The politically crap has gone too far.

Confederate Railroad, a long time band, has been booted from a scheduled performance at an Illinois Fair, presumably because of their name.

A Southern rock group called Confederate Railroad has been booted from the lineup of an upcoming Illinois state fair over its name and use of the Confederate flag, sparking fury from fans and country legend Charlie Daniels.

The band, formed in 1987 in Atlanta, Georgia, had been slated to play at the Du Quoin State Fair on Aug. 27 in the city of Du Quoin, Ill., as part of “90s Country ReLoaded Day,” local media reported.

The cancellation of Confederate Railroad’s performance was first acknowledged by the fair’s manager Josh Gross in a statement to the Du Quoin Weekly, the Southern Illinoisan reported.

“The Illinois Department of Agriculture has removed Confederate Railroad from our 2019 Du Quoin State Fair Grandstand lineup,” Gross said. “While every artist has a right to expression, we believe this decision is in the best interest of serving all of the people in our state.”

When reached for comment by the Southern Illinoisan, the state Department of Agriculture declined to say when the band was booked, who decided to cancel the group’s performance and the reason why the band was removed from the lineup.

Nonetheless, the axing of the band’s set prompted Daniels and other musicians to speak out.

“This political correctness thing is totally out of control,” Daniels wrote in a tweet on July 5.

“When a fair cancels the Confederate Railroad band because of their name its giving in to facism [sic], plain and simple and our freedom disappears piece by piece,” the tweet read. “Sick of it.”

A Facebook group created over the band’s cancellation called #boycottduquoinstatefair has garnered more than 2,700 members as of Tuesday.

“Disgusted,” one group member, Cathy Kesler, commented. “I won’t be going to the fair and probably won’t be living in this state much longer. So hard to find a decent job and when I do they increase fuel taxes. And everything else. Now this. I love Confederate Railroad.”

Meanwhile, other southern Illinois venues are working to book Confederate Railroad for a local makeup show, according to the Southern Illinoisan.

“To me this isn’t about getting people to our business. If whoever else in Southern Illinois ends up bringing them in, I won’t be mad. This is about Southern Illinois proving a point,” Joe McKinney, the manager of entertainment at the local Field of Dreams event venue, told the news outlet.

“This choice was made by a select few up north who are offended, instead of what the majority want, and the band was completely disrespected.”

There’s been a national debate in recent years on the use of the Confederate flag and statues honoring controversial figures like Confederate leaders.

Confederate Railroad has not publicly commented on being dropped from the fair.

Link The Story

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The replacement band will be a more wholesome Rap group that be educating the crowd on the proper technique of busting caps in that mothafucka and banging dem ho’s.

Oh wait, they already got that covered with Snoop Dogg...

I think it's time we boot the confederate States from the union.....

Confederate Railroad, booted for their name.

I wonder whether the same treatment would apply to a band named "Yankee Clipper."

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Confederate Railroad, booted for their name.

I wonder whether the same treatment would apply to a band named "Yankee Clipper."

What Jefferson Airplane? Thomas Jefferson was a slave owner.

They could change their name to Purple Haired Dyke Railroad and swap in a rainbow flag and they'd be welcomed back with open arms!

quote:

Originally posted by maximus_flavius:

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Confederate Railroad, booted for their name.

I wonder whether the same treatment would apply to a band named "Yankee Clipper."

What Jefferson Airplane? Thomas Jefferson was a slave owner.

(Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Don't take us down that white rabbit hole.)

Confederate Railroads statement

As many of you know, we were scheduled to perform at the Illinois State Fair in Du Quoin, Illinois on August 27, along with our friends Restless Heart and Shenandoah. We have since been removed from that show by the Illinois Department of Agriculture because of the name of our band. This was very disappointing as we have played this fair before and enjoyed it very much. The outpouring of support from Confederate Railroad fans, fans of other acts, and the public in general, has been both overwhelming and very much appreciated. I would also like to thank the actors, athletes and fellow country music artists who have spoken out in support. It has been brought to my attention that several people have asked both Restless Heart and Shenandoah to cancel their shows in protest of our cancellation. I have spoken to both acts and encouraged them to perform as scheduled. Live concerts are how we pay our bills and feed our families. I would never want to see another act lose a payday because of this. Please go out to hear these two great bands. As I have said many times onstage, I am by no means a saint but, I am a man of faith and I have faith that God will see us through this as well as whatever comes next! Thank you for your support.

Link

I wasn't planning to go to the IL Fair anyhow, but I like my women just a little on the trashy side.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf459-JiIcI

Can a gov't agency legally even do that? Seems like a free speech case could be pressed against the state.

Il. , N.Y. and Cal. Hopeless sewers of liberalism.

I hope there was a contact and if this violates the contract, collect for breech of contract.

Perhaps a gentle reminder of the 1st Amendment is in order here.

Perfectly acceptable in IL: Snoop Dogg. This article mentions his album cover showing the body of Donald Trump but it's "political satire."

https://journalstar.com/entert...02-f2c3626a4943.html

Illinois politics take center stage amid state fair music controversy

By Greg Bishop and Brett Rowland | The Center Square
Jul 10, 2019 Updated 12 hrs ago

Gov. J.B. Pritzker's decision to cancel the performance of a country band at the DuQuoin State Fair has put Illinois politics in the spotlight.

Pritzker canceled the scheduled performance of Confederate Railroad, a country band from Georgia, over the group's use of the Confederate flag.

Opponents have said the governor is playing politics with the musical lineup. They have pointed to the controversy around Illinois State Fair performer Snoop Dogg's use of imagery that showed the rap icon standing over the dead body of President Donald Trump.

