Let’s go back and look again at Bush’s remarks in the Brokaw interview in the month following “The Comment” and the invasion of Iraq:
...They [the Dixie Chicks] shouldn't have their feelings hurt just because some people don't want to buy their records when they speak out.
Cancelled concerts, boycotts, and stations colluding to keep them off the airwaves were heavy-handed means to crush them and derail their careers. Hurt feelings take a distant second place to hate mail and death threats. Once again, the President doesn’t seem to get it.
Let Freedom Ring
Thomas Jefferson said, “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.” By that yardstick, the Dixie Chicks have acted as true patriots.
The Chicks, bless ’em, don’t just carry a macrochip on their shoulders. There’s instrumental virtuosity and a songwriting range that spans regions and decades. One country and one form of music aren’t enough to contain them or stifle their passion. They’ll sing but they won’t shut up. That seems downright American.
-Richard Corliss, Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People (Special Issue), May 8, 2006
Crank ‘em up on your stereo and let them speak for themselves. Let their simple message resonate within you and inspire you to action. Show off your bona fides, stand up, and speak out. Our nation will be the better for it, and you’ll feel better, too. That’s what I call a win-win situation!
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