Lets Get Over the Dixie Chicks
Forgive – Sounds Good
Forget – I don’t think I could……
With the still incredible outrage towards the Dixie Chicks, its about time we look at the real story and the reasons behind their assault by the right-wing and how misguided the attack is. Artists, entertainers and people in the public eye, have used their position of prominence to speak out on the issues of the day as far back as recorded time. In recent history such artists as Pete Seeger, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Eminem, Green Day, Kanye West, Pink, Pearl Jam etc… have all used their position of prominence to speak their mind, yet none have paid the price that the Dixie Chicks have.
There is not one simple explanation, but a few that we will look at.
"Just so you know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas." Natalie Maines.
This is the quote that started the firestorm that led to 18th Century censorship and record(instead of book) burnings.The first part of the explanation has to be to change the subject. We had not yet invaded Iraq, and the Bushies knew that what they were about to do and that while the rational at the time was that Iraq had WMD’s and we needed to stop the Brutal Dictatorship of Saddam Hussein before he attacked us.
"We know that he has the infrastructure, nuclear scientists to make a nuclear weapon," she told me. "And we know that when the inspectors assessed this after the Gulf War, he was far, far closer to a crude nuclear device than anybody thought -- maybe six months from a crude nuclear device." "The problem here is that there will always be some uncertainty about how quickly he can acquire nuclear weapons. But we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud." Condi Rice 1/10/2003
We know where they [the weapons of mass destruction] are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south, and north somewhat." Don Rumsfeld
"There's no question Saddam Hussein had al-Qaeda ties." Bush said that September 17, 2003“We found the weapons of mass destruction,” George Bush May 29, 2003
Dick Cheney is quoted as saying, on the eve of the invasion of Iraq, "We will in fact, be greeted as liberators... I think it will go relatively quickly... [in] weeks rather than months."
After such quotes as these by the people in power, which we know now, and they knew then were blatantly false, it was important to have a distraction like the Dixie Chicks.
"My answer is bring 'em on." —President George W. Bush, on Iraqi insurgents attacking U.S. f orces, Washington, D.C., July 3, 2003
"I want justice. And there's an old poster out West, I recall, that says, 'Wanted: Dead or Alive.'" [President Bush, on Osama Bin Laden, 09/17/01]
"I don't know where he is.You know, I just don't spend that much time on him... I truly am not that concerned about him."[President Bush, Press Conference, 3/13/02]
"I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency." -- on the Iraq insurgency, Dick Cheney June 20, 2005
"Oh, no, we're not going to have any casualties." — George Bush discussing the Iraq war with Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson, as quoted by Robertson (Which George Bush never denied saying!)
Now you add the distraction to the fact that the right wing Christian(word used very lightly) Taliban that has taken over our country and that the Bush administration panders to at every single opportunity, has a massive disdain for women who are intelligent and speak their mind, it all starts to add up. This is a group of people who not only want to stop abortion, but also feel that birth control is immoral and that there shall be no talk of condoms (http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?ItemID=20260). Yet somehow many of these zealots, seem to only have a kid or two each, very curious(But I digress). This ties it altogether as to why the Dixie Chicks were the perfect target for the right wing echo chamber to attack.
Many women have told me, and surveys have shown, that they find it easier, more “professionally” gratifying, and certainly more socially affirming, to work outside the home than to give up their careers to take care of their children. Think about that for a moment…Here, we can thank the influence of radical feminism, one of the core philosophies of the village elders." Republican Senator Rick Santorum
“Feminism encourages women to leave their husband, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.” Pat Robertson at the 1992 Republican National Convention.
“There are so many women on the floor of Congress it looks like a mall.” Representative Henry Hyde.
"It was a girl general who was in charge of running our Iraqi prison. And, you know, for one thing, I'm a little disappointed in Rumsfeld--he allows the greatest fighting force on the face of the globe to have girl generals."--Ann Coulter, in a May 5, 2004 radio interview
"Rail as they will about 'discrimination,' women are simply not endowed by nature with the same measures of single-minded ambition and the will to succeed in the fiercely competitive world of Western capitalism." --Pat Buchanan (11/22/83)
"The real liberators of American women were not the feminist noise-makers, they were the automobile, the supermarket, the shopping center, the dishwasher, the washer-dryer, the freezer." --Pat Buchanan, "Right from the Beginning," p. 149
Now you see why the Dixie Chicks were subject o massive censorship and being told to “shut up and Sing.” They did not tote the company line. You can also answer Natalie Maines question of who would teach their daughter to hate, the Republican Party would!! Lets Give the Dixie Chicks an apology and spend some time on quotes that really should be looked into.
