Senator Proposes Ban on Jay-Z Music
Senator Ted Cruz introduced a bill today to ban government employees from listening to rapper Jay-Z's music. In a speech on the Senate floor, the Texas Republican, who is of Cuban descent, said Jay-Z's recent rip to Cuba with his wife BeyoncÃ© was "anÂ unconscionableÂ act of treason" and should be punished severely. "It bothers me that some of our nation's leading singers don't seem to care about the law," Cruz told his fellow senators. "We've had a travel ban on Cuba for fifty years for one very good reason - it works. TheÂ regimeÂ has slowly been crumbling for decades. "We were weeks, maybe only days away from seeing the fall of the CommunistÂ regime. Freedom was on the march. Democracy was in the air. "And then Mr. Jay-Z swoops in and ruins it all for everyone. Well I don't see why a friend of the Castros is allowed to do business here in the United States." Jay-Z (nÃ©e Shawn Carter) and his wife BeyoncÃ© Knowles visited Cuba last week to celebrate their fifth weddingÂ anniversary. Although the State Department officiallyÂ sanctionedÂ theirÂ visit through a special cultural exchange visa, many Republican lawmakers have questioned the legality of their trip. Cruz's ban would apply to all government employees, including active dutyÂ militaryÂ personnel. It would make possession of Jay-Z music on an a phone, iPod or CD while on government property punishableÂ by 30 days in jail and a $500 fine. Free speech advocates have come out against the bill, arguing it is a gross violation of the First Amendment. However, Cruz rejects thatÂ criticismÂ out of hand. "The First Amendment is an important and vital part of ourÂ constitution," he says, "but since when does freedom of speech give someone the right to say things that I personally disagree with? Doesn't that go too far? "Did the founding fathers really want the First Amendment to apply to communists, fascists, lesbians, or rappers? I don't think so." Cruz says his ban isÂ constitutionalÂ because it only applies to government employees while at work. However, one government employee doesn't agree with the move. "So I can go off to war and get shot at fighting for my country," says Sgt. Raymond Shaw,Â a memberÂ of the U.S. Army. "But if I put Jay-Z in my iPod when I get back I'm going to jail? Whoever this Ted Cruz guy is, he's a f**king dick." Asked why his proposed ban doesn't apply to BeyoncÃ©'s music since she also made the trip to Cuba, Cruz explained that her music is different. "I've been a huge fan ever since Destiny's Child," he says. "I'm a government employee, and I don't think I could live without my Single Ladies." Cruz is the junior Senator from Texas, first elected in 2012. He is affiliatedÂ with the Tea Party movement.