitch. Since I'm in California, how about [Senator] Barbara Boxer [D-CA], she might want to suck on my machine gun. And [Senator] Diane Feinstein [D-CA], ride one of these you worthless whore. Any questions? [Ted Nugent via LiveLeak.com, accessed 10/1/12]
...His Racially Charged Rhetoric
Nugent: “I'm Beginning To Wonder If It Would Have Been Best Had The South Won The Civil War.” From a July 6 column for The Washington Times:
Because our legislative, judicial and executive branches of government hold the 10th Amendment in contempt, I'm beginning to wonder if it would have been best had the South won the Civil War. Our Founding Fathers' concept of limited government is dead. [The Washington Times, 7/6/12]
Nugent On South Carolina Confederate Flag Controversy: Politicians "Can Take The Flag Down, But I Am Going To Wear It Forever." An April 23, 2000 account of a Ted Nugent concert held in Greenville, South Carolina during the height of a controversy about the display of the Confederate flag at the South Carolina statehouse reported that he told the crowd, “Those politically correct (profane name) can take the flag down, but I am going to wear it forever.” [The Robesonian, 4/23/00]
Nugent: Real Americans Are “Working Hard, Playing Hard, White Motherfucking Shit Kickers Who Are Independent.” From a 1995 interview with Bob Mack of Grand Royal magazine:
NUGENT: You know how many times I've watched MTV? Once in my fucking life.
MACK: You got to be on top of these things.
NUGENT: I don't have to. You know what I'm on top of? I'm on top of a real America with working hard, playing hard, white motherfucking shit kickers, who are independent and get up in the morning.
MACK: Aren't there any blacks?
NUGENT: Show me one. Show me one.
MACK: There's plenty of them.
NUGENT: Show me one.
[...]
MACK: I got a problem with this attitude, I mean, obviously because --
NUGENT: What attitude? What attitude?
MACK: Well most people would call it racism.
NUGENT: Racism, what's that? I'm not a racist by any stretch of the imagination.
MACK: Why is it that, you know--
NUGENT: I'm let down--
[CROSSTALK]
MACK: --real America is equivocated with white people?
NUGENT: Because the black guys with this rap--
MACK: Rap?
NUGENT: --electronic make believe talentless music makes me want to throw up. [Grand Royal magazine via YouTube, accessed 9/28/12]
Nugent: African-American Rappers Appearing On MTV Are “Big Uneducated Greasy Black Mongrels.” From a recording posted on YouTube, supposedly “from his radio show 1994”:
NUGENT: MTV is a liberal lump of hippy snot. They are embarrassing. Those big uneducated greasy black mongrels on there, they call themselves rap artists. Excuse me? During a bad bloody case of diarrhea, I got more soul than those guys do at the peak of their life. That's not music. What do you slap some electronic noisemaker and then grunt to it? And this is like soul? No, excuse me, you want to know what soul is? No wonder James Brown went to prison, no wonder Wilson Pickett went to jail, no wonder Chuck Barry went to jail. They're embarrassed by their black brothers. That's not soul. That's not cool. That's stupid. [Ted Nugent via YouTube, accessed 10/1/12]
... His Demeaning Remarks About Women
Nugent: Sarah Brady, Janet Reno Are “Dirty Whore[s].” In an undated performance of “Kiss My Glock,” Nugent sings that both Sarah Brady, a leading gun violence prevention advocate, and former Attorney General Janet Reno are “dirty whore[s].” During the performance, Nugent also shot an arrow at a Nazi-flag-holding effigy of Reno, causing the effigy's pants to fall and reveal a giant phallus:
[Ted Nugent via YouTube, accessed 10/1/12]
Nugent: “What's A Feminist? Some Fat Pig Who Doesn't Get It Often Enough?” VH1's Behind the Music Remastered: Ted Nugent includes a video clip of Nugent saying in an interview that he thinks a feminist is “some fat pig who doesn't get it often enough.” [VH1, Behind the Music Remastered: Ted Nugent, 1/30/12]
Nugent On Then-First Lady Hillary Clinton: “You Probably Can't Use The Term 'Toxic Cunt' In Your Magazine, But That's What She Is.” From a July 7, 1994 interview with Denver, CO music magazine Westword:
About Hillary Clinton: “You probably can't use the term `toxic cunt' in your magazine, but that's what she is. Her very existence insults the spirit of individualism in this country. This bitch is nothing but a two-bit whore for Fidel Castro.” [Westword, 7/27/94]
...His Derogatory Comments On Muslims
Nugent: “If Islam Is A Religion Of Peace, Then I'm A Malnourished, Tofu-Eating Anti-Hunter.” From an August 19, 2010 Washington Times column addressing controversy over the planned construction of an Islamic community center near Ground Zero in New York City:
Slice it any way you want, but the Muslim community is being tremendously rude and stupid for wanting to build a mosque so close to Ground Zero in New York City. Instead of using the $100 million for their proposed mosque, I recommend that the Muslims donate the cash to the U.S. military so we can build more smart bombs to kill more radical, voodoo Muslims. That would earn my respect and admiration.
