While rock star Ted Nugent's bold criticism of President Obama in a speech to the National Rifle Association over the weekend has prompted a Secret Service investigation and frowns from the Romney campaign, it has inspired and emboldened many Americans.
Noting the establishment backlash, the petition declares support for Nugent "in the face of resistance to his sharp, unapologetic condemnation of Barack Obama urging Americans to rise up and crush the Democratic Party at the polls in November or reap dire consequences."
Nugent told the NRA that "if Barack Obama becomes the president in November, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year."
The petition states Nugent called the president a criminal and deplored his "vile, evil, America-hating administration" for its abuse of the Constitution.
Nugent ended his speech to the NRA annual meeting in St. Louis with, "We need to ride into that battlefield and chop their heads off in November. Any questions?"
He's now under Secret Service investigation for a number of provocative remarks, which some think sounded like a threat against Obama's life.
Yesterday, Nugent told former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee it was "ridiculous" to think he was threatening the president, but understood why the Secret Service is now investigating.
"I respect their duty to do so," he said. "The rules of engagement for the Secret Service is to respond even when someone as maniacal as a Wasserman Schultz or Pelosi or Boxer or Feinstein" complains.
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DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz has been slamming Nugent's comments, saying, "Mitt Romney surrogate Ted Nugent made offensive comments about President Obama and November's elections this weekend that are despicable, deplorable and completely beyond the pale."
In response, Nugent told radio host Dana Loesch, "Wasserman Schultz is such a brain-dead, soulless, heartless idiot, that I could not be more proud that this soulless, heartless idiot feebly attempts to find fault with Ted Nugent because I am on the right track, and she just encourages me to stand stronger."
The left has called for Romney, the Republican front-runner for the presidential nomination, to denounce Nugent's remarks, and campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul issued a statement saying "divisive language is offensive no matter what side of the political aisle it comes from. Mitt Romney believes everyone needs to be civil."
The Secret Service says it is aware of Nugent's comments and conducting "the appropriate follow-up."
"I have never in my life threatened anyone's life. I'm incapable of threatening anyone's life. Because I'm about positive change, my entire speech, all my articles," Nugent told Loesch.
"I spoke at the NRA and I will stand by my speech. It was 100- percent positive. It's about 'we the people' taking back our American dream from the corrupt monsters in the federal government under this administration and the communist czars he's appointed," he said.
"See, I'm a black Jew at a Nazi-Klan rally, and there are some power-abusing corrupt monsters in our federal government that despise me because I have the audacity to speak the truth to identify the violations of our government, particularly Eric Holder and the president and Tim Geithner, ad nauseam," Nugent explained.
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