Controversy erupts over Country Star's Confederate Flag Earpiece during Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting

(Huffington Post) -- Country singer Trace Adkins raised eyebrows on Wednesday night when he sported a Confederate-flag earpiece during the nationally televised Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting.

The Stars-and-Bars earpiece, which was clearly visible as Adkins performed "Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire," generated a flurry of conversation on Twitter. The fashion statement comes just weeks after the White House's official website was flooded with petitions supporting the secession of dozens of states.

Adkins is no stranger to politics. The country star, a Republican, appeared in Tampa for the GOP convention in August, where he debuted a politically-themed anthem called "Tough People Do."

According to the singer's book, "A Personal Stand" -- where he refers to the Civil War as the "War Against Northern Aggression" -- he is a lifetime member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.