"Nothing is more important in the face of a war than cutting taxes."- House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, NY Times, 4/3/03, CongressDaily, 3/17/03
"Emotional appeals about working families trying to get by on $4.25 an hour are hard to resist. Fortunately, such families do not exist."- Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), House Majority Whip, during a debate on increasing the minimum wage, Congressional Record, H3706, 04-23-96
Environmentalists are a socialist group of individuals that are the tool of the Democrat Party. I'm proud to say that they are my enemy. They are not Americans, never have been Americans, never will be Americans."- Rep. Don Young (R-AK), Alaska Public Radio, 08-19-96"
So many minority youths had volunteered…that there was literally no room for patriotic folks like myself." --Tom DeLay, explaining at the 1988 GOP convention why he and vice presidential nominee Dan Quayle did not fight in the Vietnam War (Source)
"Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare, the teaching of evolution in the schools, and working mothers who take birth control pills." –Tom DeLay, on causes of the Columbine High School massacre, 1999 (Source)
"A woman can take care of the family. It takes a man to provide structure. To provide stability. Not that a woman can't provide stability, I'm not saying that... It does take a father, though." -Tom DeLay, in a radio interview, Feb. 10, 2004 (Source)
"You work three jobs? … Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that." --President Bush, to a divorced mother of three in Omaha, Nebraska, Feb. 4, 2005 (Source) (Listen to audio clip)
"Get some devastation in the back." --Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, to a staff photographer as he posed for a photo op while visiting tsunami-ravaged Sri Lanka, Jan. 6, 2005 (Source)
"We don't have to protect the environment, the Second Coming is at hand." --James Watt (Secretary of the Interior under Reagan).** IMPORTANT FOOTNOTE HERE, IS THAT MANY REPUBLICANS NOW(INCLUDING GEEDUBYA) BELIEVE IN THE END TIMES AND THEY COUNT AMONGST THEIR FELLOW BELIEVERS TIMOTHY MCVEIGH.
"I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub."--Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform, NPR Morning Edition, 05-25-01
"When I see a first-class individual who makes $80,000 a year, he's lower middle class. When I see someone who is making anywhere from $300,000 to $750,000 a year, that's middle class. When I see anyone above that, that's upper middle class." --Rep. Fred Heineman (R-NC), explaining that his yearly income of $180,000 leaves him short of middle-class status
It's a hell of a challenge."--Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT) responding to the question "Conrad, how canyou live back there with all those niggers?" AP, 10/20/94
"I've been portrayed as a caveman by some. That's not true. I'm a conservative progressive, and that means I think all men are equal, be they slants, beaners or niggers."--Jesse Helms
I want to say this about my state: When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years, either."--Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS), praising Strom Thurmond's segregationist presidential campaign 12/5/02
“My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building. “Ann Coulter
"These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by grief-arazzis. I've never seen people enjoying their husbands' deaths so much." [p.103] Ann Coulter speaking of the widows of 911 victims.
Since this can go on all day, I will close with just three more. Probably the worst three, and most disgusting. I was going to rank them, but could not since each one is more sickening then the other. Hence they all tie and belong in the shameless Hall of Fame, and Geedubyas is actually treasonous in my book(and he spoke it on foreign soil)!
BENNETT: Well, I don't think it is either, I don't think it is either, because first of all, there is just too much that you don't know. But I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could -- if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out, these far-reaching, extensive extrapolations are, I think, tricky. Morality expert and former Reagan administration official William Bennett(http://mediamatters.org/items/200509280006)
Barbara Bush said: "Almost everyone I’ve talked to says we're going to move to Houston." Then she added: "What I’m hearing which is sort of scary is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality."And so many of the people in the arena here, youknow, were underprivileged anyway, so this--this (she chuckles slightly) is working very well for them." Former First Lady, finding humor and solace in the fact that Many people are living in horrendous conditions after watching their whole livelihood destroyed and too many families still not knowing where the rest of their loved ones are doing just fine by the Bush Matriarchs standards…….
