I can not believe this shit--Country music singer kills tame bear

[Strathos]

If you listen to country radio, please call them and tell them to stop playing Montgomery Gentry music. This is horrible and much worse than anything the Dixie Chicks could have said.



August 15, 2006, 9:45 pm]
"(AP) Country singer faces federal charges for killing bear"

DULUTH, Minn.

Country singer Troy Lee Gentry appeared in U.S. District Court in Duluth Tuesday, accused of killing a tame black bear and falsely claiming it was hunted in the wild.

Gentry, 39, of Franklin, Tenn., and Lee Marvin Greenly, 46, of Sandstone, are both indicted for conspiring to violate the Lacey Act.

Authorities accuse Gentry of purchasing the bear from Greenly, a wildlife photographer and hunting guide, then shooting it in an enclosed pen with a bow and arrow. He is then accused of arranging for the doctoring of a videotape of the "wild" kill.

Gentry and Greenly made their initial appearances Tuesday before...
...U.S. Magistrate Judge Raymond Erickson in connection with a sealed indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Minneapolis in July.

Gentry is a member of the country duo Montgomery Gentry.

Prosecutors say Gentry and Greenly tagged the dead bear, killed on Greenly's property in October 2004, with a Minnesota hunting license and registered the animal with the state Department of Natural Resources as a wild kill.

More at link...

___

[tuvor]

1. Here come the anti-country-music comments.

[Blue Fire]

10. No, no anti-country music comment here.

I do, however, prefer my classic rock loud enough to piss off the neighbors on a Sunday morning!
But as a dedicated hunter who believes in nothing less than fair chase, canned hunts really piss me off. And this doesn't even sound like a canned hunt. More like some coward who needed to masturbate a sagging machismo.:thumbsdown:

[tuvor]

14. No disagreement from me.

Cheers!

[cmkramer]

32. ITA

The guy is a coward. My dad also was a hunter and he didn't consider those types of things to be "hunting" either.

[RedCappedBandit]

71. Fairness and guns don't go together. n.t

[Retired AF Dem]

89. I don't think he used a gun

but a bow. And trust me on the gun forums they would like nothing better to put his ass in a cage with an untamed bear.

[silverojo]

19. When country "artists" act like this, what can you expect?

People like the Dixie Chicks are the exception, not the rule. :(

[Spider Jerusalem]

24. One COULD expect...

that people MIGHT be capable enough of making distinctions not to express prejudice against an entire genre of popular music because of the actions of a subset of musicians. Really, it's kind of like making disparaging comments about R&B music because Ike Turner and Rick James were vicious, brutal, woman-beating thugs. Nothing more or less than the knee-jerk reaction of intellectually lazy cultural elitists who feel superior to 'those people'--'those people' being, in this instance, the perceived audience for country music. Interesting to note that although the stated reasons for disdain may differ,this is EXACTLY the same sort of moral outrage and prejudiced reaction that some people will have in expressing disdain for rap and hip-hop.

[rodeodance]

67. this man was on a macho TX ego trip.

[WildEyedLiberal]

79. Spot on. nt

[tuvor]

38. For starters, I expect better-informed opinions, at least at DU.

Country music is a genre, not an ideology.

It's not hard at all to find many more exceptions to the nebulous "rule" you're referencing.

Besides, country musicians hardly have a monopoly on contemptible behaviour.

[Freddie Stubbs]

52. Better than the rap artists who shoot people

[Nicole]

74. Who was that country artist who bit the heads off live birds?

:sarcasm:

While I find this despicable, country artists aren't the only "stars" guilty of animal cruelty.

[Critters2]

81. Nugent isn't a country artist

But he is a big, macho asshole. Not unlike this guy.

[ScreamingMeemie]

96. Johnny Cash never did this. Neither did Willie, Waylon, George, Tammy

Dottie, Vern, Conway. I call Bullshit.

[blogslut]

21. Country music

...hasn't been country music for over twenty years. I never did like the genre but even I've noticed it lost its soul sometime during the big cross-over era.

