By Robert Laurie —— Bio and Archives September 7, 2017
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A civil rights organization is demanding the cancellation of concerts by Kid Rock at a new sports arena in Detroit, saying his criticism of NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick was a “dog whistle” to white supremacist groups. National Action Network Detroit chapter president Charles Williams II said Wednesday that his group will protest the concerts that start Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena. Kaepernick, who is black, spurred controversy in 2016 when as a member of the San Francisco 49ers he knelt during the national anthem. Kid Rock is white. His real name is Robert Ritchie. He used an expletive about Kaepernick during a concert last month.According to the Des Moines register, Kid Rock's shows have been mostly free of politics, but he did drop a Kaepernick-related F-bomb during an Iowa State Fair performance in August:
Aside from selling “Kid Rock for U.S. Senate” shirts at $25 apiece and running a brief photo of President Trump during an in-song photo collage, Rock kept politics out of his Iowa show. That was until the bridge of “Born Free,” when he decided to share his thoughts on the upcoming National Football League season. At that moment, the singer delivered a short message for NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The former San Francisco 49er gained attention in 2016 for protesting the National Anthem prior to games. “Football’s about ready to start,” he said. “You know what? (expletive) Colin Kaepernick.”Oh no! Kid Rock swore!? Heavens to Betsy, what's next? Scary words in his songs? Oh wait... Swearing is a major part of this Rock's trailer-park schtick. So, we'll ignore that and focus on the "white supremacist dog whistle" thing. I can't believe anyone needs to say this, but no, it's not a dog whistle of any kind. There are plenty of people, of virtually every race, religion, and background, that despise the stand Kaepernick is making. That doesn't mean he doesn't have a right to destroy his career by saying, or doing, whatever he wants, but it does mean that the white supremacy angle is completely bogus. People dislike Kaepernick because he's trashing his country. If a white player did it, the reaction would be the same. To suggest that criticism of his ridiculous protest is a paean to white supremacy is utterly and completely, moronic. Honestly, we all know what this is really about. Kid Rock supported Trump and despises Democrat Debbie Stabenow. That can't be tolerated - particularly in the deep blue southeast corner of a state that dared to reject its rightful queen. It's not racism. It's politics pure and simple.
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