Kid Rock (Twitter photo)
Kid Rock figuratively wraps himself in the American flag and talks endlessly about freedom and patriotism.
Perhaps he has no clue about the First Amendment and Freedom of Speech and what America truly stands for.
On Monday, the petty, thin-skinned rock star denied the Detroit Free Press press credentials for the debut performance Tuesday at the new Little Caesars Arena, which just happens to be bankrolled with the help of hundreds of millions of dollars in public funding. The Freep explains that it normally pays for tickets but needs credentials so reporters can bring in equipment necessary to file stories, such as laptops or cameras.
Poor Kid Rock was offended by a column by Stephen Henderson, head of the Detroit Free Press Editorial page, who wrote that the Kid Rock opening concert for the arena amounted to a "middle finger to Detroiters."
Kid Rock's publicist Kirt Webster explained to the paper:
"You guys wrote a fucked up story and allowed it to be published. You want a quote, there it is:"
I get that Kid Rock was offended by the Freep column. He has a right to feel that way. He could argue that too many people are suddenly trying to blame him for all that ails America.
Clearly, he just wants to be loved like every other rock star, but he never hesitates to wave his middle finger to anyone who disagrees with him.
In 2015, after the National Action Network's Michigan chapter protested outside the Detroit Historical Museum, which houses a Kid Rock exhibit, Kid Rock responded: "Please tell the people who are protesting to kiss my ass."
Yes, he has the right to act like a rich, spoiled junior high kid and say whatever the hell he wants. God Bless America. He has the right to b.s. the media and pretend that he's interested in running for the U.S. Senate, when in fact, nothing could be further from the truth.
But he didn't have the right to block a media outlet from covering Tuesday's event, which is significant, not because it's a Kid Rock concert, but because it's the very first event in a stadium that the Ilitch family has encouraged the media, including the Detroit Free Press, to write about.
When did it become Kid Rock Arena?
Shame on the Ilitch group for letting Kid Rock block the Freep from covering the event. Hopefully, the Ilitch group won't let players start blocking reporters from covering games when they are critical of the Red Wings or the Pistons.
Kid Rock needs to remember that when he talks about his great respect for our soldiers overseas, they are fighting for freedom and the rights of Americans and their Constitution, all 27 Amendments, including the first one, which guarantees Freedom of Speech and the press.
Let Freedom Ring, even at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, USA.