[Hissyspit]

29. Montgomery Gentry suck.

And there's plenty of country music I like.

[kiki]

43. Yowzah. Gil Elvgren rules. n/t

[LSK]

45. watch CMT for one hour

I dare you.

[Name removed]

55. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[The Stranger]

64. I find the music and its subculture to be disgusting.

[T Town Jake]

69. Yeah, the Tupac murder, then the Biggie-Big shooting, lyrics that degrade

...women on a regular basis, and the--

Oh, wait....

[The Stranger]

90. Is that what country music aspires to?

Or is it content with racism, hate-mongering, reactionary, jingoistic, Jim-Crow-throw-back, thinly veiled bigoted imbecility?

[T Town Jake]

91. Odd how critics of country music and the term "imbecility"...

...go so neatly together, or so I've noticed.

[Jamastiene]

73. Okay, here ya go.

I hate country music.

[LWolf]

84. WTF does this chickenshit illegal killing

have to do with liking or disliking country music? Who, really, gives a flying fuck? Are there no issues more pressing these days than a perceived "war on country music?"

:eyes:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

2. Now that's just disgusting chickenhawk crap!

I hope they get the max. What a coward.

[Beausoir]

3. Yep. I just posted this in the bear killing thread. What a maggot.

There is something VERY wrong with this person.

[alfredo]

6. Canned hunts of any form should be banned.

[Bluebear]

4. Their greatest hits album is called "Something to be proud of"

[leftofthedial]

46. the title of one of their hits

[Drum]

5. "...and eats it!"

Just joshing.

Crikey, what next?? :shrug:

[Arger68]

7. I grew up about

5 miles from Sandstone, where this happened. There are some VERY strange people in this area. I will find out more about this from my parents who still live up that way. :(

[evox]

8. Well

I never really was a huge fan of country music, so it doesn't make me more concerned because of who he is but rather what he did.

[Kajsa]

9. A- holes!

I hope they get the maximum penalty!

:mad:

[Freedom_from_Chains]

11. How did they get caught in this scam? n/t

[Mist]

12. What a twisted fuck. Shooting the bear in a pen?! Twisted. nt

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

13. What a sad little man.

n/t

[AzDar]

15. Sickening. n/t

[tomreedtoon]

16. What? Nobody remembered Ted Nugent?

A guy reputed to have been a rock guitarist, but who has been known for over 15 years as an avid hunter, gun nut and survivalist?

Now, as far as I know, he has been on the side of the law in his hunting, and I don't know if he's ever done a "captive kill" situation, but I wouldn't go quail hunting with him. (Well, I'd never go quail hunting, period, but especially not with him. On the other hand, making him Cheney's hunting partner would be kind of interesting...)

[Jamastiene]

76. That's it.

The judge should send the guy on a hunt with Dick Cheney as his punishment for the caged unt. Perfect.

[KT2000]

17. As phony as his music

Gentry is nothing but schtick in the music department. Black hat, black coat and singing lame songs that hit all the "right" political notes.
He is disgusting.

[ComerPerro]

18. when you kill a tame animal, isn't that murder and not "hunting"?

"As for taming the buffalo? It was already tame. I meerly shot it"


-From the confession of Jebadiah Springfeld, aka Hans Sprungfeld

[leftofthedial]

20. Asshole

I hope they throw the book at him, but not until after they cut the song I gave them . . .


I see lots of community service in Mr. Gentry's future.

[and-justice-for-all]

22. What a piece of shit!!

Their not Country, its POP music.....real country died with Johnny Cash. Hank Williams III does however sound just like his grandfather.

[leftofthedial]

23. Real country died with Jimmie Rodgers

No trend in country music has lasted longer than 12 or 15 years and it was always hated by those who lamented the passing of one of the previous trends. Montgomery Gentry are sort of Skynyrd meets Mellencamp.

[Bake]

41. That would leave out Johnny Cash and George Jones

And if they're not country, I'll kiss your ass. And Loretta Lynn, and Conway Twitty, and a whole lot of others too.

