We need songs like Jason Aldean’s.

National Review Editor-at-Large Kathryn Jean Lopez is criticizing⁢ country singer Jason ⁤Aldean for his new hit about small-town Americans defending themselves against left-wing violence and chaos, saying “we don’t need songs” like that. Lopez accuses ⁤Aldean of unnecessarily promoting “anger and ‌violence,” encouraging him to instead focus‍ on conveying messages of ⁤love.

Love Over Guns

“Part of the reason abortion is so prevalent in America is that people don’t know ⁣what a‍ gift their own lives are,” writes Lopez. “That’s why we don’t need songs about pulling ⁢out ‍guns ⁢to take care of‍ problems that come from a deficit of love.”

While I have nothing but respect for Lopez as a person, her analysis fundamentally fails to grasp the immediate,⁣ tangible threat the left poses to every American. Abortion and left-wing domestic terrorism are ⁢not the same issues. Aldean’s song “Try That⁣ in a Small ​Town” ​puts blue‍ city lawlessness and the destructive 2020 Black Lives Matter riots on blast, asserting, “That sh-t may fly in ‌the city. Good luck trying that in a small town.” ⁢The song is a powerful expose ‌of Democrat‌ carnage and a symbol of defiance among everyday Americans.

Perhaps⁢ Lopez doesn’t know what it’s ‌like to witness‍ Marxist looters and arsonists descend on a small community. I, however, saw this firsthand while ‍reporting in Kenosha, ⁣Wisconsin, ‌during the 2020 riots. There was no ​time ⁢to instill “hope” and ‍“love” into the hearts of leftist criminals. Everyday citizens⁣ were forced to fight tooth and nail for their lives and livelihoods.

After ⁢the shooting of Jacob Blake, Black Lives Matter and ⁤Antifa rioters from blue cities like Chicago and Portland swarmed the​ city. Outnumbered‍ local and state law enforcement ⁢only had enough manpower to protect public buildings in the town’s center, leaving citizens’ homes and businesses at the mercy⁢ of the mob.

Meet Chuck, the owner of a tire shop⁣ who spent every night on his roof, gun in hand, guarding⁣ his ⁣business. To ⁢the rioters, he said: “Come to my shop and I’ll blow ⁤your heads off.” On the second night of rioting, I witnessed ⁢dozens of men like Chuck standing in front of their homes ‌and businesses​ with‌ guns and baseball bats, ready to defend themselves.

One woman, who out of fear of retribution​ asked that her face not be shown, broke down in tears as she ⁢watched her neighborhood in uptown Kenosha go up in ‍flames. She described the ​scene as​ a “war zone.”

Robert ⁢Cobb, a 70-year-old longtime⁣ Kenosha man, was viciously beaten by BLM rioters after he tried to stop them from stealing from the 100-year-old ‌Danish Brotherhood. Cobb tried to keep the criminals at bay with a fire ‍extinguisher, but the rioters sneak-attacked him, leaving Cobb with‍ a jaw broken in three places, a swollen eye, and‍ stitches to⁤ a head wound.

Kenosha suffered $50 million in property damage, affecting‌ 100⁤ businesses, including ⁣40 that never reopened. That number could have‌ been far greater had Kenoshans not taken up firearms, baseball bats,⁣ and fire extinguishers against the rioters.

Aldean’s ⁢song is an artistic assertion that Americans, like those in Kenosha, do​ not need to stand by helplessly as the Marxist mob is threatening their lives, especially given⁢ that ‍the state routinely abdicates its responsibility ⁢to protect citizens.

Perhaps Lopez would argue 2020 was an exception, but the physical threat of leftism is felt every day, making Aldean’s song⁢ all the more pertinent. Take, for example, the horrific 2021 Christmas parade attack in Waukesha, Wisconsin. In a city not far from Kenosha, convicted felon Darrell ‍Brooks Jr. plowed through parade-goers in his vehicle, with the ‍criminal complaint saying he drove in a zig-zag to hit as⁤ many people as possible.

Brooks wounded more than 60 people and killed six in the small city only 20-30 ‌minutes away from Milwaukee. ⁤Just days before the⁤ parade⁣ massacre, Brooks — who was facing serious felony charges, including one related to running a woman over with his vehicle — posted his $1,000 bail.

All the parade victims could have been alive⁣ and unharmed‍ had the office of soft-on-crime, George Soros-backed Milwaukee District⁤ Attorney John Chisholm ⁤not given Brooks dangerously low bail prior to the attack.

Even though Waukesha is a small city with a community-oriented⁣ atmosphere, its people were not immune to the disastrous crime ‌policies of Milwaukee. Aldean’s song is a powerful anthem for these casualties of Democrat disorder and​ violence. It’s a​ statement of agency and strength in the​ face of real-life threats to countless American lives.

Democrats have essentially declared war on the homeland,⁣ and in the face of this imminent danger, people have a right to ​defend themselves. The‍ reality is love and free hugs won’t protect anyone from Molotov cocktails, ​free-roaming violent criminals, mob looting, and professional Marxist rioters and arsonists.