We are often asked why we emphasize the fact that we promote conservative artists at BigDawg Music Mafia instead of encouraging artists to join and share non-political content and promoting them as artists period.  Our answer is always the same.  That is our mission — to showcase conservative artists who want to make a difference.  If not us, who?  If not now, when?

Just as the anti-war artists of the 60’s expressed their political views through music, so too are an increasing number of artists of the TEA Party movement who refuse to keep silent about the destruction of this great nation by many who ironically subscribed to those radical, anti-government views of the 60’s counterculture movement.

James Kole - American Folk Blues Artist

One such patriot artist, whose musical style is reminiscent of the folk music of the 60’s, but with a contemporary blues/rock twist, is American Folk Blues artist James Kole.

We have been fans of James Kole’s for over two years since first stumbling upon his YouTube channel, impressed not only by his positive, pro-America lyrics, but also by his professionally produced videos, unique musical and vocal style, and his captivating delivery.

James is no newcomer to patriotic-infused songwriting promoting individual liberty and love of country.  His 1998 full-length release, Liberty, offered listeners a glimpse of what was to come over the years and culminate into his 7th full-length album (released July 4th, 2010):  Songs For Freedom in which he sings about the American Revolution, Frederick Douglass, the Constitution, U.S. Sovereignty, current uncertain times, and much more.

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So some southern Arizona lefties have launched a petition to split the state – creating a new liberal paradise, called Baja Arizona.

Now this is not a new idea, but it’s still a great one -if not for a state, perhaps for a game show. Pit two groups of people, with opposing views, against each other, and see who wins.

Arizona is perfect, in that it contains the most liberal and conservative folks in the Union. You can spot the libs by the turquoise, and the righties by their guns.

In Arizona, even their guns have guns.

And those guns? They carry tiny knives! (made of guns)

And these groups hate each other. The left calls the right bigots, and the right sees the left as patchouli-drenched socialists, which of course, they are.

I kid: patchouli is so over.

But a contest between ideologies seems ripe.

True, it’s been done (see communism vs. capitalism, East vs West Germany, Rocky vs. Drago, and – of course – Quisp vs. Quake). but why not try it here – without government intrusion?

This way, we can see whose ideas work, while keeping folks who hate those ideas, from benefiting from them.

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Larry McMurtry is a national treasure, the man responsible for literary classics like Lonesome Dove and The Last Picture Show.

His op-ed skills, alas, need some fine tuning.

McMurtry took to the pages of The Washington Post this week to share his thoughts on the Tucson shooting and the ensuing cultural debate. He’s a longtime Tucson resident and felt he had something to add to the conversation.

“Brokeback Mountain” screenwriters Larry McMurtry, left, and Diana Ossana with director Ang Lee

On second thought …

His rambling essay contained the usual liberal bromides spelled out in convoluted fashion. And, worst of all, he apparently has serious misgivings about the free and unfettered political debates in this country. Why would an artist who makes his living with words fear a spirited body politic?

After a quick attack on Arizona’s lax gun restrictions – a subject wholly relevant to the matter at hand – McMurtry brings out his big guns.

Oh, sorry. Is that hate speech today?

He applauds Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik for blaming heated political rhetoric for the killings, even though the entire civilized world now knows there isn’t a microscopic scrap of evidence to bolster Dupnik’s case. (more…)

So Tom Brokaw just appeared on Morning Joe (named after a sex act), to discuss the boost in gun sales since the Arizona shooting.

Brokaw explained this upsurge as a bunch of scared lemmings stockpiling their guns in “underground bunkers” in case new laws arrive to ban them.

He elaborated somewhat…

“In Arizona they have a wide open system. I would be nervous about going into a bar or restaurant in Arizona on a Saturday night where people can carry concealed without permits.”

You would be nervous?

That’s the point, Tom.

You should be nervous. And by “you,” I really mean, generally, any jerk who comes in to start trouble at the bar. That’s the beauty of guns, or the threat of guns – it’s a natural motivator to lighten up, back off, and mind your own beeswax.

And let’s not forget, people bought those guns, to protect themselves. As John Lott Jr., points out, a major factor in determining how many people are harmed by a lunatic killer is the time frame between the start of the attack and when another gun arrives. The quicker it gets there, the faster the crime spree ends.

