# Linda Rondstat thrown out of casino for supporting Michael Moore! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 20, 2004, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915 "2004-07-20T01:13:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915/141 "2004-07-20T21:32:15Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Yeh, I thought of that one after I’d hit Submit (sigh). In fact, **Starving Artist** , ol’ buddy, you can pick number 4, if you’d like. So, which is it: 1, 2, 3, or 4? Or a two-for-one special? 😉 **ETF** , you’ve probably spotted it by now, but my (pained) answer is in post #135. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915/142 "2004-07-20T21:37:21Z")
> [@Starving Artist](#): > > Perhaps you would be kind enough to point out which of us posters held a gun to your head and made you read all this. :dubious: My curiousity came over me with the thread title “ **Linda Rondstat thrown out of casino for supporting Michael Moore!** ”, so I clicked on the title and further learned that the song “Desperado” was at the crux of the incident. While no guns were ever pointed in my direction, I find it’s more like stepping into quicksand since I am an individual that reads virtually all the posts before I post mine, nonetheless I was compelled to reply after reading about all the shitslinging going on here, where something minor in Vegas becomes something major in SD. For your benefit, I should have ended my previous post: Fuck You All. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915/143 "2004-07-20T21:37:42Z")
> [@Jodi](#): > > Darn tootin’. This is why I would have walked out. If I’m at a Dixie Chicks concert, it’s to hear _Goodbye Earl_, not to be told how to vote. And lest someone call me some vandalizing Republican “trained” by talk radio – :rolleyes: – I’m not interested in hearing Toby Keith’s opinion about what I should politically care about, either. Just STFU and sing. I quite agree. Maybe she should have not talked and done a set of just songs. She could start off with **Masters of War** , done **Fixin’ to Die Rag** with some of the words changed to refer to Iraq, then maybe **Born in the USA** and finish off with John Kay’s **Monster**. Then, just to be fair, she could sing **Ballad of the Green Berets** and **Fighting Side of Me**. How silly of her to be the first person to mix music with politics. ---
**Author:** ![malkavia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malkavia/32/5621_2.png) [@malkavia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malkavia)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915/144 "2004-07-20T21:59:59Z")
> [@Starving Artist](#): > > Oh, wait a minute! ::looks at tax bill:: > > Never mind. You all are screwing me already. 😃 Amen, brother. If they’d just quit starting wars that we can’t afford and being generally flighty about the whole concept of fiscal responsibility, we wouldn’t have all of these… wait, what? Oh, nevermind. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915/145 "2004-07-20T22:02:04Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Secondly, how many tens of millions of dollars has F9/11 made at this point? 9.4 tens of million dollars. [http://moviescene.myvideostore.com/content/new/video\_month.html?client=moviescene&month=10&year=2004](http://moviescene.myvideostore.com/content/new/video_month.html?client=moviescene&month=10&year=2004) ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915/146 "2004-07-20T22:13:57Z")
I understand that the First Amendment says that the _government_ shall make no law abridging freedom of speech. It doesn’t necessarily follow that we have freedom of speech only on public property. Within certain limits, America _is_ a free speech zone. We can’t _slander_ someone without the risk of being sued and having to pay up. We can’t lie under oath without running the risk of going to jail. We can’t call our bosses assholes without facing possible consequences – but at least we have the freedom to do that one! We even have the freedom to hold office as a public servant and to lie to those we serve. And I agree with **Starving Artist** that anyone has the freedom to call anyone else _unAmerican_, although that label is tossed around way too easily. And our freedom of speech does not have to be curtailed while we are on the job except in certain situations. (I was a public school teacher and certainly understood that I had limits on what I could and should say in the classroom – but not in the lounge.) Some people see Michael Moore as unAmerican or anti-American and Linda Ronstadt the same way. I think that Michael Moore loves his country and its citizens and wants to make things better for all of us. To me, that is “patriotic.” What we all seem to disagree on is _how_ things can be made better. I don’t mind the disagreement. I just mind people trying to make other people remain silent. **Starving Artist** , a lack of an equal number of voices from the right is not a good enough reason to make left-leaning celebrities bite their tongues. What is fair is that all have the right to use their celebrity as they choose as long as they are willing to face the consequences. Besides, y’all have the Governator! That outweighs several ordinary celebs! ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915/147 "2004-07-20T22:40:29Z")
> [@malkavia](#): > > Amen, brother. If they’d just quit starting wars that we can’t afford and being generally flighty about the whole concept of fiscal responsibility, we wouldn’t have all of these… wait, what? Oh, nevermind. You’re talking about your take on the last couple of years. I’m talking _decades_, man. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915/148 "2004-07-20T22:47:43Z")
> [@Starving Artist](#): > > You’re talking about your take on the last couple of years. I’m talking _decades_, man. 😃 Ah, you mean like the Reagan/Bush 1 deficit that Clinton turned into a surplus? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915/149 "2004-07-20T23:14:24Z")
> [@Starving Artist](#): > > Have you seen his comments about America and Americans abroad? Given how many folks still believe Saddam Hussein was responsible for 9/11, and the number of folks who still plan to vote for Bush in November, I don’t think he’s entirely inaccurate… ---