Bake

[leftofthedial]

48. the point is, every 15 years or so

a new crop of country music fans claims that country is dead

For 80-odd years, "country' music has cycled between the rise of some legitimate roots movement followed by a country-pop bastardization of whatever is fashionable at the moment.

The pop cycle always kills the preceding roots movement. But, unlike LA or New York, Nashville possesses neither the capital nor the well of creativity nor the national talent reach to ensure a constant supply of new fashion trends. (The life cycle of a fashion trend is now measured most accurately in weeks. It take THOUSANDS of new acts in dozens of genres and subgenres constantly cycling through the scene to fuel the rock and pop music industry in LA.) Nashville is a small factory town. So instead, they continually flog the latest "pop" trend for about a decade beyond the actual viability of its fashionableness. This results in declining sales and a new generation of fans crying about how "real" country is dead--"real country" meaning to them one of the earlier roots movements, usually the one that was going on when they were kids, or occasionally one of the pop trends. For example, "countrypolitan" has a pretty large fan base to this day.

During the "low" business cycles, Nashville is all too happy to cash in on a new roots movement, which invariably comes from somewhere else--often Texas, it seems. Johnny Cash was a Memphis "rockabilly" star before going to Nashville. Time and again Nashville has taken a vital roots movement--bluegrass, rockabilly, honky tonk, outlaw country, country rock--and then proceeded to inexorably neuter it and turn it into pop moosh. Then, it loses popularity and "proves" to the Nashville establishment for all time that it is an inferior genre. Willie Nelson's career is a pretty good sample of how Nashville and "country" music works, if you're interested. Occasionally, it even tries to create its own roots movement--the neotraditionalists spring up once in awhile.

You hearken to Johnny Cash as "true" country. I don't disagree at all (although I think he transcended genre in many ways). That generation was particularly influential and is to this day probably viewed as the golden age of country music. (BTW, the same generation is also viewed as the "golden age" of rock, too.) I'm just pointing out that there are many other artists, old and new, who have legitimate claim to the title of "true" country. With as many wild permutations as the "country" genre has shown over the last 80 years, all such claims are subjective. Personally, I like almost all the roots cycles and almost none of the pop cycles.

THEN . . . When you consider the juxtaposition of the radical RW politics and evangelical "christianity" that permeates much of the Nashville establishment with the potential liberal political potency of working class roots music, you get a whole new level of complexity in the "they-killed-country" debate.


Speaking of "true," you haven't experienced true irony until you sit through pitch session after pitch session in Nashville and have great songs rejected because they are "too country." Thankfully, that aesthetic seems to be in slight decline.

[Bake]

60. "Too country." That's a damn shame.

But I'm sure it happens every day.

I think we agree on the cyclical nature of the genre. What I would posit is that each time Nashvegas almost succeeds in killing country music there is a movement that reverts to the roots, whether it's honky tonk, western swing, countrypolitan, etc. But "real country music" is a pretty broad genre itself, so when you have "traditionalists" like Randy Travis, George Strait, Alan Jackson (sometimes - witness "Murder on Music Row," written by bluegrasser Larry Cordle), they're not really creating a new genre, they're going back to what country has always really been.

If you want a prime example of Nashvegas taking a pure traditionalist artist and killing him/her, look at Alison Krauss. A bluegrasser from when she was kee-high to a grasshopper, Nashville has turned her into a sultry siren-type singer (not that I object to seeing Alison in a slinky red dress ...). She and her band can burn up some genuine bluegrass, but not on her records and not on the radio.

Fortunately, I don't think Nashville will ever be able to kill bluegrass because it's always going to be on the "edge" of country music. Now, to get back to the theme of the OP, if not the point about the bear-killing, Montogmery Gentry is one of those acts that "needs killin'" along with Rascal Flatts and just about everybody else that's being played on country radio today including American Idol Carrie Underwood (Jesus, please take the wheel and beat the crap out of her with it!). I think it's just about time for the next traditionalist revival in country music.

Bake

[leftofthedial]

82. I think we need a viable competitor to Nashville

in the country genre.

austin doesn't quite get there.