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The same degenerate mainstream media that spent three entire days feasting off the corpses of the dead in Tucson in the hopes of destroying Sarah Palin and turning the Right into something that will raise its hand for permission before criticizing ObamaCare, obviously had zero evidence of any kind of connection between political rhetoric and an individual who, if found guilty, can’t be executed quickly enough. No political maps marked with bullseyes were found in his pockets, no Glenn Beck posters on the wall, no Sarah Palin action figures. Nope, just craven left-wingers and their allies in the media exploiting a national tragedy in pursuit of the worst kind of political opportunism. And the permanent damage they have done to themselves with this political witch hunt makes me smile like the words “Rather” and “Gate.”

And some in Hollywood, like Roger Ebert, Michael Moore, Elizabeth Banks, John Legend, Jeff Wells, Jane Fonda, Michael McKean, and Piers Morgan,  jumped right in with both pedicured feet. Let’s call these witch hunters the Hollywood 8.

There is news on this front to report now. Interesting news. According to those who know the suspect, we now know that Jared Lee Loughner (must it always be three names?) absolutely loved the punk band Anti-Flag. The Incredible Shrinking L.A. Times informs us, that Anti-Flag is a ”radical leftist punk band whose music focuses on themes of corporate greed, U.S. foreign policy and opposition to war.” We’ve also been told that Loughner was “driven over the edge “by a film called “Zeitgeist” – a conspiracy theory documentary that touched on subjects as diverse as 9/11, currency, and religion.

Music and a movie. How about that?

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Responding critically to my piece from Monday where I call out certain Hollywood types for their breathtaking hypocrisy in laying blame for Saturday’s Tucson tragedy at the feet of Sarah Palin, a political cross-hairs map, and right-wing rhetoric, Film School Rejects’ Cole Abaius — in an article self-seriously titled ”A Common Sense Reminder Not To Indict Movies For Real World Acts of Violence,” writes:

I have to believe that [Nolte] doesn’t seriously advocate the kind of censorship that he’s invoking here. It’s convenient to point a finger at movies, even when there don’t seem to be any movies around readily available to make your point for you. Should he hold those whom he quoted to the fire? Absolutely. He should press them for a burden of proof for their claims, but he should leave movies and a call for outrage at them out of it.

First off, does this look as though there weren’t movies “readily around” for me to make my point with…?

Comparing a political map even I wasn’t aware of until this weekend and NO SOCIALISM signs held by small children to this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this…?

…and those links were just off the top of my head.  The bigger point, though, is this whole…

I have to believe that [Nolte] doesn’t seriously advocate the kind of censorship that he’s invoking here.

Obviously that little Reading Is Fundamental truck never made its way into certain neighborhoods, because what I wrote in my piece isn’t at all unclear about whether or not I’m “advocating” for any kind of censorship or “call[ing] for outrage” against movies: (more…)

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Maher complains about right-wing rhetoric and then says:

No, because that’s the rhetoric they love. The Right-wing loves… the go-to rhetoric for them is ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to kill the people we disagree with?’

Then some in the audience start to argue with him, an audience that surely isn’t 100% Republican. No one comes to his defense.

Leno, hilariously, just sits there like he’s watching a crazy uncle poop his pants at Thanksgiving dinner and Maher’s closing rally about the Democrats reclaiming patriotism is wet with flop sweat. But at least he admits the Democrats come up short in the department of patriotism.  

More painful awkwardness below the fold.

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With all of the talk of vitriolic rhetoric and images, the Left conveniently ignores so many vicious attacks–verbal and physical–on conservatives, Republicans, and anyone else who disagrees with them.  They attempt to bully their political opponents into submission and silence–with the MSM in lock step with them.  And if there was even a shred of hope that the MSM would get back in the game of reporting the news, we now have confirmation that it is gone.  Completely.

Obviously, this hatred of the Right and America is a long-term issue, but the torch continues to be passed.  Alec Baldwin, one of the Left’s darlings and possible seeker of public office, may want to hire a good strategist to develop a PR image plan to diffuse this one again, ’cause apologies and saying it was a “joke” is soooo yesterday. The reality is, Alec, you meant every word.  And it’s long-lost rants like this that make for great campaign ads.

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Just as Nina Totenberg meant it literally when she wished AIDS on Jesse Helms’ grandchildren as she giggled away, these are such good liberals, indeed, with their venom.  Such a hideous display of the inner dark soul of the Left.  I’m still confused by Totenberg’s comment–a child should suffer and die because of his or her grandfather’s political affiliation?

