Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos

A little over a week ago, reports came out that aging 1970s rock-n-roll hunting enthusiast Ted Nugent was still promoting the concept that the 2019 novel coronavirus was all hype. During an interview posted on Facebook, he asked the question: "You know, I guess I would ask you — because I'm addicted to truth, logic, and common sense — and my commonsense meter would demand the answer to why weren't we shut down for COVID one through 18?" Now, I know that as a parent I frequently find myself saying things like "There are no stupid questions," but in this case, well, um. It wasn't a surprising take from a man who has made a career of being ignorant and saying ignorant things. In general, playing his guitar loudly over his ignorance has allowed people to pretend they didn't hear him.

On Tuesday night, Nugent did a Facebook Live where he told his audience he had contracted the virus. "Everybody told me that I should not announce this. I have had flu symptoms for the last 10 days. I thought I was dying. Just a clusterfuck." Nugent also repeatedly used racist MAGA-virtue signaling that put the blame on China. He described his experiences over the last ten days, saying he could barely crawl out of bed because he was in such bad shape. He said he was finally tested Tuesday, thus the diagnosis.

Nugent has been a very public COVID-19 denier, telling conservative radio personality David J. Harris Jr. in August that he thought all of the reported coronavirus-related statistics being put out by world health organizations and our own country's scientific communities were made up. "They claim 160,000 people dead from the Chinese communist virus. Bullshit. They claim millions and millions have been tested positive [for the virus]. Bullshit. They claim that the ICU units are overcrowded. Bullshit." He also called himself a "radical for justice" during that same interview, but he seems to have been mum on all of the deaths of citizens at the hands of law enforcement. Racist much?

And even though Nugent has now experienced the virus, he still says he won't get vaccinated against it: "If you can't even honestly answer our questions of exactly what's in it and why are you testing it on human beings and forcing it on people in such a short period of time," which isn't a real thing. You can read about the vaccination and what's "in it," on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. If you have other anxieties over the vaccine that's fine, but don't bullshit about why you're afraid of things.

Nugent's bad, destructive takes on the public health questions and policies of our country go hand in hand with his crotch-grabbing support of Donald Trump. (Nugent literally illustrated some kind of point about "blue states" at a MAGA rally by grabbing his crotch.) He has also promoted the need to carry guns in order to rid our government and country of "evil, dishonesty, and scam artists" who he said are liberals, Democrats, RINOs, Hollywood, fake news, and the media, saying: "There are rabid coyotes running around, you don't wait till you see one to go get your gun, keep your gun handy. And every time you see one, shoot one."