[Robb]

37. Kinda creepy about Hank 3, huh? nt

[and-justice-for-all]

83. Whats creepy about Hank III??

[Robb]

93. Just how much he sounds like his grandpa

I remember being quite floored the first time I heard his voice.

[ScreamingMeemie]

98. He's trying to move away from it. The last time we went to hear him

he only played two songs for "grandpa fans" and then went into his metal bit. I love that boy.

[ieoeja]

59. What about the Dixie Chicks?

Banjo? Check.

Fiddle? Check.

Melody? Check.

Cowboy hats? Oh no! They SOUND country. But they LOOK city. Ohmigod. That ain't country! Didn't they get the memo? It's all about the look, not the sound. Country is trying to draw a bigger audience by adding country twang and clothes to Rock & Roll. These gals are doing just the opposite. Those stupid b!tches are going to make what we've been doing opposite. Quick, ban that "Goodbye Earl" song as being not true to the country spirit what with it's glorifying a woman poisoning her abusive ex-husband.

Yeah, I know. That actually sounds like a STEREOTYPE of a country song. We just have to talk out of the family values side of our country mouth and pretend otherwise.

Damn, they are still the second most successful act in Nashville history (only The King has outsold them). Fortunately, they went on to disparage the greatest Country president since Andrew Jackson (that's "the only good Indian, is a dead Indian" Jackson, not Reconstruction Johnson). This second time we kicked them off the country stations it got to stick.

So now let the "new" country continue. Time to put the Rock & Roll stage to rest as this week's new country hit sounds more like Disco than Rock.

[ScreamingMeemie]

97. Until he gets to his heavy metal bit, which is fun too.

My husband and I love watching him. We go whenever he comes to town. He is also the spitting image of his grandpa.

[LordLovesAWorkingMan]

25. piece of shit

Too bad someone won't do the same to him, the phony-macho assface.

[Avalon Sparks]

26. What a motha F-cker!

I'd like to kick the shit out of this asshole. Seriously.......

[KayLaw]

27. Put the damn pansies in jail

Cowardly asses!

[sofa king]

28. Things are gonna change when I become Redneck Overlord.

Can you really get more conservative than by cowtowing to the stone-tools-and-animal-skins crowd by staging a bow killing of a bear? Who thinks that's cool even if it wasn't Cubby the tame bear being shot with a bow and arrow from five feet away in a pen?

You want to show some real sack, rednecks? Here'a a little nouveau cou rouge for you: don't carry weapons in the wild, and if you are lucky enough to meet a bear out there, figure out how to resolve the situation without harming yourself or the bear.

I know it can be done, because I've done it. I should be Redneck Overlord for it, and when I do accede to my Gilded Folding Chair With the Cupholder Built In, things are gonna change, OSAR (that's "oh, yes they are" in the Queen's English).

When I become Redneck Overlord, killing bears will make you a friggin' pussy, for life. In fact, any animal that can't hunt you down over the Internet will be protected from hunting. That should prevent rednecks from killing other rednecks as well.

When I become Redneck Overlord, the oval NASCAR track will be reserved for a single victory lap for the winner at the end of the season. The real races will be held on shitty, pothole-ridden city streets, and stoplights and pedestrian right of way will be enforced. The "drivers" won't actually be driving; instead, they'll have to bark directions at foreign-national cab drivers with limited English-speaking skills.

When I become Redneck Overlord, I will enforce the Reinheitsgebot, and Budweiser will no longer be permitted to call itself "beer."

When I become Redneck Overlord, every Redneck child will have to spend at least two years overseas with other embarassing redneck-like peoples of the world: the Taliban, Somali warlords, Welsh Separatists, Philippine pirates, and Japanese whalers. Similarly, redneck children from those sub-cultures will have to spend two years with redneck parents here in America--and they will be permitted to bring their weapons with them. If people insist on being ignorant and uninformed, I want to make sure that they understand that there is no "correct" way to be ignorant and uninformed.