However, what Alec does on Conan’s show in 1998 is even more horrifying.  I remember watching this as it went down and have never forgotten Alec’s violent call to kill an elected Republican Congressman. Is that what he learned in Africa–that they stone people to death there–as stoning appears to be very prevalent in Africa.  And where were the bills then against threats to lawmakers?

Here’s the transcript (emphasis mine): (more…)

After Roger Ebert, Jane Fonda, Michael Moore, Elizabeth Banks, and a host of other celeb vultures descended on the murdered and wounded in Arizona for a partisan political feast, if what we’re seeing from The View, Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert is any kind of indication, the entertainment community as a whole appears to have sensed the backlash and decided to cool off.

Good.

It would have been nice if the left would’ve allowed us to come together as a nation and grieve on Saturday, but better late than never.

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“Death of a President,” the documentary-style speculative fiction about the assassination of the 43rd President of the United States, is seamless, intelligent and maybe even necessary to an understanding of George W. Bush’s role in the world today[.] — Jim Emerson on RogerEbert.com

Anyone who’s studied the left for any period of time knew that before the blood had even dried on the sidewalks of Arizona Saturday, that the mainstream media would force us into a terrible choice. After the assassin’s monstrous attack, the decent thing to do would’ve been to come together as a nation to mourn the dead and pray for the survivors. Politics, and most especially political opportunism, should be the last thing on anyone’s mind. But the left, unfortunately, isn’t just anyone. They are who they are and that they would feast on the fresh corpses of the innocent in order to win a couple of political news cycles was obvious. And so those of us who would’ve preferred to go nowhere near the arena of politics when it came to this appalling attack on our country and our democracy, were forced to make sure 1995 didn’t repeat itself, the year President Clinton used the Oklahoma City bombing for partisan gain against his own political enemies.

Joining in on this feast with the likes of Andrew Sullivan, Salon’s Joan Walsh, George Soros’ Eric Boehlert, the very Sheriff charged with protecting Rep. Giffords, Paul Krugman, Markos Moulitsas, and their allies in the media were, naturally, the dregs of the entertainment industry’s humanity barrel, who could barely contain their excitement over an opportunity to to attack the right, Sarah Palin, and call for  – as they always do when given the opportunity – restrictions on speech.

The following is just a taste: (more…)

The new film Machete is born of a joke. No, really. In 2006 when Quentin Tarantino was gearing up for his double feature movie experience Grindhouse, he solicited other directors like Eli Roth and Rob Zombie to make fake trailers for bad 70’s exploitation moves. These trailers were shown between the two features in a takeoff of the coming attractions shown between movie features in those old 70s era B-picture film houses Tarantino was spoofing with Grindhouse. Machete was one of these over the top, fake movie trailers and it featured the catch phrase, “This time they f**ked with the wrong Mexican.” It got such a rousing reception from fans that director Robert Rodriguez decided to proceed with a full-length feature version.

But the joke has soured. In this film, white America is the enemy and the United States is an oppressive force. It gets so extreme that in one scene a pair of white men shoot to death a pregnant Mexican woman merely so that her baby won’t be born in the USA. The pair then cruelly say, “Welcome to America,” to the dead woman’s Mexican husband. From the Hollywood Reporter:

Among “Machete’s” more provocative elements are border vigilantes led by Don Johnson as a kind of avatar for Maricopa County’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio and fake political ads for an incumbent senator whose platform is built on his “hard line against wetbacks” and a description of them as “parasites.” That the two characters murder a pregnant Mexican woman to prevent her baby from being born in America and then shoot her distraught husband while uttering the line, “Welcome to America,” underlines the point.

That is some pretty harsh stuff.

Sometimes Hollywood doesn’t know when to leave well enough alone. As a two-minute fake trailer in context with the Grindhouse experience it was funny. I attended the full Grindhosue movie experience and had a great, laugh-a-minute time. Unfortunately, Machete is now a full movie of its own, one that is polarizing people instead of entertaining them like the original, fake trailer was able to do. (more…)

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Opposes same-sex marriage, plays Rush Limbaugh’s wedding, refuses to boycott Israel, and now this. Does Elton John’s free-thinking apostasy know no bounds? 

Today’s Arizona Daily Star:

Elton John didn’t mince words in slamming his fellow musicians for boycotting Arizona over the controversial SB 1070 immigration law. From the stage at his sold-out Tucson Arena concert Thursday night, John savored a few choice, not-so-family-friendly words:

“We are all very pleased to be playing in Arizona. I have read that some of the artists won’t come here. They are (expletive)wits! Let’s face it: I still play in California, and as a gay man I have no legal rights whatsoever. So what’s the (expletive) with these people?”

