The final
chapter of the great Confederate Railroad controversy has played itself out…and
the outcome only helps the band’s popularity….makes the state look bad…and
benefits nobody at the Du Quoin State Fair or Southern Illinois.
You’ll
recall, a reporter in Springfield prodded the Governor’s office about the
booking ---asking if the name of the band and the symbolism of the former flag
of the Confederacy---should be on display at a state function?
It took a
Chicago second for Confederate Railroad to get the axe. The group reacted with
great character. The state acknowledged it had to pay them as per their
contract. The country group announced they would donate the money to
non-for-profits who benefit Southern Illinois.
At that
point, it had been a snapshot perfectly showing the disjuncture between Chicago
and Democratic style politics and the different way we think and act in
Southern Illinois. They book Snoop Dogg, who sings lyrics like “f-the police,”
and owns an ample arrest record. We are partial to country music and have respect
for our authorities.
Well the end
of the story is this. The state didn’t pay Confederate Railroad. A spokesperson
for the band said it had fulfilled its part of the agreement to get a check,
but the state had further conditions that the band wasn’t interested in.
Where is
this going to end? I, for one, can’t wait for one of the fairs to book the
Dixie Chicks, with the most liberal front singer in country music. Or any
artist who has covered The Band’s, “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.”
Hypocrisy
is….as they say…. a slippery slope.
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