Chicks face Landslide of anger after remark
That whoosh you just heard was the careers of the Dixie Chicks as they head south at warp speed. It feels as if I may well be the only person in the Great State of Texas not offended by Natalie Maines' Presidential insult:
Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.
The reason I'm not offended by Maines' comment is that, on one level, at least, I agree with her. Of course, my disdain for Our Sainted President has nothing to do with the coming war against Iraq. Shrub stole an election and then has proceeded to wrap himself in the protective mantle of his Christian faith. If there is has been a more egregious display of hyprocrisy in the Oval Office, I'm not aware of it. I'm ashamed because I am offended by the fact that someone so duplicitous and craven inhabits the White House.
Free speech being a Constitutionally-guaranteed right, Maines has the right to voice her opinion. Of course, there is a time and a place for such things, and the venue chosen by Maines was neither. Let's keep in mind that she was in London, where anti-American and anti-war sentiment has been running high. In playing to the crowd, she said something that she felt would make them feel more comfortable with a group of American entertainers. In retrospect, it was perhaps not the brighest move, but what is even more offensive is the way people in this country have reacted.
When the story broke in the United States on Thursday, many country stations banished the Chicks from the airwaves.
In Houston, country stations KKBQ (92.9 FM) and KILT (100.3 FM) pulled the Dixie Chicks from their playlists.
"We've got them off the air for right now," said Jeff Garrison, program director at KILT. "People are shocked. They cannot believe Texas' own have attacked the state and the president."
The Dixie Chicks performed at Bush's gubernatorial inaugural ball in 1995, before Maines joined the group.
Before pulling songs such as Travelin' Soldier and Landslide Thursday, both KKBQ and KILT ran polls to see how their listeners felt about the issue.
"There were a few radio stations (around the country) that immediately went out and banned them," said Michael Cruise, program director for KKBQ and KTHT (97.1 FM). "We didn't want to be hasty. We knew how the wind was going to blow, because you know how patriotic Texans and country music listeners are. We decided the fair thing to do was to put a Web poll up and ask our listeners, and whatever you guys decide, we'll abide by.
"We ended the poll at 2:30 p.m. today. It was 72 percent in favor of dumping the Chicks from the playlist."
KILT's poll was still running on its Web site (www.kilt.com) Friday night. At 7 p.m. results were 75 percent for not continuing to play the Dixie Chicks, 9 percent to stop playing them for a while and 15 percent to keep playing them, with 1 percent no opinion.
Can we all just get over ourselves here? The self-righteous "How could she impugn Our President?" act is both trite and insulting. While listening to the radio yesterday, I was subjected to the opinions of many people, most of whom seem to have lost the mental ability to do anything but march in blind, unquestioning lockstep with the majority opinion. Of course, having said that, I must admit that I do recognize that people have a right to their anger. Nonetheless, the lynch-mob mentality that was created by the media and played for ratings is despicable.
If you were offended by Natalie Maines exercising her free speech rights, that is your right. No one is going to force you to buy a Dixie Chicks album. Susan was telling me last night that the Chicks' latest album has sold more copies than ANY other album ever released. Methinks their next album won't be nearly as successful.
In an apparent effort to salvage what's left of her career, Maines has issued an apology for her statement:
As a concerned American citizen, I apologize to President Bush because my remark was disrespectful. I feel that whoever holds that office should be treated with the utmost respect. We are currently in Europe and witnessing a huge anti-American sentiment as a result of the perceived rush to war. While war may remain a viable option, as a mother, I just want to see every possible alternative exhausted before children and American soldiers' lives are lost. I love my country. I am a proud American.
Well intentioned, I'm sure, but likely too little too late. Most Texans have already organized their own metaphorical lynching, and their minds have long since closed to anything resembling reason. I think that the Chicks' are going to be persona non grata in their home state, which is too bad. Texas used to be a place that honored and revered individualism.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to the CD Whorehouse and buy the Dixie Chicks latest album.