Killing more Muslim terror punks would make the world a more peaceful place to live -- and safer for more Muslims -- and we all know Islam is the religion of peace.
Yeah, right.
Let's call a spade a spade here. If Islam is the religion of peace, then I'm a malnourished, tofu-eating anti-hunter.
[...]
Sure, there are peaceful Muslims who abhor violence. Not all Muslims are religious whacks who deserve a bullet. But the statistics are alarming. Last November, Newsmax reported that Muslim imams preach jihad and extremism in 10 percent of the 2,000 mosques right here in the United States. The same article reported that according to a Pew Research Center poll, 25 percent of Muslims in America between the ages of 18 and 29 believed suicide bombings can be justified. Just keep telling yourself that Islam is the religion of peace. [The Washington Times, 8/19/10]
Nugent On Muslims: “Profile Or Die.” From a May 7, 2010 column for The Washington Times titled “Profile or die,”in which Nugent advocated that Muslims be profiled on the basis of their appearance:
We are waging a war on terror and terrorists - Muslim monsters whose self-avowed “religion” is to wipe out Americans. They say it and they do it every chance they get. They are not inconvenient or rude - they are deadly. We know who they are, how they live and we know what they look like. And they are everywhere.
It is time for America to get tough and intolerant to such clear and present dangers to America and Americans. Profile, act, secure. Feelings be damned. Americans be saved. [The Washington Times, 5/7/10]
...His Gay-Bashing
Nugent: NBA Should Host “A Homosexual Night” Where “Homosexuals Could Come Down On The Court, Hold Hands And Prance Around The Court To Music By The Village People.” From a April 19, 2011 op-ed forThe Washington Times where Nugent criticized the NBA's decision to fine Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant for using a gay slur against a referee:
If the NBA had any true gay convictions, the NBA should host a Homosexual Night. During halftime, the homosexuals could come down on the court, hold hands and prance around the court to music by the Village People. The NBA could then give each homosexual a pink basketball as a symbol of solidarity.
Like other professional athletes, numerous NBA players have done all kinds of things on and off the court that do not cast a positive light on themselves or the NBA, but they have not been fined $100,000 by the league.
Homosexuals are a protected class in America. If you think what happened to Mr. Bryant was a travesty, just wait until you see what homosexuals in the military do when they claim they have been mistreated because of their sexual orientation. [The Washington Times, 4/19/11]
Nugent: Anal Sex “Offend[s] Some Of Us Who Think That's Despicable.” During a June 29, 2000 interview on Fox News' Hannity and Colmes:
I got to tell you, guys that have sex with each other's anal cavities -- how can we offend guys that actually have anal sex? Don't you think that might offend some of us who think that's despicable?" [Hannity and Colmes via Nexis, 6/29/00]
...His Threats Of Violence Against Undocumented Immigrants
Ted Nugent On Suspected Undocumented Immigrants: “I'd Like To Shoot Them Dead.” From an October 13, 2008 appearance on Fox News' Hannity and Colmes:
ALAN COLMES, CO-HOST: You want to kill on sight anybody who illegally comes into the country. Just shoot them, right?
