I guess that the author of lyrics like “them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye saying this will be the day that I die” is hearing them a certain way in light of the recent mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Don McLean, composer of American Pie, was supposed to sing it and other classics this weekend at the NRA convention. He isn’t going. TMZ:
McLean tells us, “In light of the recent events in Texas, I have decided it would be disrespectful and hurtful for me to perform for the NRA at their convention in Houston this week. I’m sure all the folks planning to attend this event are shocked and sickened by these events as well. After all, we are all Americans.”
He continues, “I share the sorrow for this terrible, cruel loss with the rest of the nation.”
Lee Greenwood, Danielle Peck and Larry Gatlin are still on board unless one or more of them bails.
Greg Abbott and Wayne LaPierre have both been asked to move the convention out of state. LaPierre says the venue stays and now Abbott is noncommittal as to whether he will speak at the convention or not. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz haven’t budged, and they’ll be there, at least at the time of this writing.
Good for McLean for doing the right thing. Maybe he’ll be the only one, but at least one person doing the right thing is something. This is not a weekend to be rejoicing and entertaining at a gun convention in Houston, when a horrific mass murder has just taken place less than 300 miles away and 21 people lie dead, with more in the hospital.
But of course the star speaker himself, Donald Trump, will still be there. Wouldn’t miss it for the world. NPR:
According to the NRA, the Secret Service is taking control of the hall during Trump’s speech and is prohibiting attendees from having firearms, firearms accessories and knives. Ammunition, laser pointers, pepper spray, toy guns, backpacks and other items also won’t be allowed.
The Secret Service will search attendees with magnetometers before they enter the hall, the NRA said.
This isn’t the first time firearms have been off-limits during a part of the gun group’s annual convention. In 2018 a similar prohibition was put in place during a speech by then-Vice President Mike Pence.
The Secret Service told NPR in a statement at the time that the agency has the “authority to preclude firearms from entering sites visited by our protectees, including those located in open-carry states.”
In 1999, after the mass shooting at Columbine High School that left 13 people dead, the NRA considered canceling its annual convention scheduled for a few days later in Denver but ultimately decided to go ahead with the event.
It’s 1999 revisited. And you know what? With the NRA, the past is prologue. In 1999 there was a mass shooting a few days before the NRA convention in Denver. In 2022 same thing, only the location is different. And in 2036, just to pull a random number out of the air, the NRA convention will be Detroit, Miami, whatever, and there will be another mass shooting a few days in advance. You can count on it.
That is something you can depend upon unless we finally pull the plug on these insane gun laws. We are in a loop of doom. We can continue this way or we can do what’s necessary.
They like the blood. They want deaths. Just not *their* deaths.