Ahead of Independence Day in the US, Gene Simmons has voiced his views on patriotism, America’s place in the world, and why he believes the country has a problem with illegal immigration.
Kiss‘ vocalist/bassist shared his opinions during a set with his solo band at Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 3, ahead of celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
“In case you don’t know it, you are blessed,” Simmons told the crowd, as transcribed by Blabbermouth. “You are living in the greatest fucking country on the planet. And that’s called USA. Okay, I wanna tell you why I took a minute to talk about America, because if you’ve been asleep the last 250 years, tomorrow is America’s 250th birthday.
“This is the greatest country,” he continued. “That’s why we’ve had anywhere from 20 million to 30 million illegal immigrants. Why? ‘Cause they are willing to break the law and come into the greatest country on the face of the planet, right here. We have more illegal immigrants than most countries have populations on the face of the planet. That’s a fact.
“I myself am an immigrant, but a legal one. I came through the lawful way. You wait in line, you respect the country, you respect its laws, and then you become a citizen of the United States of America. And in return, you get police who risk their lives to protect you.
“And you get first responders who are here for you. And if your house is on fire, you get fire departments that risk their lives to come put that fire out for you. You get a school system that’s yours, and everything is free. Cops, fire department, school — free. All you gotta do is follow the law and do it legally, okay?
“I’m honoured to say I’ve gotta get up at 3:30 this morning to catch a 5:00 a.m. flight because I’ve been asked by the White House to narrate the World War II Veterans honors in America’s 250th birthday tomorrow in Washington, D.C. And unless you guys think Fourth of July is just fireworks and all that, without our veterans, there would be nothing. There would be no America. There would be nothing.
“Politicians talk the talk but veterans put their lives out there. All gave some, some gave all. Don’t forget. So the next time you’re going to a Starbucks and you see somebody in uniform, step aside and make way for a real hero. That’s the least you can do.
“And if you don’t like America, please go back to where you fucking came from.”
Simmons regularly shares his view that musicians and celebrities should refrain from speaking about politics or current affairs.Unless the musician/celebrity in question is Gene Simmons.