Lest you think this is a publicity stunt, some rock hack wanting to glom glory off our troops in a me too extravaganza, here's an excerpt form Gene's Wikipedia bio (emphasis added):
Politics
While a self-described social liberal, Simmons has also described himself as a supporter of the foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration. He supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq, writing on his website: "I'm ashamed to be surrounded by people calling themselves liberal who are, in my opinion, spitting on the graves of brave American soldiers who gave their life to fight a war that wasn't theirs...in a country they've never been to... simply to liberate the people therein". In a follow-up, Simmons explained his position and wrote about his love and support for the United States: "I wasn't born here. But I have a love for this country and its people that knows no bounds. I will forever be grateful to America for going into World War II, when it had nothing to gain, in a country that was far away... and rescued my mother from the Nazi German concentration camps. She is alive and I am alive because of America. And, if you have a problem with America, you have a problem with me".
During the 2006 Lebanon War between Israel and Lebanon, Simmons sent a televised message of support (in both English and Hebrew) to an Israeli soldier seriously wounded in fighting in Lebanon, calling him his "hero".
In a November 2010 episode of the CNN news commentary program ParkerSpitzer, Simmons stated that he regrets voting for Barack Obama in the 2008 Presidential election. He criticized the 2009 health care reform measure, and Simmons also remarked about Obama that he "couldn't find somebody, in retrospect, more unqualified." He said as well, "I want the government out of my life".
..who doesn't, Gene, who doesn't?
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True Americans are made up of all shapes and sizes.
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