The Dixie Chicks, NBC and freedom of speech
The Dixie Chicks are back in the news again with their new movie, "Shut Up And Sing", about the controversy that was generated when they said a few choice words about George W Bush at the outset of the Iraq war. Their infamous anti-Bush comment was mild: "I'm ashamed that the president of the united states is from texas", yet amazingly it earned them the enmity of conservatives everywhere. Suddenly right-wing radio stations refused to play their music and intellectually-challenged wingnuts came out in force to ceremoniously trash their CDs. All because they dared to express a contrary opinion while the war-drums were beating and everyone, media included, was on the war bandwagon. Fast-forwarding 3-1/2 years, history's proven the Dixie Chick right, and their opinion of Bush and his Iraq disaster is now shared by the majority. Just consider some of the things that people have said about Bush lately: ie. "George Bush doesn't care about black people". That's a hell of a lot more inflammatory than what the Dixie Chicks said, and I haven't seen anyone burning Kayne West CDs. So the Dixie Chicks movie shouldn't be that controversial, right? Wrong.
NBC, ironically the same network the Kayne West comment was made on, has rejected the commercial for the movie because "the ad disparaged president bush". Oh please. Who in their right mind wouldn't disparage that fucking cretin? And besides, the "disparaging" remark in this case was in response to a typically idiotic comment Bush made about the Dixie Chicks. They can't respond? What bullshit. The networks have obviously been given the word that if they want continued access to Georgie, they better not air this commercial right before the midterms. And NBC is caving. If this kind of slavering obsequiousness is what the mainstream media has come to, it's no wonder audiences are departing in droves for the internet; this is still one place they can't suppress freedom of speech.
NBC, ironically the same network the Kayne West comment was made on, has rejected the commercial for the movie because "the ad disparaged president bush". Oh please. Who in their right mind wouldn't disparage that fucking cretin? And besides, the "disparaging" remark in this case was in response to a typically idiotic comment Bush made about the Dixie Chicks. They can't respond? What bullshit. The networks have obviously been given the word that if they want continued access to Georgie, they better not air this commercial right before the midterms. And NBC is caving. If this kind of slavering obsequiousness is what the mainstream media has come to, it's no wonder audiences are departing in droves for the internet; this is still one place they can't suppress freedom of speech.
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