Here’s audio from SoundCloud while it lasts:

The song itself has apparently been pulled from YouTube.

Here’s a WSJ video story with excerpts and reaction:

Fox News

st hours after Brad Paisley and LL Cool J’s new song “Accidental Racist” hit the web on Monday, it was greeted by a barrage of backlash.
The song opens with the country coroner walking into a Starbucks donning a confederate flag t-shirt, hoping others understand that he only did it because he’s “a Skynyrd fan.”
“I’m proud of where I’ve come from, but not everything we’ve done. It ain’t like you and me can re-write history,” Paisley sings. “Our generation didn’t start this nation, and we’re still picking up the pieces, walking on eggshells, fighting over yesterday. Caught between southern pride and southern blame… Cause I’m a white man, living in the South land.”
Rapper LL Cool J then chimes in, which comes across as something of a public apology or conversation on racism within America.
“Dear Mr. White Man, I wish you understood what the world is really like when you’re living in the hood. Just because my pants are sagging doesn’t mean I’m up to no good. You should try to get to know me; I really wish you would… If you don’t judge my do-rag, I won’t judge your red flag.”
Other lyrics include Paisley’s singing “I try to put myself in your shoes and that’s a good place to begin,” while the rapper adds lines like “Now my chains are gold but I’m still misunderstood,” “I want you to get paid but be a slave I never could,” and “I’d love to buy you a beer, conversate and clear the air but I see that red flag and I think you wish I wasn’t here.”

On Facebook this morning, I noticed the ad to the left. I had seen it before but never got around to blogging about it. If you click on the ad, it goes to this Facebook page which describes itself as a “Tribute Page to Maryland’s 59th Governor (January 18, 1995 to January 15, 2003).”

The page currently has 177 “Likes” and only likes one other page itself (for Old Bay.) There are several posts on smart growth and one on the Browns moving to Baltimore. There is no obvious clue as to who is behind the page and whether there is some other political purpose for starting it, so stay tuned.

A screen capture is below: Read More…

Editor’s Note: Chris Short is a friend of mine I met through blogging back in 2003. Recent discussions online with him and others discussing the VA made me extend the offer to him to blog about this subject.

The Veteran’s Administration (VA) is charged with taking care of our nation’s veterans after their service has completed. With such passionate support that Americans give it’s veterans you would think the VA would be an auspicious place for passionate people. Where employees and administrators would take pride in helping those who need it. Sadly, the Veteran’s Administration is just another government agency overrun by people who are by and large merely collecting a pay check.

I was in the US Air Force for eleven years; I made it to the rank of Technical Sergeant (E-6) in nine years and earned several awards along the way. I was injured during a hurricane evac training exercise in October 2003. After seven years of dealing with daily pain and losing the ability to do some of the activities most people take for granted, one doctor (a civilian doctor) finally was able to tell me what was wrong with me; long thoracic nerve palsy with winging of the scapula. He explained that everything that the Air Force had been doing was likely fruitless and that since the nerve damaged happened so long ago that there was literally nothing that could be done to repair it.

Within a year the Air Force would tell me I was no longer medically fit for duty (since they had finally figured out what was wrong with me.) The process of being medically discharged is like most in the military, hurry up and wait. But, I was hoping the VA would be there to help me keep things together as far as continued treatment would go. I was setting myself up to be severely disappointed.

Outmoded and lethargic, the VA leisurely took up my case. The counselor I saw between Thanksgiving and Christmas in 2010 on Fort Bragg was most helpful. Castigating me for asking questions, berating me for not attending briefings that I was never informed of (there was a huge communications barrier between Ft. Bragg and Pope AFB), and wondering why I was just now coming to see her (I literally had eight days to get the business of getting out of the Air Force accomplished – this appointment was the soonest available and was while I was on terminal leave). I knew then that my paperwork would likely be flagged and headed for the bottom of whatever pile it was in.

Months went by. Eventually, I received a letter (yes, a letter) telling me of my appointment to get a physical so that the VA could make a determination as to what compensation, if any, I would receive for medical issues incurred while serving. This appointment was conducted by a doctor who spoke broken English and had difficulties answering my questions (and I hers due to the language barrier). At no point in time did someone explain how this process was going to work. I still don’t know how to receive care for my injury and as you will come to understand, it’s probably a good thing.

Months went by. The VA made sure they sent me a series of pamphlets and brochures saying what they would do for me, form letters saying they were still working on my case, and other trash can fodder. My wife and I determined that they sent these in succession and we ended up receiving the same three or four mailings of information four times. At one point the VA’s dentist office sent me a letter saying I was to come in for an appointment. I did and they proceeded to set off a series of events that led to brutalizing headaches. When I called to come back in to figure out what was wrong I was told I had a follow up scheduled for six weeks away. After re-iterating that something was seriously not right about the treatment I had received the receptionist re-iterated that I had an appointment scheduled (six weeks away). I used my dental insurance through the company I work for to seek relief. Turns out the VA had triggered migraines that took quite some time to get back under control. To that point, I had never had migraines in my life.

It was approaching a year since I was discharged from the Air Force and I was tired of the VA dragging its feet. I contacted my elected officials and asked them to look into the matter for me. Within days a finalized decision from the Veteran’s Administration was mailed to me. They acknowledge I had an injury to my shoulder but I would not receive any monetary compensation for it, they admitted that I had a mild case of TMJ (again no compensation), and they took note that I sprained my ankle in the line of duty and for that I would receive monetary compensation. This was a low blow; to be medically discharged for one thing and to be told it wasn’t really a problem was insanely demoralizing.  I could seek treatment for any of these things through the VA but at this point, I’m not going to be compensated for them. I don’t know who to call nor would I trust them to do what was needed if I were to seek treatment.

This past week the pain in my shoulder flared up more significantly than I had experienced since being discharged. Nothing I was doing was easing the pain and a series of sleepless nights began. I had to do something but calling the VA never really came through my mind. Why? Because being told I had an appointment in six weeks to talk about what to do two weeks after that to relieve the pain that was debilitating me now wasn’t something I wanted to endure. My confidence in the VA’s ineptitude is so high in fact that I just picked up the phone and called the doctor an hour and a half away in Fayetteville, NC that diagnosed my injury. His staff told me that I should get injections like I was receiving while I was in the Air Force. I knew that would likely provide relief but I also knew that if I wanted it to get done I’d be paying out of pocket for it.

Two days after getting the injections I finally slept well. Sure it cost me half a day out of work, $125, and a half a tank of gas but I did not get the runaround from the VA. I received treatment that I knew worked and I’m glad I was able to. At some point, I will have to get something setup with the VA to provide me with that quick release valve but it took me years to get that built up in the Air Force. I can’t imagine how much time and effort I will have to put into the VA to get through all the wickets just to pick up the phone and get treatment in a timely fashion. Here is hoping I can get an appeal filed that will actually help me pay for those shots out of pocket.

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