Perhaps
I’m just dense or something, but I fail to see why there is so
much controversy and furor over this ‘Dixie Chicks’ thing. To
refresh your memory. A few weeks ago, this country western vocal
group was on tour in England when one of the members thought
she’d be cute and ran her mouth about her opposition to the
Iraqi war as well as President Bush. Shortly after making these
statements, there was an uproar here in the country about the
group being unpatriotic, disloyal and other vile things. Radio
stations boycotted their music, protests started all over the
place and their album sales dropped like a stone. The other
night they appeared on some talk show to explain what they
really meant to say and included this piece of brilliant
commentary…”We all for the troops, we just aren’t for the war.”
Say what?
Then they began
to whine about how unfair it was for people to actually not buy
their music or to be upset with them over their comments. First
off, let me say that I don’t know the Dixie Chicks, I don’t
think I’ve ever heard them sing, I know I haven’t bought
anything with their name on it and I probably wouldn’t go to one
of their concerts if you gave me the tickets. I am not currently
a country music fan. In fact, I don’t know what I like to listen
to except the oldies stations, but I get tired of listening to
Blue Moon, Rhonda and Runaround Sue day after day. Most of the
time I just don’t listen to anything. However, I have been
around a lot of country-western singers and listeners in my
lifetime and for the most part I found them to be ..patriotic.
God fearing…flag waving…troop loving…Americans.
Now, my
question is simply this…how is these Ditsy Chicks are so far out
of touch with their audience (read: customers) that they ignored
what the majority of their fan base believed in? Now, I realize
these women aren’t political science majors and have no position
in the formation of our foreign affairs, but you’d think they
would be a little savvier than they appear to be. Spouting off
about how much you dislike our country and our President only
serves to discourage our soldiers as they go out in harms way.
Soldiers don’t have any choice. They obey orders. They fight
when they are told to fight and they can and do die in the
effort. They need to know we support them and want them home.
They don’t need to read about entertainers standing up on some
stage in some foreign country and seeking the crowd’s approval
for some inane political statement.
Now, having
said that let me add that these women had every right to say
what they wanted to about our government and our involvement in
this war. I just don’t think this was the time and the place to
express those thoughts. I suppose what gets under my skin is the
simple fact that their very right to speak out against our
government was a result of some poor soldier dying in the first
place. Trust me, we are all well aware of the everyday
atrocities which are taking place around the world at this time.
I find it interesting that this popular group of women have
remained silent and ignored all of these. Why not use their
popularity to draw some attention to these as well?
No, now they
find themselves in the position of wanting to backtrack because
their comments are hitting them in the pocketbook and they
think, “It’s just not fair.” Well, it is fair, ladies…. I can
choose to listen to who I want and to buy whatever I want and if
I choose not to buy something created by you or that would
benefit you, then I am exercising my right as an American, just
as you did by making your little anti-war speech.
There seems to
be only one difference between your right to free speech and my
right to boycott you if I so choose. I happen to know who gave
me those rights and I respect the men and women who suffered in
doing so. As the old poem goes:
It is the
soldier, not the reporter
Who
has given us Freedom of the press.
It is the
soldier, not the poet,
Who
has given us Freedom of speech.
It is the
soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who
has given us Freedom to demonstrate.
It is the
soldier, not the lawyer,
Who
has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the
soldier, who salutes the flag,
Who serves under the flag and
Whose coffin is draped by the flag
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.
