Liberal Linda Ronstadt Strikes Again!
Sunday, August 01, 2004
So much for the Las Vegas slogan: "What happens here, stays here."
When singer Linda Ronstadt came to the Aladdin Casino and Resort on July 17th, she decided to dedicate the Eagles hit "Desperado" to Michael Moore, producer of "Fahrenheit 9/11", the anti-Bush mockumentry. That's when all hell broke loose in Sin City.
According to Las Vegas Sun reporter Jerry Fink, who was present, the room erupted into equal parts boos and cheers. Ronstadt, 58, explained what motivated her: "I've been dedicating a song to him 'I think [Michael Moore] is a great patriot' and it splits the audience down the middle, and they duke it out," she said.
That's precisely what scared Aladdin's President Bill Timmins, that the fans would "duke it out." He was in the crowd of 5,000 when hundreds of angry concertgoers bolted for the doors asking for refunds. Some of them defaced Linda's posters in the lobby while others tossed their drinks on her pictures.
To his credit in light of the ugliness of the crowd and no doubt concerned about the safety of the fans, Timmins made the spur of the moment decision to have his security guards escort Ronstadt off the property, sending her personal belongings from her room with her. Beyond that, Timmins also sent word to Ronstadt that she was no longer welcome at the Aladdin for
future performances.
"Our first and only priority is the enjoyment of our customers," said Timmins. "I made the decision to ask Miss Ronstadt to leave the hotel. A situation like that can easily turn ugly and I didn't want anything more to come out of it. There were a lot of angry people there after she started talking."
On July 21st. the New York Times editorialized against Timmins and the Aladdin Casino and Resort, suggesting that somehow poor Linda's rights were abdicated.
They wrote: "This behavior assumes that Ms. Ronstadt had no right to express a political opinion from the stage. It implies – for some members of the audience at least – that there is a philosophical contract that
says an artist must entertain an audience only in the ways that audience sees fit. It argues, in fact, that an artist like Ms. Ronstadt does not have the same rights as everyone else."
Not at all.
Linda had every right to endorse Michael Moore's 90-minute long "Elect John Kerry" commercial. But she is not free to speak as she wishes, inciting the crowd to potential violence, without consequences. Frankly,
yelling "Fire!" or "Michael Moore!" in a crowded theater will have the same net result: people will panic and trample each other to get out as fast as humanly possible! And who can blame them?
Let's be clear. The Aladdin Casino Hotel, a private company, has the right to control their own venue the way they see fit in an attempt to serve their customers as they wish.
But some on the far left jumped to even more nonsensical conclusions. The website IrregularTimes.com smelled some kind of evil Republican conspiracy to duct-tape the mouths of liberal entertainers everywhere.
They opine: "Censorship of this kind appears to be a last ditch attempt by the Republicans to protect their sinking ship from any criticism. They're longing for the days just two years ago when everyone was afraid to
criticize anything Mr. Bush did. Lucky for us, the Republicans' clumsy attempts at intimidation just make matters worse for them, by showing how radical the Republican agenda of fear and freedom-bashing really is."
Yeah, whatever! I'm sure President Bush personally made the call to Bill Timmins. "You better shut down Linda right now before I have Dick Cheney
pull your liquor license."
Personally, I was more troubled by Linda Ronstadt?s bigoted comment about Christians, which most of the media ignored.
She bellyached, "It's a real conflict for me when I go to a concert and find out somebody in the audience is a Republican or fundamental Christian. It can cloud my enjoyment. I'd rather not know."
Sounds like Linda is pretty Christian-a-phobic to me.
Imagine the uproar if she had said, "It's a real conflict for me when I go to a concert and find out somebody in the audience is black, Jewish or gay. It can cloud my enjoyment. I'd rather not know."
Dan Rather, Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw would all be starting their newscasts with the shocking story about Linda Ronstadt's racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic rantings from the stage of the Aladdin Casino and Resort.
Sadly, Christians are the last politically correct punching bag in America. We can be maligned with impunity.
The words of Christ present such a balanced response. On the one hand, He reminds us that "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness'
sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." But, on the other hand, in His challenge for us to be "the salt of the earth," we are not to be a doormat either.
Linda Ronstadt would prefer we stay in our prayer closet. Who wants to join me and burst out to declare our allegiance to Jesus unashamedly for all the world to see?
TAKE A STAND ACTION STEPS:
1. Boycott Linda Ronstadt's music and concerts.
2. Write a letter to the editor to the New York Times at
letters@nytimes.com or mail it to Letters to the Editor, The New York Times, 229 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036. Object to Linda Ronstadt's bigoted statement about Christians and support Bill Timmins' right to eject her from the Aladdin Casino in Las Vegas.
3. Thank Bill Timmins, the Aladdin Casino President for taking a stand and asking Linda Ronstadt to leave the property. You can e-mail him at reservations@aladdincasino.com , call him at (702) 785-5555 or write him at Aladdin Casino, 3667 South Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89109.
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