Also in that two-year overseas experience, all redneck children will have to visit Jerusalem, where they will be taught that Jesus wasn't white, wasn't American, and didn't speak English.

When I become Redneck Overlord, Little Debbie snack foods will be available only to those who can correctly answer the question, "who is responsible for illegal immigration: the immigrants, or the business owners who illegally hire them?"

That's just the beginning. Oh, yes, things will change when I become the Redneck in Charge.

[Judi Lynn]

30. I can't believe anyone would even speak to idiots like this.

Having never heard of him, I did a search to see if he looks as defective as he would have to be to do something this pointless and dirty. Yes, he does.

He's the one in the back.



Filthy half-wit.

He's not a man. He wouldn't even make a good door stop. He is taking up too much space in this world. He needs to go.

[QuestionAll...]

47. so which of these butt ugly mofo's is the 'big man'? nt

[unhappycamper]

31. Strathos:

Please be aware that DU copyright rules require that excerpts of copyrighted material be limited to six paragraphs and must include a link to the original source.

In the future, please insure your posts adhere to this standard.

TIA,

unhappycamper
DU Moderator

[Strathos]

33. Sorry.

I'm not that familiar with the rules of posting. I'll try to fix it.

[Strathos]

34. Here's the link to the original story

http://www.wkrn.com/node/41143

[Dover]

35. Horrible and absolutely 'Rovian'

Sounds just like something Rove and the neocon gang would pull. Buy an enemy, name them 'terrrorists' and arrange to have them killed for the cameras.

[Brewman_Jax]

36. Since these

country music chickenhawks love shooting so much, they can go overseas and shoot for Bush*.

[warrens]

39. What, the Nuge wasn't there egging him on?

You know, that is just so fucking pathetic. Killing a pet. What a fucking bastard.

[martymar64]

68. In Nuge's defense, he's a real hunter

He sees no problem in going out and stalking and killing an animal with a bow, without modern helpers and no canned hunting. No salt licks, etc.
He's still a RW asshat, but when it comes to hunting, he's not a hypocrite. He'd probably slap this Gentry fellow.

[greguganus]

40. Send this link to country music radio station websites. I'm sure alot of

them will read it on the air.

[greguganus]

42. Website for finding radio stations with websites:

http://www.radio-locator.com/

You can search by state or station format. I'm sending the article link to stations in my state.

[LSK]

44. I gave up Country music about 3 years ago

This just reconfirms my decision.

[spanone]

49. This moran does not represent MOST country artists.

[Odin2005]

50. Fuck, I liked that guy's "Something to be proud of" song...

This DISGUSTS real hunters like me. :puke:

[DefenseLawyer]

51. Cheney said he was a wuss

Everyone knows real men hunt tame, flightless, retarded quail from the back of a car.

[AZBlue]

53. When did DU become so filled with hypocrisy and hatred?

I for one am against hunting. Period. I'm not defending Gentry's actions. But I'm disappointed in the direction of this website.

I have seen countless threads from DU'ers who are hunters, claiming it's their God-given right as an American to go out and shoot whatever they want. Screaming about freedom and the constitution. Calling anyone who disagrees a fascist or worse.

But, now, all of a sudden, a hunter is a country music artist and so that's all changed. Country music fans and performers have fallen in with Christians, anyone who has a little money in the bank, and home schoolers as the object of hate, scorn and intolerance. Just because there are some in each of these groups that are counteractive to democratic ideals, these huge groups are stereotyped as being evil, across the board, no exceptions. Gentry's actions are despicable and illegal but not at all unusual - but since he's a country music star, we have to go after him!

How disgusting.

[DefenseLawyer]

54. Exactly who killed a tame bear before

and got a pass? I must have missed that. Well there was the time George Clooney clubbed those baby seals, we did kinda sweep that under the rug.

[Name removed]

56. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Bake]

62. There's a difference between hunting and what this prick did

Hunting is NOT, I repeat NOT, shooting a tame bear in a pen. I don't care what Crashcart Cheney calls "hunting." Most people know the difference.