Confederate Railroad was scheduled to perform at the DuQuoin State Fair before Pritzker pulled the plug.

“This was very disappointing as we have played this fair before and enjoyed it very much," Confederate Railroad member Danny Shirley said in a statement Tuesday.

The statement didn't address the group's use of the Confederate flag.

Pritzker said his administration wouldn't support the use of the Confederate flag, but taxpayers will still have to pay the band $7,500 under terms of its contract, according to media reports.

“The Confederate flag is a symbol of not just slavery but of treason against the United States. It’s also a symbol of murder, of kidnapping, of rape,” Pritzker said. “That is what happened under the banner of the Confederate flag.”

He also said the flag was the banner used to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln, who led the nation through the Civil War.

Opponents have said Pritzker is using a double standard by canceling the performance of Confederate Railroad while allowing Snoop Dogg to perform at the Illinois State Fair.

Pritzker defended Snoop Dogg on Wednesday at an event in Chicago.

“There is an enormous difference … between the political satire, the discussion by a single artist, his political views and the representation of truly millions of people being enslaved, hundreds of thousands of people being killed under the banner of treason, essentially,” the governor said.

State Rep. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, wrote Monday in a Facebook post that she had asked for Confederate Railroad's performance to be reinstated during a meeting with members of the governor's staff.

"I wanted to identify for my constituents who made the call to cancel the contract with Confederate Railroad and the official reason for why it was done. I also wanted to express my absolute disagreement with the cancelation," she wrote. "In addition, I wanted an explanation for the booking of Snoop Dogg in Springfield considering his album cover has a picture of what appears to be a dead President Trump on a slab covered with a flag while Snoop Dogg stands over him in a defiant manner. I wanted the Administration to know I expected Confederate Railroad’s contract to be reinstated. I argued that if Confederate Railroad is canceled, then Snoop Dogg should be canceled too."

The governor's office hit back after Bryant's post.

Pritzker’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Emily Bittner told Springfield political writer Rich Miller that Bryant had met with three senior members of the governor's staff, two of whom were black, and "lectured them about why the Confederate flag should be acceptable based on 'heritage,' " Miller reported.

Bittner also disputed other parts of Bryant's post.

"We hope that Rep. Bryant is not trying to publicly exploit themes of division and racism," she told Miller. "Rep. Bryant told the administration officials that she wouldn’t display the Confederate flag in her own home because of its symbolism; if she would articulate her views publicly, that could be an opportunity to teach others about the flag’s meaning. She expressed hope that there wouldn’t be a boycott of the fair, but then used her social media to call the boycott 'understandable.' Rep. Bryant ended the conversation by passing along rumors about threats to the governor’s safety. When she said this, she added: 'I love my people, but they’re crazy.' "

Bryant couldn't immediately be reached for comment Wednesday on the exchange or Bittner's response.

State Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, who was also at the meeting with Bryant and Pritzker's team, said he sided more with Bryant about the tone of the meeting, but that it was respectful.

Some groups online have called for Snoop Dogg's performance to be canceled.

Butler, who represents the Illinois State Fairgrounds, said he dislikes the use of the Confederate flag, but said that Confederate Railroad and Snoop Dogg should both be allowed to perform.

“We cannot have state-sponsored censorship on things like that, that is a very dangerous road to go down and obviously we’re in a very contentious time in the history of the United States but to have state sponsored censorship. To me, as somebody who deeply believes in the First Amendment, it is a dangerous thing to do,” Butler said. “So I think the governor and his team need to think about this very long and hard. We cannot be squelching someone’s voice just because we disagree with them.”

The controversy made national and international news. Some country music performers, including Charlie Daniels, spoke out against the decision to cancel Confederate Railroad. Daniels said it was a case of political correctness run amok.

“It has been brought to my attention that several people have asked both Restless Heart and Shenandoah to cancel their shows in protest of our cancellation," Shirley said in a statement. "I have spoken to both acts and encouraged them to perform as scheduled. Live concerts are how we pay our bills and feed our families. I would never want to see another act lose a payday because of this. Please go out to hear these two great bands.”

However, it's not clear if Confederate Railroad will miss a payday. Media outlets have reported that the band will be paid $7,500 for the canceled performance. Taxpayers will foot the bill. The governor's office did not immediately answer questions about the cost of the performance or the terms of the contract. And Confederate Railroad has since been booked to perform Sept. 5 in Marion at Black Diamond Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealership.

The Illinois State Fair runs from Aug. 8 to Aug. 18 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield. Snoop Dogg is scheduled to perform Aug. 16.

The DuQuoin State Fair runs from Aug. 23 to Sept. 2. Restless Heart and Shenandoah are scheduled to perform Aug. 27.

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:

“The Confederate flag is a symbol of not just slavery but of treason against the United States. It’s also a symbol of murder, of kidnapping, of rape,” Pritzker said. “That is what happened under the banner of the Confederate flag.”

This governor surely is one ignorant ass.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:

“The Confederate flag is a symbol of not just slavery but of treason against the United States. It’s also a symbol of murder, of kidnapping, of rape,” Pritzker said. “That is what happened under the banner of the Confederate flag.”

This governor surely is one ignorant ass.

I saw that as well and thought the same thing.

Since Confederate Railroad will still be paid for the performance, they should do a YouTube video of their set- maybe call it “Playing despite Ignorance and PC at the Illinois State Fail”.

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Or...playing our set on the "Leftist 'Tolerance' Tour".