One of the many absurdities of present political discourse is that the people who most obnoxiously declare their love for America hate most of its institutions, people and traditions. The latest example of the right-wing contradiction between sentimentality and substance is country singer Jason Aldean's statement that he is a "proud American." "I love our country," he said, before eloquently adding, "I want to see it restored to what it once was before all this bulls**t started happening to us."
Aldean was defending and explaining his new hit single, "Try That in a Small Town." Written by Kelley Lovelace, Neil Thrasher, Tully Kennedy and Kurt Allison, "Try That in a Small Town" has Aldean adopting a vaguely threatening posture, telling listeners that if they "cuss out a cop" or "stomp on the flag," they are likely to suffer the penalty of vigilante violence. "You cross that line," Aldean snarls in an unconvincing and boring attempt at bravado, "It won't take long for you to find out . . ."
