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Country Throwback: Charlie Daniels Pens Open Letter Blasting ‘Hollywood Bunch’ in 2003

Charlie Daniels was never one to mince words. He spoke his mind and whoever didn’t like what he had to say could just deal with it. This was true for not only his music but also his interactions with the public and other celebrities. He let opponents of the war in Iraq know exactly what he thought in a long and angry rant back in 2003.

Charlie Daniels was many things. He was one hell of a fiddle player, a great vocalist, and a top=notch songwriter. Above all, he was a proud conservative patriot. Even now, his Twitter feed is full of conservative political statements as well as memories of the country music legend.

To say that he was in favor of the war in Iraq would be an understatement. In an “Open Letter to the Hollywood Bunch,” he let his feelings on the matter be known to everyone who cared to read them.

Charlie Daniels Pens Heated Open Letter

If you remember the early 2000s, you remember the heated debates. After the Twin Towers fell, America wanted revenge. Nearly three thousand innocent Americans lost their lives, several more were injured, and that could not go unanswered. At the same time, debate raged over sending troops to the Middle East once more.

As usual, many in Hollywood spoke out against the coming war. Charlie Daniels was having none of that.

He kicked off his letter by calling Hollywood celebrities a “bunch of pampered, overpaid, unrealistic children.” Then, he went on to lay out all the things they wanted. He imagined the closure of foreign military bases, cutting the military budget, getting rid of nuclear weapons. The list went on. He then sarcastically noted that of course all of the other countries in the world would do the same. After all, he snarked, “they only arm themselves to defend their countries from the mean old U.S.A.”

The True Targets of Charlie’s Anger

While the letter was addressed to everyone in Hollywood who didn’t agree with the war, he focused his ire on two specific people. Barbara Streisand and Sean Penn were the celebs that really got Charlie Daniels’ blood boiling. At the time, Streisand was regularly railing against President Bush. This, Daniels compared to Michael Jackson hanging his baby out of a window. He also referenced Penn’s “fact-finding trip” to Iraq in late 2002.

Penn traveled to Iraq to visit a water treatment plant and a children’s hospital as well as to meet with Iraqi officials according to the New York Post. He hoped to see the human face of the country and to convince American leaders to halt the war with Iraq.

In the eyes of Charlie Daniels, this trip did nothing but embolden Saddam Hussein. He went on to threaten boycotts against any movie starring an anti-war actor. Even, he said, if that meant never seeing another movie.

Charlie concluded his rant by telling the “Hollywood Bunch” to get out in the real world and see what real Americans thought about the impending war. In closing, he added, “Pray for our troops… God bless America.”

No matter where you stood on the war with Iraq, those last few lines are something we can all get behind.