Ted Nugent: Yup, Still A Douche-Bag

After agreeing to a performance in Israel, Paul McCartney has been the target of death threats from several Islamic terror-groups. Syrian-born Omar Bakri Muhammed - a militant activists with known ties to terror organizations - was quoted last week in an interview, saying: "He will not be safe there. The sacrifice operatives (suicide bombers) will be waiting for him" he went on to admonish the former Beatle, saying "Instead of supporting the people of Palestine in their suffering, McCartney is celebrating the atrocities of the occupiers. The ones under occupation are the ones who should be receiving help."

Nugent has in recently stated that McCartney should "...not bend or waiver to voodoo religious whack-jobs," and continued on to say "It would be my pleasure to keep this legendary musical hero safe from terrorists and madmen, and then buy him a nice dinner of tofu." The rocker has also stated that our only failures in Iraq have been "...not nagasaki-ing their asses," implying that The United States should have opted to use nuclear weapons in the Iraq conflict.

Many are skeptical of Nugent's qualifications to protect. We all know he has the guns, but does he have the balls? In a 1977 High Times interview, Nugent described his efforts to dodge the Vietnam draft saying that "[I] stopped cleansing my body weeks before the physical, stopped eating foods of nutritional value, and even stopped going to the bathroom. I just went in my pants, and my clothes all started to become crusty." He later defended his statements saying that "These guys [interviewers] would just show up glass-eyed and high, and so I would just make stories up," he added that his failure to serve in Vietnam was due to an academic deferment. He also referenced his 2004 USO show in Fallujah and Afghanistan as evidence of his bravery. I was unable to find a record of how many soldiers were killed at the USO show, although the number is believed to be 'zero.'

The Nuge's offer of protection comes as a surprise. The two musicians appear to have little, if anything. in common. McCartney is, as Nugent describes, "An animal rights maniac" and has cited industry friends fired by McCartney for "Sneaking a hamburger" while on tour, and went as far as defending them in an article he authored, oddly entitled "live and let live." Nugent, who gleefully shoots anything without a social security number, is perhaps the antithesis of vegan ideals. He is, however a self proclaimed 'avid conservationist' and told travel/ food writer Anthony Bourdain on his Travel Channel show 'No Reservations' that whatever you take from the land should be replaced "two-fold."

Even so, Nugent has had a troubled past with animal rights activists. He told Penn & Teller on their television show Bullshit! that PETA activists have threatened his, and his children's lives. On another occasion in 1992 he called Heidi Prescott of the non-profit Fund for Animals, a "worthless whore" and a "shallow slut," and also stated: "who needs to club baby seals, when we can club Heidi?" He was later ordered to pay $75,000.00 in damages to her as a result of the remark. Most recently, Nugent has garnered criticism for his ownership of Sunrize Acres, a ranch near Jackson, Michigan that offers what are known as "canned" hunts to paying customers. Although he  "...understands the criticism" that canned hunts "violate the ethics of the fair chase," he still operated the ranch, even acting as personal guide.

Nugent insists he is rearing to go to Isreal, and describes himself as "Dirty Harry with a pony tail." It is unlikely that McCartney will accept this (bizarre) offer of protection, and it is even more unlikely that Nugent was in fact sincere in even offering. More likely, it is an opportunity for this vocal NRA supporter, and animal well fare opponent to paint vegans as weak and helpless.