**Author:** ![ZombiesAteMyBrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b4bc9f/32.png) [@ZombiesAteMyBrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZombiesAteMyBrain)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915/150 "2004-07-21T00:53:34Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > You mean like Ted Kennedy? Gosh, Lib. I must be really out of touch. I wasn’t aware that Dubya had handed over the Presidency to Kennedy! ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915/151 "2004-07-21T01:04:27Z")
VOYAGER – > [@](#): > > How silly of her to be the first person to mix music with politics. Gee, VOYAGER, I don’t believe I said she was the first person to mix music with politics. I said “STFU and sing.” _And_ I’m pretty sure I said I don’t like it when Republicans/conservatives do it, either. Congratulations on reading an amazing amount into my post, though. Don’t let the actual words stand in your way. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915/152 "2004-07-21T01:29:23Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > In [her](http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040715/news_lz1w15linda.html) own words… > > “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.” Oh. My. Gosh. She’s a loony. No doubt about it. Loon. Full-blown. Now, with that said, I _love_ her work. I’ve never been to a concert, but I wouldn’t walk out, even if she said something kind of lame. But I do feel decidedly _uncomfortable_ when a celebrity spouts off some even remotely controversial political (or religious) viewpoint, because, y’know, not everyone came to hear them spout off. Most did not come to hear them spout off. They came to be entertained. The casino had a right to throw her out. I think they probably did it in a ham-handed way, but they had a right. And, now that we see that she is a full-blown _loon_, I wonder if she said something more than a little inflammatory during her performance. Not that it excuses people for vandalism (what? are they raised by wolves?), but she’s a loon so who knows what she said. But I still love her work. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915/153 "2004-07-21T02:54:14Z")
**SA:** \*However, it is the give and take between the two factions that create balance, which is good. And to be honest, if the right were as well represented as the left among the entertainment industry, I doubt I would much care what Ronstadt or Reiner or Streisand, et al. might say. I quess it’s a balance thing. \* Is that why I didn’t hear any conservatives complaining when Britney Spears “told us what to think” politically by [saying](http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Music/09/03/cnna.spears/) about the Iraq war, “Honestly, I think we should just trust our president in every decision he makes and should just support that”? If you were applying the same principle across the board to entertainers of all political stripes, I’d consider that fair. However, it seems a bit hypocritical to be complaining about advocates of the other side exploiting their position as entertainers by “telling you what to think”, when what you’re really annoyed about is that there aren’t as many entertainers doing the same thing for your side. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915/154 "2004-07-21T03:22:15Z")
I feel your pain, **Starving Artist**. I’d feel ripped-off if I had Ted Nugent, Toby Keith, Michale Graves, Charlie Daniels, Britney Spears, Travis Tritt, Third Day, Jaci Velasquez, Darryl Worley, Mark Wills and Steven Curtis Chapman backing me up, too. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915/155 "2004-07-21T04:22:17Z")
> [@Starving Artist](#): > > Aw, crap…do I have to? > > Okay, then…three! (But only because the other side has been doing it more and longer.) 😛 > > There, are you happy now? > > 😃 :: Cuts notch in gunbelt. Swaggers off into sunset. :: ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915/156 "2004-07-21T04:32:13Z")
OK…I must have missed something here. I mean, I was **in** Vegas this weekend. 25% of an audience walked out _after an encore?_ Isn’t that what you are _supposed_ to do? The show is over…leave! 😃 I was different than the rest…I went to see Sarah McLachlan instead of Ronstadt. Better show, longer encore, and no vandalism. Lots of comped assholes, but that’s Vegas. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915/157 "2004-07-21T04:45:12Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > … Lots of comped assholes, but that’s Vegas. You go to Vegas, they give you a free asshole? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915/158 "2004-07-21T05:47:29Z")
Yeah, man-- don’t you read the flyers they press into your hand as you walk down the strip? ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915/159 "2004-07-21T06:10:25Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > However, it seems a bit hypocritical to be complaining about advocates of the other side exploiting their position as entertainers by “telling you what to think”, when what you’re really annoyed about is that there aren’t as many entertainers doing the same thing for your side. I can understand how this would appear hypocritical to you, but it really isn’t. It’s not so much that I’m annoyed that there aren’t as many entertainers doing the same thing for my side as it is that more entertainers speaking out on my side would be a neutralizing factor. Same with the news. If there were as many right-leaning news programs as there are left-leaning news programs, the left-leaning programs wouldn’t seem so egregious. Everything would be “fair and balanced.” 😃 As it is, we on the right feel that the left has an unfair advantage in espousing its point of view, and perhaps even appearing to be the accepted and predominate way of thinking, due to the predominance of the liberal position in the news media, Hollywood, and the entertainment industry in general. Regarding Ronstadt and the anger her support of Moore caused in Las Vegas, my belief is that many on the right are perfectly aware of what a skillful job Moore did in distorting the “facts” to present a very damaging image of Bush and his administration, and that his movie might have a very damaging effect for their side in the upcoming election. In other words, we on the right have reason to fear Moore’s movie because we believe it will add fuel to the fire of those who are already rabidly leftist, and that it could fool the fence-sitters and the uninitiated into voting left simply by virtue of its own outrageous distortions. These people walk around carrying these fears and worries in their day-to-day lives, but saying nothing. Then, they go to Ronstadt’s concert and are treated to her admonitions that Moore – this person they despise and who they think is leading the country to ruin – is a “patriot” and that they should go see his film to learn the “truth” about what is going on in this country. They feel they already know the truth and they’re damn unhappy about it. So they finally get enough upon hearing her arrogant and condescending preachings and vent their pent up fear and anger by storming out and tearing up posters. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915/160 "2004-07-21T06:32:55Z")
Funny how times change, in the 60’s, we pulled shit like that, they sent the cops to break some heads. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-rondstat-thrown-out-of-casino-for-supporting-michael-moore/255915.md?page=9)