Toby Keith

You know who really grinds my gears? Toby Keith, the country singer. One of his most famous songs is Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue.

This song was written and released shortly after the World Trade Center attacks. This seems almost patriotic, except for the fact that any song that is ever released and is not free is used to make money, obviously. The only patriotic thing to do would have been to release the song free of charge over the internet, in stores, whatever. Exploitation of war for personal profit, more specifically a current war, is a selfish and low thing to do.

But all that is assuming that Toby's song really is patriotic and fairly represents what Americans stand for and believe in. Let's run through the lyrics to see just how horrible of a message Toby is sending.

American Girls and American Guys
We’ll always stand up and salute
We’ll always recognize
When we see Old Glory Flying
There’s a lot of men dead
So we can sleep in peace at night
When we lay down our head

Toby believes that all americans will always, no matter what, obey their government just because we see our nations flag. This is blind obedience and anyone with a brain knows how wrong blind obedience is. As far as people dying so we can have peace at night... that's somewhat correct. The last war that the people could really support was WWII because it was obvious that a great injustice was being done to our European brothers and sisters. Since then, it's been a war of words to make ourselves seem like we're the good guys and whoever we fight is the bad guys. Something that wishy-washy shouldn't be celebrated.

My daddy served in the army
Where he lost his right eye
But he flew a flag out in our yard
Until the day that he died
He wanted my mother, my brother, my sister and me
To grow up and live happy
In the land of the free.

This I'll agree with. Every parent wants their loved ones to live happily and be free.

Now this nation that I love
Has fallen under attack
A mighty sucker punch came flyin’ in
From somewhere in the back
Soon as we could see clearly
Through our big black eye
Man, we lit up your world
Like the 4th of July

Toby acts like we're some innocent nation who "has fallen under attack." We've been at war with some nation or another for a very long time. However, this is the second time we have ever been openly attacked on our own soil. This generation has very few people alive who remember the Pearl Harbor bombing. We shouldn't pretend like war is something new, and when we're attacked, we shouldn't rejoice and light up their world like the 4th of July.

Hey Uncle Sam
Put your name at the top of his list
And the Statue of Liberty
Started shakin’ her fist
And the eagle will fly
Man, it’s gonna be hell
When you hear Mother Freedom
Start ringin’ her bell
And it feels like the whole wide world is raining down on you
Brought to you Courtesy of the Red White and Blue

"It's gonna be hell when you hear Mother Freedom start ringin' her bell"? I'm sorry. I thought the middle east was already in a state of perverbial hell and that it was an area of constant turmoil. I'm glad that since the WTC towers fell we can really show them what suffering is, which is probably making them listen to this aweful song.

Justice will be served
And the battle will rage
This big dog will fight
When you rattle his cage
And you’ll be sorry that you messed with
The U.S. of A.
`Cause we`ll put a boot in your ass
It`s the American way

This section is sung slowly and extra emphasis is added to "we'll put a boot in your ass, it's the American way." These lyrics make it seem like America is a nation of brutes who sodomize and rape people of other nations into submission. This isn't quite the image we want to give off, Mr. Keith.

Whatever you think about the situation in Iraq, that's not the issue here. What is the issue is the fact that some idiotic country singer made money from misrepresenting the feelings of an entire nation and made us look like brutes who foolishly fight without thinking, and it really grinds my gears.