chick this out

as soon as natalie maines said her piece about president bush, i considered her to be an idiot. it's not that i am a huge apologist for the president, or even think that what we're doing in the middle/near east is a reasonably managed program. her words -"just so you know, we're ashamed that president bush is from texas" reminded me of something an elementary student would say. rather that state an opinion as to why he was a failure or disgrace, she used a non-specific pseudo-insult to say nothing. i wish i had realized that this was the extent of her depth of thought.

many people across the nation were so offended by her remarks (later seconded by her bandmates), that they burned and destroyed dixie chick materials with a fury not known since john lennon declared himself to be "bigger than Jesus." their misunderstanding of reality again came to be on display. how could they not expect their core audience (red necks who vote republican) to be upset? the dixie chicks voiced their disgust and superiority (as they saw it) by ridiculing those former fans who chose to voice their opinions through boycotting, limiting radio airplay, and destruction or removal of their music. apparently the concept of free speech is only a workable concept for the liberals in the crowd.

after several months of limited airplay, concert cancellations, and vitriolic rhetoric; the "chicks" went on television and recanted their mouthings about the president. apparently they had gotten a little carried away and wanted to clear the air. i was disgusted. can you imagine ring lardner jr. or bob dylan changing their stories just to save some money? if you have a point of view and wish to share it, please do. it is your right and duty as an american. taking back your words because they are costing you your living is shameful. well, after a couple of years, i guess we were supposed to have forgotten that they lost their nerve while in the crucible. they reemerged after having all but disappeared for a good while. seriously, i never heard their music on kvet or xm. they were gone.

a new album came out this year being acclaimed by critics. though it is apparently a well constructed album, they still cancelled concerts all over the country due to lack of interest. schadenfreude, anyone?

as a result of that album, last night the dixie chicks were presented with 5 grammy awards. while some see this as a vindication for the girls, i see it differently. the voters for this award are neither the american public, nor the country music association. the voting group is made up of music performers, producers, engineers, and executives from across the country. this group of (perhaps) liberal-minded artists may have voted for this group as a referendum on iraq and president bush's administration; but, the reality is that they have not been forgiven by the majority of people who buy and sell country music in this country. i wonder if that will ever happen.

after winning one of the awards last night, natalie maines said, "To quote the great 'Simpsons,' 'Ha-ha!'" nice. there's nothing like having class; and, this broad demonstrates for the world that she is having nothing like class. like my old uncle olaf used to say," what do you expect from a pig but a grunt?"

my favorite dixie chick story happened way before any of this "trouble" began. i worked with a girl named katrina who could have looked vaguely like natalie maines if katrina had gone on a three week crack and heroine and crystal meth bender. one day she was talking to a boy who was about ten. she was just chatting with him while cutting his hair when he blurted out," you look like one of the dixie chicks." katrina's immediate response was ,"you better not mean the fat one."

it still makes me laugh.