Rock legend Gene Simmons spoke at the Pentagon’s #Knowyourmil promotional event recently and was moved to tears frequently as he discussed his mother’s love of America.
Simmons’ mother recently passed away at the age of 93. Florence Klein survived internment in Nazi concentration camps at the age of 14. She and one brother were the only members of the family to survive the Holocaust.
“I was from Hungary, and I too survived the Holocaust,” she told a Huffington Post journalist on an airplane back in 1994.
Simmons, born in Israel, immigrated to the United States at the age of eight with his mother. He explained that he would often be allowed to stay up late to watch TV with her, and described how she would always become emotional at the sight of an American flag.
“Every time my mother saw the flag, she’d start crying,” Simmons remembered.
Gene Adressing at the Pentagon just recently. https://t.co/7XieT3f9jj
— John Wicker (@JohnWicker33) May 17, 2019
Simmons explained that his mother viewed moving to America as being the only time they were finally safe.
“I may have been born in the country that people throughout history have referred to as the promised land, but take my word for it, America is the promised land. For everybody,” Simmons proudly proclaimed.
“And don’t be ashamed, don’t hesitate … we need to teach young people to be comfortable with saying ‘God bless America.'”
CNN’s Classless Response
CNN made absolutely no mention of the Pentagon’s #Knowyourmil event, designed to expand public knowledge of the Defense Department’s mission and to promote military careers.
They made no mention of Simmons’ touching story about his mother and why his family loves America.
Instead, they complained that Simmons was at a podium meant for press briefings to ‘fake news’ outlets like their own.
KISS frontman Gene Simmons was at the Pentagon today and spoke with DoD employees.
Simmons spoke from a podium that has not seen a spokesperson brief in almost a year.
May 31, 2018 was the last time a press secretary delivered an on camera briefing at the Pentagon. pic.twitter.com/52lIcbe1P4
— David P Gelles (@gelles) May 16, 2019
Be better at your job, CNN, and maybe the Trump administration will give you press briefings. As it is, you couldn’t even accurately report on a visit by Gene freaking Simmons.
KISS – Great Americans
The legendary rockers from KISS have long been fan favorites for readers at the Political Insider.
Simmons has previously called for profiling of terrorists, calling one who set off bombs in New York and New Jersey in 2016 a “son of a b****.”
“He [Ahmad Rahami] should go to jail and become somebody’s girlfriend,” he added.
Simmons also raised eyebrows when he told immigrants they need to learn English, noting that he has the right to say this as an immigrant himself.
“As an immigrant, I’m telling you: learn to speak goddamn English. It is the key that will unlock the keys to the kingdom,” he demanded.
KISS as a band has displayed pro-American, pro-military tendencies in the past. Over the years, they’ve hired military veterans to work as roadies on their various tours.
At a show in 2016, they famously stopped their performance to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and belt out the National Anthem.