Barbara Bush Bonus disgusting Quote!! “But why should we hear about body bags, and deaths, and how many, what day it's gonna happen, and how many this or what do you suppose? Or, I mean, it's, it's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?” Barbara Bush, On the impending war in Iraq, March 18, 2003
“America welcomes India's economic rise, because we understand that as other nations prosper, it creates more opportunity for us all. In a free economy, every citizen has something to contribute. That is why trade is such a powerful engine of prosperity and upward mobility. When markets are opened and the poor are given a chance to develop their talents and abilities, they can create a better life for their families, they add to the wealth of the world, and they can begin to afford goods and services from other nations. Free and fair trade is good for India, it's good for America, and it is good for the world.In my country, some focus only on one aspect of our trade relationship with India: outsourcing. It's true that some Americans have lost jobs when their companies moved operations overseas. It's also important to remember that when someone loses a job, it's an incredibly difficult period for the worker and their families. Some people believe the answer to this problem is to wall off our economy from the world through protectionist policies. I strongly disagree. My government is helping Americans who have lost their jobs get new skills for new careers. And we're helping to create millions of new jobs in both our countries by embracing the opportunities of a global economy.” George W Bush March 2006 in New Delhi. Espousing the benefits of outsourcing,and our record trade deficit on foreign soil. One of the biggest acts of treason I have ever seen a President perform!!!! http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/03/20060303-5.html
As we can see by their own words, Republican Hypocrisy runs deep!! Please remember these words when you go to the voting booth!!
Forget – I don’t think I could……
With the still incredible outrage towards the Dixie Chicks, its about time we look at the real story and the reasons behind their assault by the right-wing and how misguided the attack is. Artists, entertainers and people in the public eye, have used their position of prominence to speak out on the issues of the day as far back as recorded time. In recent history such artists as Pete Seeger, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Eminem, Green Day, Kanye West, Pink, Pearl Jam etc… have all used their position of prominence to speak their mind, yet none have paid the price that the Dixie Chicks have.
There is not one simple explanation, but a few that we will look at.
"Just so you know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas." Natalie Maines.
This is the quote that started the firestorm that led to 18th Century censorship and record(instead of book) burnings.The first part of the explanation has to be to change the subject. We had not yet invaded Iraq, and the Bushies knew that what they were about to do and that while the rational at the time was that Iraq had WMD’s and we needed to stop the Brutal Dictatorship of Saddam Hussein before he attacked us.
"We know that he has the infrastructure, nuclear scientists to make a nuclear weapon," she told me. "And we know that when the inspectors assessed this after the Gulf War, he was far, far closer to a crude nuclear device than anybody thought -- maybe six months from a crude nuclear device." "The problem here is that there will always be some uncertainty about how quickly he can acquire nuclear weapons. But we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud." Condi Rice 1/10/2003
We know where they [the weapons of mass destruction] are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south, and north somewhat." Don Rumsfeld
"There's no question Saddam Hussein had al-Qaeda ties." Bush said that September 17, 2003“We found the weapons of mass destruction,” George Bush May 29, 2003
Dick Cheney is quoted as saying, on the eve of the invasion of Iraq, "We will in fact, be greeted as liberators... I think it will go relatively quickly... [in] weeks rather than months."
After such quotes as these by the people in power, which we know now, and they knew then were blatantly false, it was important to have a distraction like the Dixie Chicks.
"My answer is bring 'em on." —President George W. Bush, on Iraqi insurgents attacking U.S. f orces, Washington, D.C., July 3, 2003
"I want justice. And there's an old poster out West, I recall, that says, 'Wanted: Dead or Alive.'" [President Bush, on Osama Bin Laden, 09/17/01]
"I don't know where he is.You know, I just don't spend that much time on him... I truly am not that concerned about him."[President Bush, Press Conference, 3/13/02]
"I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency." -- on the Iraq insurgency, Dick Cheney June 20, 2005
"Oh, no, we're not going to have any casualties." — George Bush discussing the Iraq war with Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson, as quoted by Robertson (Which George Bush never denied saying!)
Now you add the distraction to the fact that the right wing Christian(word used very lightly) Taliban that has taken over our country and that the Bush administration panders to at every single opportunity, has a massive disdain for women who are intelligent and speak their mind, it all starts to add up. This is a group of people who not only want to stop abortion, but also feel that birth control is immoral and that there shall be no talk of condoms (http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?ItemID=20260). Yet somehow many of these zealots, seem to only have a kid or two each, very curious(But I digress). This ties it altogether as to why the Dixie Chicks were the perfect target for the right wing echo chamber to attack.
Many women have told me, and surveys have shown, that they find it easier, more “professionally” gratifying, and certainly more socially affirming, to work outside the home than to give up their careers to take care of their children. Think about that for a moment…Here, we can thank the influence of radical feminism, one of the core philosophies of the village elders." Republican Senator Rick Santorum
“Feminism encourages women to leave their husband, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.” Pat Robertson at the 1992 Republican National Convention.
“There are so many women on the floor of Congress it looks like a mall.” Representative Henry Hyde.