NUGENT: If they're armed, and they're attacking our country, yes.
COLMES: Well, they wouldn't be attacking. You don't know if someone coming over the border -- would you just shoot anybody coming over the border who you suspect of being illegal?
NUGENT: In an unauthorized entry, armed, like they are right now, invading our country, I'd like to shoot them dead.
COLMES: Just shoot them dead. All right. [Hannity and Colmes via Nexis, 10/13/08]
Hispanic Leaders Organized A Boycott After Nugent Told Non-English Speakers To Leave The United States. From a July 19, 2000 article written by Juan A. Lozano of the Associated Press:
While performing as the opening act for KISS at a concert April 1, Nugent launched into a profanity-laced tirade instructing those who cannot speak English to return to their native countries. He made similar comments at a concert in San Antonio a day earlier.
Local Hispanic community leaders, who are organizing a national boycott of Nugent, said they are happy the “Motor City Madman” has decided to skip the Bayou City.
“We respect freedom of speech but we objected to the demeaning manner in which he said his remarks and the effect it has on immigrant bashing,” said Johnny Mata, League of United Latin American Citizens District 18 director of media and communication. [Associated Press via Nexis, 7/19/2000]
Nugent On Prospective Haitian Immigrants: “We Should Put Razor Wire Around Our Borders And Give The Finger To Any Piece Of Shit Who Wants To Come Here.” From his interview with Westword:
About Haiti: “We should put razor wire around our borders and give the finger to any piece of shit who wants to come here.” [Westword, 7/27/94]
...His Rejection Of Law And Order
The McNugent Rule: “Expect A Bullet To The Back Of The Head, Most Preferably At The Scene Of The Crime.” From a September 3 Washington Times column discussing the M'Naghten rule that governs criminal liability for mentally ill defendants in some jurisdictions:
The McNaughton rule, which basically states that terminal whack jobs can't be held responsible for their crimes, is the ultimate definition of nuts. It should be replaced with the McNugent rule, which states that regardless of your mental state, if you slaughter innocent people, expect a bullet to the back of the head, most preferably at the scene of the crime.
So long as the American justice system is held hostage by mindless do-gooders who wish to enforce their toxic, brain-dead legalized barbarism on the rest of us, our only recourse is to be vigilant and ready to protect ourselves and our loved ones from these psychotic monsters. Shoot them.
Punks deserve to pay for their crimes with their lives instead of living out their lives and attending group therapy sessions on the taxpayers' dime and further burdening the society they already have hurt deeply. [The Washington Times, 9/3/12]
Nugent: Killing Thieves And Other Criminals Would Mean No More Graffiti Or Purse-Snatching. From a May 28, 2006 profile of Nugent by The Independent:
He explains his political philosophy which, as I understand it, is based on extending the death penalty to a far wider range of crimes than homicide, then arming any survivors to the teeth. He owns around 350 guns himself -- more than one for every household in Crawford.
British police who don't want to carry firearms are, Nugent says, “out of their minds. I say if somebody robs you, shoot 'em. I'd like all thieves killed. And all rapists. And carjackers. No more graffiti. No more...” - this next phrase is a Spoonerism, rather than some Texan term for gross indecency - “snatch-pursing.” [The Independent, 5/28/06]
Nugent: Drug Offenders Should Be Subjected To Prison Rape. From a July 7, 1994 interview with Denver music magazine Westword:
By the same token, should a kid going to a Grateful Dead concert who's caught with sugar-cube-encrusted LSD go to prison for life with no parole? Of course not. But should that guy get caned? Yeah. And should he go to prison in an overcrowded cell where a huge, unclean black man will fuck him in the ass every night? Yeah. Now, that sounds cruel, doesn't it? Well, tough fucking shit. These fucking liabilities in our country have had the run of things, but that's over. Over. [Westword, 7/27/94]