Merle Haggard – paleocon?

Been listening to Merle Haggard’s latest album Chicago Wind, and the Hag is not happy about the direction of our fair nation.

“Where’s All the Freedom” is less than sanguine about the state of our liberites:

Where’s all the freedom/that we’re fightin’ for? … Where’s all the freedom/that we fought to save? Is it gone for good with yesterday? … Can’t show the Ten Commandments anymore … Can’t afford to take my car to the grocery store … Where’s all the freedom/that we’re fighting for? … Where’s all the freedom/that we’re praying for? … Are we a nation under God anymore?

And “America First” is a virtual isolationist manifesto:

Why don’t we liberate/these United States/We’re the ones who need it the worst/… There’s things to be done/all over the world/but let’s rebuild America first … God bless the Army and God bless our liberty/dadgum the rest of it all … Freedom is stuck in reverse/let’s get out of Iraq and get back on track/let’s rebuild America first…

Of course, Hag’s affectionate ballad “Mexico” may not endear him to immigration restrictionists, so maybe we shouldn’t expect him to be sharing a platform with Pat Buchanan anytime soon.