Don Henley vs Lunatic Fringe Republican Chuck DeVore

On Friday former Eagle Don Henley sued extreme right wing kook and U.S. Senate candidate Chuck DeVore, an Assemblyman from Irvine in Orange County. DeVore ignored a cease and desist request in regard to his use of Henley's song "The Boys of Summer" as part of his campaign to denigrate President Obama and unseat Senator Barbara Boxer. This is the lunatic fringe former GOP Whip who resigned to protest the Republican legislative leadership agreeing to a compromise that would keep California functioning as a viable state paying teachers and firemen and policemen their salaries. To say DeVore is an extremist is like saying water is wet. And like many selfish, intolerant and self-entitled Republicans, DeVore thinks laws are for other people, not for him. He keeps ignoring copyright laws and using Don Henley songs, "The Boys of Summer" and "All She Wants to Do Is Dance," to attack Senator Barbara Boxer.

Right-wing Republicans like Devore hate China-- he even wrote a Chinaphobic book-- and castigate China's flouting of the copyright laws but when a songwriter challenges DeVore for the unauthorized use his work, the self-righteous assemblyman is on the warpath, counter-suing Henley and screaming about his Constitutional rights to free speech. He posted two attack ads on YouTube using Henley's music. He re-wrote the lyrics of "All She Wants To Do Is Dance" without asking permission, something very clearly covered in copyright law; it isn't allowed. After YouTube pulled down the offending ads, Devore posted the lyrics on a right-wing hate website.

All She Wants To Do Is Tax

They're pickin' up the taxpayers and puttin

'em in a jam

And all she wants to do is tax, tax

Liberals been liberals since I don't know when

And all she wants to do is tax

Cap and trade program-from D.C. Inc.

And all she wants to do is tax, tax

They pull and push us right over the brink

And all she wants to do is tax

Barbara Boxer talkin' round

Control in her sight

And all she wants to do is tax, tax

Wild-eyed global warmers

Who ain't afraid to lie

And all she wants to do is-

And all she wants to do is tax

And break our backs

She can't feel the heat comin' off the street

She wants to party

She wants to get down

And all she wants to do is-

And all she wants to do is tax

Well, the government rigged the market

in the carbon trading scam

And all she wants to do is tax, tax

To keep the boys a sellin'

All the credits they could ma'am

And all she wants to do is tax

But that don't keep the boys

From makin' a buck or two

And all she wants to do is tax, tax

They still can sell the public

On the good that they can do

And all she wants to do is-

And all she wants to do is tax

And break our backs

Well, we barely made twenty ten

The vote was in doubt

As we finished up the campaign

She could hear the people shout

They said, don't come back here Boxer!

But if she ever does-

We'll bring more money

cause all she wants to do is tax

And break our backs

Never mind the heat comin' off the street

She wants to party

She wants to get down

All she wants to do is-

All she wants to do is tax

All she wants to do is tax

And break our backs

All she wants to do is tax

When Henley took steps to protect his copyright DeVore struck back by running to a popular right-wing website and writing a post blasting Henley and "Boys of Summer" co-writer Mike Campbell as "the laughless legions of the left" and trying to paint himself as a victim, long a right-wing tactic when they get caught with their fingers in the cookie jar. I wonder if there are many Eagles fans in California. I did notice, though, that the loud mouthed little fascist, after re-posting the song on his own site in another (non-YouTube) format, has now disabled that. What a wimp-- not just a blowhard, but a coward.

Why doesn't he just use right-wing songwriters for his ads? I'm sure that with all the excitement for the reunification of the Amboy Dukes a nice parody of "Journey to the Center of the Mind" would work just fine for DeVore. Or he could always forget the Dukes, like everyone else has, and go right for "Cat Scratch Fever." It would probably be a good idea for wingnuts to stay away from music by Springsteen, the Dixie Chicks, Black-Eyed Peas, Madonna, Nanci Griffiths, Neil Young, the Eagles, Pearl Jam, John Mellancamp, Lou Reed, Dave Matthews, James Taylor, Green Day, Bonnie Raitt, Congressman John Hall, Rickie Lee Jones, Wilco, Stevie Wonder, Death Cab For Cutie, R.E.M. and other musicians committed to social justice. But that doesn't mean they can only use polka music or Ted Nugent. John Rich, half of Big and Rich is a vicious right wing homophobe always eager for kooks like DeVore to use his songs. Kid Rock too... or Toby Keith, Ricky Skaggs... Rachael Lampa? Meanwhile, you can enjoy Don Henley's original version of "All She Wants To Do Is Dance" below, without any input from the GOP peanut gallery: