This time their target is Jason Aldean, a country music singer who dared not only to release a song in praise of small towns, but had the temerity to highlight the dysfunction and criminality now rampant in many of America’s big cities.

Here are some of the allegedly hateful lyrics of his new song, “Try That in a Small Town”:
Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk,
Carjack an old lady at a red light,
Pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store.
Ya think it’s cool, well, act a fool if ya like.

So, he’s saying violent crimes are bad. Imagine that. The horror.

After a few lines about people spitting on cops and burning flags, the song continues:

Well, try that in a small town.
See how far ya make it down the road.
Around here, we take care of our own.
You cross that line, it won’t take long
For you to find out. I recommend you don’t
Try that in a small town.

Aldean is clearly referencing the uptick in crime and lawlessness that we have seen in the past few years.

It’s been primarily an urban problem in cities controlled by left-wing ideologues. Our nation’s capital—a city almost entirely controlled by Democrats—has become shamefully dangerous, with carjackings and other crimes surging.

The song’s music video features clips of crime, the Black Lives Matter riots, and a flag burning. And here you have the reason why Aldean must now be institutionally scrubbed from existence.

Thou shalt never question or mock the narratives that our new cultural elites wish to tell you about the world. The BLM riots were “mostly peaceful,” you see, and entirely justified. Rising crime in big cities is just right-wing fiction, and even if it exists, it is the consequence of structural racism.

If you question these ideas, you are labeled a “racist” and ripe for being “unpersoned.”

For his crimes against those narratives, Aldean’s song has been labeled “pro-lynching”—yes, really—and Country Music Television pulled the song off the air.

Rep. Justin Jones, D-Tenn., one of the fanatical legislators who was briefly expelled from the Tennessee Legislature for engaging in a takeover of the Capitol alongside gun control protesters, called “Try That in a Small Town” a “heinous song calling for racist violence.”

I am literally rolling my eyes as I write this.

Just go on any music playlist app right now and see how many of the top songs promote violence, misogyny, and criminality.

As soon as a song is released in effect saying, “Don’t try being a criminal in my town,” that’s the one that apparently needs to be erased?

“In the past 24 hours, I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests,” Aldean tweeted in response on Tuesday. “These references are not only meritless, but dangerous.”

He added that the song “refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief.”

Aldean didn’t apologize or back down, and that’s key.

Those looking to destroy Aldean and erase his song don’t care about violence. I’m guessing they don’t even listen to country music.

What they care about is political and cultural power, and the ability to shape—through public and private institutions—the moral and ethical framework of our society. That’s why they are pushing institutions to denounce the country music star and cleanse his music from popular spaces.

But an interesting thing is happening in our society. As our elite institutions embrace left-wing ideology as their predominant ethos, Americans en masse are in the process of abandoning them. You could ask Bud Light.

Trust in institutions has entirely collapsed, in part because they are now seen as being ideologically captured.

The sales for Aldean’s new song have exploded. It recently reached the No. 1 spot on iTunes. Americans have rushed to support him as our elites attempt to tear him down.

Hopefully, Aldean won’t waver and won’t cave. If he does, his detractors will happily accept the gift of his apology, announce how it confirms his guilt and the guilt of our society in general, and will insist that he either becomes an active devotee of their cause or they will punish him further.

As we’ve seen with the incredible ticket sales of the film “Sound of Freedom” and the collapse of Bud Light after it insulted its customers by making transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney a spokesman, Americans with traditional values still have a great deal of power—if they wield it.

Nothing will ever be gained by conceding to the cultural Jacobins who have become the institutional gatekeepers of our society.

And when a man stands against the mob, we need to make sure great and powerful forces will come to his aid.

“Try that in a small town” should be the new “come and take it” response to attempts at cancellation by our noxious cultural elites.

This commentary written by Jarrett Stepman, a columnist for The Daily Signal. This was originally published on The Daily Signal (www.dailysignal.com).

Twelve different faith leaders from different places of worship came together last week to pray for the citizens of Crestview, the homeless and downtrodden, the military, Crestview’s businesses, our students and school leaders, the city’s public services department, its elected officials and the city manager, the Crestview faith community, law enforcement, firefighters, and those in the medical field.

“God, I am so honored and so blessed to be the mayor of this great city that has such a strong faith community,” Mayor JB Whitten said in his closing prayer at the event. “Every day we are surrounded and protected by the many churches we have in this great city, and they would not be fulfilling your will if they didn’t have the fantastic leaders that we have. … Lord, we recognize the hard work and challenges they have in supporting us and keeping us close to you.”

The National Day of Prayer was signed into law by President Harry S. Truman in 1952, and every president since has signed a proclamation that encourages Americans to pray on and celebrate the day. Since it was founded, the National Day of Prayer has always been held on the first Thursday in May.

While the holiday was originally created to celebrate the Christian faith and unite American citizens together in prayer, it is now celebrated by all beliefs and religions, Whitten said while reading his proclamation at the event.

If there was anything disappointing about Crestview’s National Day of Prayer program, it was just that more people did not attend. Last week’s event at the Old Spanish Trail amphitheater had about 75 people attend in a venue that could have easily set double or triple that number.

Regardless of anyone’s religious beliefs are, hopefully most people agree that praying for the safety and wellbeing of the community and the people in it can do nothing but good.

It was also good to see in this issue that the First Presbyterian Church in Crestview is rebuilding and recovering from the Feb. 18 incident where a suspected drunk driver drove through the front of the building at a high rate of speed.

The damage done to the church was extensive. The car crashed into the narthex, spewing battery acid and automotive fluid into the sanctuary, a wall was displaced about six inches, the ceiling of the narthex received so much damage that it must be replaced, an exterior brick wall is covered in plywood, and support post and beams must be repaired.

Even with all of that damage, the church was able to celebrate worship services in its sanctuary for the first time since the accident on Easter Sunday.

“I express my appreciation for the prayers and offers of help from the community,” the Rev. Mark Broadhead said in an interview with the Crestview News Bulletin. “I believe in the power of prayer.”

So do we.

The church still has a long way to go before it fully recovers from the accident, but they are on the right path.