Is Toby Keith's face red or what? Fucking patsy. Well, it took country pioneer Merle Haggard to recapture the outlaw spirit of county since all the other "big names" are currently busy trying on gaudy cowboy hats and giving oral favors to Clear Channel executives. He's rush-releasing a new single called "That's The News," which is critical of a national media that prefers to focus on celebrity gossip and other car chase fare, which bloody fighting continues in Iraq. The lyrics are sharp too: "Politicians do all the talking, soldiers pay the dues/Suddenly the war is over, that's the news." Even better, the singer recently posted an essay on his website that effectively aimed a shotgun at the groin of the "boot-in-yer-ass-that's-the-American-way" crew and timid country radio types. Here's a snip: "I don't even know the Dixie Chicks, but I find it an insult for all men and women who fought and died in past wars when almost the majority of America jumped down their throats for voicing an opinion. It was like a verbal witch-hunt and lynching." Nicely done.