I don't object to hunting, I just don't enjoy it myself. Fishing, now, that's another thing ...

Bake

[donco6]

66. It doesn't really matter about his being a star.

He's just a plain old asshole.

I've never heard of him myself.

[Swamp Rat]

72. "(AP) Country singer faces federal charges for killing bear"

The OP did not make a negative correlation, but the Associated Press did mention the profession of the defendant.

Only three posters, thus far, have made negative comments, so your broad-brush comment "When did DU become so filled with hypocrisy and hatred?" is certainly not valid.

"How disgusting." - Why get so upset about something that did not happen? I see no lynch mobs here for country music singers in general. The only ones I have seen get berated here are Toby Keith and Charlie Daniels for their pro-war, kill all Muslims attitude.

:shrug:

[guinivere]

85. This moran didn't 'hunt' the bear.

He didn't track it through the woods. It was a tame bear in a pen.







And sorry, but country music is crappy.

[Odin2005]

87. Let me guess, you're a coddled city-slicker who knows jack about hunting.

Hunting gives locals an economic incentive to protect areas not conductive to eco-tourism. Ban hunting and people will have no problem plowing that land under. Why don't you city slickers learn a thing or two about hunting before you smother us with BS.

[stepnw1f]

95. Now Odin... Replace "City-Slicker" with "Red Neck"

nuf said. And "coddled"? You know shit about the city.

[AZBlue]

101. Thank you for proving my point.

Yeah, there's no hatred there, huh? :sarcasm:

[stepnw1f]

94. Are You a Fan of His? (nt)

[AZBlue]

102. Noooooo

I don't like country music. At all.

[KamaAina]

57. He's from Tenn. Is it too late for him to run for Frist's Senate seat?

I can see it now: "For years a cat killer has represented our great state of Tennessee in the United States Senate. But now that he's moving on, it's time for Tennesseans to move up -- to a bear killer. Troy Lee Gentry for United States Senate.

'I'm Troy Lee Gentry, and I approve of -- Hey! How'd that bear get in here? Ow! OWWWW! Helllp!'"

:sarcasm:

:grr: :banghead:

[Mr_Spock]

58. That's a despicable act of cowardice

How could someone do that? Why?

??

[tabasco]

61. Pathetic human being.

Trying to look like a badass by faking a video of him hunting.

Too scared to hunt a real bear.

Depraved.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

63. Over on the AOL boards...

the consensus (surprisingly) seems to be:

"Put him in a cage and shoot arrows at him!"

There were also calls for him to be penned with a mother bear and her cubs or tied to a tree in bear country and covered with honey. :)

I tend to agree. Coward.

[B Calm]

65. Ha Ha what a big bad hunter... If he wants to kill, why don't he enlist?

[Name removed]

70. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Nicole]

75. What an asshole

I hope he gets the maxium penalty & fine.

[Swamp Rat]

77. Yeah, he can sing "Folsom Prison Blues" all day long wondering why he

destroyed his own career. HAHA!!! :D

[Nicole]

92. Good place for him

but I would hate for him to bastardize Johnny's song. :rofl:

[meisje]

78. Bears are the terrorists of the wild

[WI_DEM]

80. What an asshole, if he wanted to prove his "manhood" why not

go to Iraq. Oh yeah, he might actually get hurt if he went there.

[Truthiness Inspector]

86. What a sick bastard

Shooting a helpless bear in a cage. Complete scum.

[politicasista]

88. Gentry is an idiot

He used to work at the Winn Dixie grocery store (when he was a struggling musician). He was a typical repuke/Bushie. No personality and rude as junkyard dog.

[Bombero1956]

99. what a fucktard

Killing a pet bear. The owner of that bear needs to spend some time in the woods tied to a tree too. Lewis Black called canned hunts "turning a petting zoo into Auschwitz".

[hdguy1999]

100. Wanna be big game hunter........

I think this overpaid, wanna be hippie redneck (Gentry) ought to be thrown into a bear cage (minus the bow and arrow)
and fight the next bear like the MAN he thinks he is!!