The following is a statement from Charlie Daniels.

"There are probably some of you folks out there who are wondering why we
didn't appear on the CMT Country Freedom Concert for the Salvation Army
to benefit the victims of the September 11th Attack on America.

We were announced and scheduled and had every intention of doing the
show, until we gave the CMT folks the lyrics to a new song I had written
and wanted to perform on the show.

After receiving the words they informed us that we could not do the song
on the show and when we asked them why they said that the show was a
healing type show and they were afraid that song would offend someone.

I would never do anything to hurt the show but I knew that they had the
very epitome of country stars and didn't particularly need us to sell
tickets. With this in mind, I decided to pull off the show for personal
reasons which I would like to share with you.

Let me preface my remarks by saying that I respect CMT's right to not
allow anything they don't agree with to go out over their airwaves. And
in all fairness, I guess they were taking the sensibilities of the
victim's families into account. But I respectfully
and vehemently disagree with their stand.

First of all, I don't feel that this is the time for healing. I feel that
this is the time to rub salt in the wounds and keep America focused on
the job at hand. We lost almost seven thousand people in the Trade Towers
and Pentagon and we're worrying
about offending somebody?

We have seven month old babies infected with Anthrax and we're afraid
we'll hurt someone's feelings?

Brave Americans forced a plane down in a field in Pennsylvania and we're
worried about ruffling someone's feathers?

We're sending our sons and daughters off to fight and perhaps die in a
war we had nothing to do with starting and we're concerned about
insulting somebody?

I felt to give into this political correctness would be to turn my back
on the people who lost their lives on 9-11 and on the brave men and women
who defend this country.

The title of the song is "This Ain't No Rag It's A Flag", and I don't
apologize for a word in it.

I'll let you all decide for yourselves:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THIS AIN'T NO RAG IT'S A FLAG

This ain't no rag it's a flag and we don't wear it on our heads
It's a symbol of the land where the good guys live Are you listening to
what I said

You're a coward and a fool and you broke all the rules and you wounded
our American pride
Now we're coming with a gun and we know you're gonna run but you can't
find no place to hide

We're gonna hunt you down like a mad dog hound
and make you pay for the lives you stole
We're all through talking and messing around
and now it's time to rock and roll

These colors don't run and we're speaking as one when we say united we
stand
If you mess with one you mess with us all every boy, girl, woman and Man

You've been acting mighty rash and talking that trash but let me give you
some advice
You can crawl back in your hole like a dirty little mole but now it's
time to pay the price

You might have shot us in the back but now you have to face the fact that
the big boy's in the game
The lightning's been flashing and the thunder's been crashing and now
it's gettin ready to rain

Chorus:
This is the United States of America the land of the brave and free
We believe in God, we believe in justice, we believe in liberty

You've been pulling our chain, we shoulda done something about you a long
time ago
But now the flag's flying high and the fur's gonna fly and now the whole
world's gonna know

This ain't no rag it's a flag old glory red white and blue
The stars and stripes and when it comes to a fight we can do what we have
to do

Our people stand proud the American crowd is faithful and loyal and tough

We're as good as the best and better than the rest you're gonna find out
soon enough

When you look up in the sky and you see the eagle fly you'd better know
he's headed your way
This ain't no rag it's a flag and it stands for the USA "

What do you think?
God Bless America
Charlie Daniels