Well, so much for going gently into that good night, eh? Well, it would have been silly to expect these opinionated Chicks to play shrinking violets, and I must admit that I admire there determination. Mind you, there choice of venue and manner of expression may have been less than ideal, but the sentiments were clearly genuine. In an era, where public figures too often speak in cliches, it was refreshing to hear someone voice an honest unvarnished opinion.
"I'm not truly embarrassed that, you know, President Bush is from my state, that's not really what I care about," Maines says in an interview with Sawyer for ABC's "Primetime Thursday," airing 10 p.m. EDT Thursday, according to The Associated Press.
"It was the wrong wording with genuine emotion and questions and concern behind it. ... Am I sorry that I asked questions and that I just don't follow? No."
"It's the people who have gone overboard and done such irrational things that take you back to the days of book burning. That is a concern for me," Maguire said.
"We know some of our fans were shocked and ... upset. I totally understand it. My problem is, when does it cross the line? When is trashing Emily's property OK? When is writing a threatening letter OK?"
Robison added that the band was dealing with "bigger issues" than the loss of record sales.
"I'm concerned about my safety. I'm concerned about my safety for my family," she said. "When you're getting death threats ... At our concerts this year, we have to have metal detectors, and to me that's just crazy. But we have to take precautions because this thing has gotten so out of control."
If you disagree with the sentiments voiced by the Chicks, that's fine, and that is your right as an American, just as it is their right to express themselves. What I find offensive is the reaction of so many Americans: burning CD's, staging boycotts, and the like, simply because they dared to express their opinion against Our Sainted President.
I'm not saying that I agree or disagree with their sentiments, but I've got to hand it to them: these women have chutzpah, and what's not to be admired about that??
