Pat Boone shreds Cindy 'peaceniks'
Music legend says U.S. 'sitting duck' for next 9-11 with message of peace
Music legend Pat Boone is blasting the peace message of Cindy Sheehan and other anti-war activists, claiming their rhetoric is making the U.S. more vulnerable to future terrorist attacks.
"This lady and the groups that have been demonstrating in front of the president's ranch in Crawford and following him around are the very same people that were the dropout, turn-on, anti-war peace activists back [in the Vietnam War era]," Boone said. "They still have this crazy notion that by just being peaceful and maybe toking up or something like that – it's like an ostrich with its head in the sand – maybe the danger and the bad guys will go away and leave you alone, which is not gonna happen."
The original "American Idol," who sold more records than any other pop artist in the 1950s except Elvis Presley, said no one likes war, and he wishes it were not the answer.
"But, look," he said, "when [terrorists] destroy the World Trade Center right in front of your eyes in Manhattan and you know they're going to do the same and worse things, to just sit back and say 'Oh, let's try not to make 'em mad at us, let's don't rock the boat, let's just say peace is the answer, we love you, we love you' ... we're just sitting ducks. More World Trade Centers, more 9-11s are gonna happen unless we try to take the battle to them on their turf instead of letting 'em bring it to us on ours."
Boone, a descendant of American frontier hero Daniel Boone and father of pop star Debby Boone, made the remarks yesterday on "Farah Live," the nationally broadcast radio show hosted by WND founder Joseph Farah, while Cindy Sheehan was returning to Crawford, Texas, to continue her quest for a second meeting with President Bush.
During the program, Boone, a well-known Christian, took a strong stand against evolution, mocking the notion the U.S. would become some kind of repressive society if the theory of evolution were not taught in schools, and he supported the teaching of "intelligent design."
"The idea that all of this could have happened mindlessly with no blueprint is sheer stupidity and very unscientific."
He cited America's founding documents, quoting the Declaration of Independence as he stressed, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator ... ."
"That's how opposed to God Thomas Jefferson, who wrote that, was. Yet he is credited with trying to keep all mention of God out of public life. I wish Jefferson could be back here today just for 30 minutes to set things straight."
Now at age 71, Boone has become politically active with a group called the "60 Plus Association," a non-partisan seniors advocacy group which supports an abolition of the death tax.
"Taking people's hard-earned savings from them when they have the poor judgment to die," lamented Boone, "the government steps in and takes half of everything they had already paid tax on and saved."
Over his career, Boone has appeared in over a dozen films including the 1959 science-fiction classic "Journey to the Center of the Earth."
With 38 Top-40 hits on the music charts and selling over 45 million units, Boone is ranked the No. 10 rock artist in history, higher than Madonna and Billy Joel, and is looking to mark his 50th year in the entertainment industry in a special way.
"My main goal is to hit the charts with five albums in one year, and that's something nobody's ever even thought about, much less done."
To that end, he's releasing "American Glory," a collection of patriotic songs, with one titled "Under God," a response to California atheist Michael Newdow who has tried to remove the phrase from the Pledge of Allegiance.
The other four include a NASCAR-themed rock album, a gospel collection, love songs and Rhythm & Blues classics where Boone is joined by stars such as Smokey Robinson and James Brown.
Despite his recording success, Boone has not been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, though there is an online effort pushing for his inclusion.
Outspoken about his Christian beliefs, Boone explained why he thinks most of his colleagues tend to lean leftward in their political stances.
"Folks in the entertainment business don't want anyone telling 'em what they can or can't do," referring to God.
When asked about his own image as "Mr. Clean" in his heyday, Boone joked, "The truth is, I did wash regularly."