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Now, If you don’t remember a place called Maywood, that’s okay. I’ve been drunk for two months.

But it’s a small “bedroom” town in L.A. that once passed a resolution supporting an Arizona boycott, after that state decided to enforce federal immigration laws.

Well, it was announced last month that Maywood is going to lay off all its employees, unload its police department, and contract everything out to another city.

Somehow this story squeaked by me, probably because the city is just one square mile, and has only 45,000 residents. And I’m drunk.

But the financial problems, some papers claim, stem from canceled insurance coverage due to millions in legal expenses – blamed on its police department. (more…)

[Ed. Note: Please welcome Ezra Dulis to BH. He will be covering the music beat for us, commenting on the personalities, business, and doing an occasional review -- all from the unique point of view of a right-of-center thinking young man who's both passionate about music and a musician himself.]

Concerning actors and artists, “Shut up and sing” has become a conservative cliché long since due for retirement.  For one, we’re inconsistent.  We can’t applaud Jon Voight speaking his mind one day and then decry Sean Penn for speaking his the next day.  Sure, we can point out how much his thoughts lack basic self-awareness, but to suggest that he should just do his job and not voice his opinion is a totalitarian thought.  To entertain it is to betray our own principles and become exactly what we hate.

Today, though, I can’t help but entertain it. 

Zack de la Rocha, the lead singer of Rage Against the Machine (who came crawling back to his band once it was clear his career as a solo artist was DOA), has organized a boycott of Arizona’s new immigration law, convincing plenty of well-to-do leftist bands to skip on performing in the state.  Now, there’s nothing wrong with bands deciding where they’re going to play.  The issue is the principle behind the decision, exploiting a cause célèbre to frame themselves as righteous racial crusaders. (more…)

So Thursday morning, President Obama desperately tried to get in front of the immigration debate – and got run over by a float he made of platitudes.

So let’s get this straight: According to the President, America is the land of opportunity, and people come here because it’s a great country. Yeah, thanks for that. We’ve heard it before- it’s the vanilla filling in every single immigration speech Twinkie.

Of course, he brings up the “two poles” of the “contentious” debate (in that disapproving voice of his), saying this issue often divides, inflames and demonizes people. He calls it an emotional issue, while not-so-subtly accusing those he disagrees with of dividing, inflaming and demonizing!

So I think I finally got his definition of demagoguery: It’s only demagogic if it points a way forward, and makes him look dumb.

So what’s his solution? Well, in a swipe at Arizona, he said we can’t enforce the law that aren’t enforceable. Which means, “I got nothing.” (more…)

Here’s my response to Stephen Colbert’s ‘Take Our Jobs!’ challenge that asks Americans to do the work illegals now do…  

One grows weary of having to repeat the same defense of our immigration laws, (indeed, the defense of our entire American way of life). But, for those who either have short memories, or, rather than pay attention in high school, preferred to gaze idly out the window during U.S. History class — or are just woefully and irretrievably short of clue…let’s review. 

We are a nation of LAWS.  The so-called ‘undocumented immigrants’ are, in fact, ILLEGAL ALIENS…and every one of them is breaking Federal Law being in this country without having gone through existing proper, legal channels to acquire documentation in order to come into and remain inside our country.  

Our desire to be able to buy low-cost produce is among the weakest of arguments for open borders and/or amnesty. These concerns are trumped by our societal attempt to shun anarchy and remain a republic, maintain our designation as ‘a nation of laws’, as well by a growing concern for national security … but I digress.  Back to undocumented field workers.   (more…)

So, if you don’t live in Arizona, especially along the border, can you lighten up on the new immigration law?

I mean, I’m not that into Arizonan’s opinions on whether taxi fares in NYC should be raised. This is the same thing. “All politics is local,” the libs love to say.

Take these U.N. human rights experts – an oxymoron, emphasis on moron. According to them, Arizona’s new law on illegal immigration could violate international standards, whatever that means.

They claim “a disturbing pattern of legislative activity hostile to ethnic minorities and immigrants has been established…that may allow for police action targeting individuals on the basis of their perceived ethnic origin.”

Of course, they leave out the fact that the law already exists (hence the term illegal immigration), or that – as of yet – there hasn’t been an incidence of this so-called targeted police action. (more…)