Her expulsion from the Alladin wasn't all that surprising to Ronstadt, who mused before the ill-fated performance that if she'd just keep irritating them (management), they'd stop inviting her to sing there.  She has been dedicating the song "Desperado" to filmmaker Michael Moore for weeks now and getting similar responses from audiences, so she did expect at some point that her relationship with the casino would lead to a termination of sorts. 

Then, there was the July 15th piece in the San Diego Union-Tribune where Ronstadt was quoted saying, "It's a real conflict for me when I go to a concert and find out somebody in the audience is a Republican or fundamental Christian. It can cloud my enjoyment. I'd rather not know."

Now, it seems, the left is coming to her rescue.  In today's New York Times, there is an article highlighting Ronstadt's expulsion from the Alladin.  In that piece, named simply "Desperadoes", the un-named author suggests that casino management would have been better off throwing out outraged patrons who trashed Linda Ronstadt posters and booed her off the stage, instead of the singer whose comments instigated the melee.  Says the writer, "This behavior assumes that Ms. Ronstadt had no right to express a political opinion from the stage. It implies - for some members of the audience at least - that there is a philosophical contract that says an artist must entertain an audience only in the ways that audience sees fit. It argues, in fact, that an artist like Ms. Ronstadt does not have the same rights as everyone else."

"Perhaps her praise for Mr. Moore, even at the very end of her show, did ruin the performance for some people. They have a right to voice their disapproval - to express their opinion as Ms. Ronstadt expressed hers and to ask for a refund. But if their intemperate behavior began to worry the management, then they were the ones who should have been thrown out and told never to return, not Ms. Ronstadt, who threatened, after all, only to sing."

Editorial piece, or is this real news - it doesn't make mention in the internet version... but it did make today's headlines on the drudgereport.com website.