Why Ted Nugent Should Be Arrested

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Recently, musician Ted Nugent has made headlines for declaring his political beliefs, some of which include alluding to shooting President Obama if he is re-elected. CNN columnist L.Z. Granderson isn't taking Nugent's comments about the president lightly; in fact, he is calling for the musician's arrest.

Nugent's words were: "If Barack Obama is elected, I'll either be dead or in jail this time next year," which sounds to me like he's open to directing his disapproval of Obama in a way that is violent and unlawful. When you see that statement next to Nugent comparing Obama and his colleagues to coyotes that needed to be shot, as well as the need to "ride into that battlefield and chop their heads off in November," I don't see how that rant cannot be looked upon as a threat on the president's life.

I don't care how you feel about Nugent's music or Obama's policies, it seems that if there were a First Amendment line to cross, that would be it. And yet, the reality is the Secret Service will spend a little time investigating Nugent, determine he's not a true threat, and move on. If the Supreme Court can rule in favor of an 18-year-old man who, in voicing his opposition to being drafted for the Vietnam War, said: "If they ever make me carry a rifle the first man I want to get in my sights is LBJ," then it's doubtful anything is going to happen to Nugent. 

Read more of L.Z. Granderson's op-ed at CNN.