Dixie Chicks, Valerie Plame & Bush

A politician's reaction to dissent is often the true test of a commitment to democracy. Great leaders not only tolerate criticism, but welcome disagreement as part of a fair competition of ideas
leading to the best result for society.

Certainly, no one who truly cares about democracy favors punishing critics and demonizing dissenters. But just such hostility has been the calling card of George W. Bush and his backers over the past five years as they have subjected public critics to vilification, ridicule and retaliation.

While Bush doesn’t always join personally in the attack-dog operations, he has a remarkable record of never calling off the dogs, letting his surrogates inflict the damage while he winks his approval. In some cases, however, such as the punishment of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife, CIA officer Valerie Plame, Bush has actually gotten his hands dirty.

The Bush-on-the-sidelines cases are illustrated by what happened to the Dixie Chicks, a three-woman country-western band that has faced three years of boycotts because lead singer, Natalie Maines, criticized Bush as he was stampeding the nation toward war with Iraq.

During a March 10, 2003, concert in London, Maines, a Texan, remarked, “we’re ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas.” Two days later – just a week before Bush launched the Iraq invasion – she added, “I feel the President is ignoring the opinions of many in the U.S. and alienating the rest of the world.”

With war hysteria then sweeping America, the right-wing attack machine switched into high gear, organizing rallies to drive trucks over Dixie Chicks CDs and threatening country-western stations that played Dixie Chicks music. Maines later apologized, but it was too late to stop the group’s songs from falling down the country music charts.

On April 24, 2003, with the Iraq War barely a month old, NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw asked Bush about the boycott of the Dixie Chicks.

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bu$hler Is Losing Country Radio Listeners. Dixie Chicks Vindicated!

Here's a small but very telling example of eroding support for the Boy King in Deepest Red Arkansas.

I happened to be listening to the number one station in Arkansas (a Country station, like I need to tell you that, but I will) shortly after 5:00 PM on Monday 5/15. The DJ who's on at that time rarely EVER does any sort of listener poll/discussion and generally steers WELL away from politics of any sort on the air.

But for whatever reason, he felt like asking his listeners what they thought of The Dixie Chicks' appearance the previous evening on 60 Minutes. I didn't hear the precise wording of his questions and I only listened for about ten minutes--but what I heard just put my jaw on the floor!

The first call I heard was from a woman who said (paraphrasing here) "Isn't freedom of speech one of the things that we fight for in this country? Doesn't she (meaning Natalie) have the same right to express herself, even if people don't agree with her?" "Shit," I thought! "bu$h is OVER in Arkansas!" That was the FIRST WORD OF DISSENT I have heard on a Country station since 9/11 and it came from a LISTENER!

The second caller I heard was also a woman. "I'm probably more Liberal than the rest of your listeners," she began, "And you probably won't put this on the air, but I have to say it. Bush sent our troops into Iraq and he lied about what it was for. The Dixie Chicks were right." And I be go-to-hell if she didn't finish off by saying "Nobody died when Clinton lied." Again, I have paraphrased her remarks, but that last sentence is WORD FOR WORD.

That two Country Radio listeners would speak right up in support of The Dixie Chicks is MIND BOGGLING in its political implications. Country listeners are some of the most conservative and patriotic people on Earth; they ALWAYS support the president in times of crisis. Long story short here: Arkies are beginning to realize that bu$h has fucked this country over while wrapping himself in their flag.

A hundred years ago, he would have been wearing a fresh coat of tar and feathers from the Wonder State.


dbt
Remember New Orleans

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