"It was a girl general who was in charge of running our Iraqi prison. And, you know, for one thing, I'm a little disappointed in Rumsfeld--he allows the greatest fighting force on the face of the globe to have girl generals."--Ann Coulter, in a May 5, 2004 radio interview
"Rail as they will about 'discrimination,' women are simply not endowed by nature with the same measures of single-minded ambition and the will to succeed in the fiercely competitive world of Western capitalism." --Pat Buchanan (11/22/83)
"The real liberators of American women were not the feminist noise-makers, they were the automobile, the supermarket, the shopping center, the dishwasher, the washer-dryer, the freezer." --Pat Buchanan, "Right from the Beginning," p. 149
Now you see why the Dixie Chicks were subject o massive censorship and being told to “shut up and Sing.” They did not tote the company line. You can also answer Natalie Maines question of who would teach their daughter to hate, the Republican Party would!! Lets Give the Dixie Chicks an apology and spend some time on quotes that really should be looked into.
"Nothing is more important in the face of a war than cutting taxes."- House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, NY Times, 4/3/03, CongressDaily, 3/17/03
"Emotional appeals about working families trying to get by on $4.25 an hour are hard to resist. Fortunately, such families do not exist."- Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), House Majority Whip, during a debate on increasing the minimum wage, Congressional Record, H3706, 04-23-96
Environmentalists are a socialist group of individuals that are the tool of the Democrat Party. I'm proud to say that they are my enemy. They are not Americans, never have been Americans, never will be Americans."- Rep. Don Young (R-AK), Alaska Public Radio, 08-19-96"
So many minority youths had volunteered…that there was literally no room for patriotic folks like myself." --Tom DeLay, explaining at the 1988 GOP convention why he and vice presidential nominee Dan Quayle did not fight in the Vietnam War (Source)
"Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare, the teaching of evolution in the schools, and working mothers who take birth control pills." –Tom DeLay, on causes of the Columbine High School massacre, 1999 (Source)
"A woman can take care of the family. It takes a man to provide structure. To provide stability. Not that a woman can't provide stability, I'm not saying that... It does take a father, though." -Tom DeLay, in a radio interview, Feb. 10, 2004 (Source)
"You work three jobs? … Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that." --President Bush, to a divorced mother of three in Omaha, Nebraska, Feb. 4, 2005 (Source) (Listen to audio clip)
"Get some devastation in the back." --Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, to a staff photographer as he posed for a photo op while visiting tsunami-ravaged Sri Lanka, Jan. 6, 2005 (Source)
"We don't have to protect the environment, the Second Coming is at hand." --James Watt (Secretary of the Interior under Reagan).** IMPORTANT FOOTNOTE HERE, IS THAT MANY REPUBLICANS NOW(INCLUDING GEEDUBYA) BELIEVE IN THE END TIMES AND THEY COUNT AMONGST THEIR FELLOW BELIEVERS TIMOTHY MCVEIGH.
"I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub."--Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform, NPR Morning Edition, 05-25-01
"When I see a first-class individual who makes $80,000 a year, he's lower middle class. When I see someone who is making anywhere from $300,000 to $750,000 a year, that's middle class. When I see anyone above that, that's upper middle class." --Rep. Fred Heineman (R-NC), explaining that his yearly income of $180,000 leaves him short of middle-class status
It's a hell of a challenge."--Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT) responding to the question "Conrad, how canyou live back there with all those niggers?" AP, 10/20/94
"I've been portrayed as a caveman by some. That's not true. I'm a conservative progressive, and that means I think all men are equal, be they slants, beaners or niggers."--Jesse Helms
I want to say this about my state: When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years, either."--Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS), praising Strom Thurmond's segregationist presidential campaign 12/5/02
“My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building. “Ann Coulter
"These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by grief-arazzis. I've never seen people enjoying their husbands' deaths so much." [p.103] Ann Coulter speaking of the widows of 911 victims.
Since this can go on all day, I will close with just three more. Probably the worst three, and most disgusting. I was going to rank them, but could not since each one is more sickening then the other. Hence they all tie and belong in the shameless Hall of Fame, and Geedubyas is actually treasonous in my book(and he spoke it on foreign soil)!
BENNETT: Well, I don't think it is either, I don't think it is either, because first of all, there is just too much that you don't know. But I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could -- if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out, these far-reaching, extensive extrapolations are, I think, tricky. Morality expert and former Reagan administration official William Bennett(http://mediamatters.org/items/200509280006)
Barbara Bush said: "Almost everyone I’ve talked to says we're going to move to Houston." Then she added: "What I’m hearing which is sort of scary is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality."And so many of the people in the arena here, youknow, were underprivileged anyway, so this--this (she chuckles slightly) is working very well for them." Former First Lady, finding humor and solace in the fact that Many people are living in horrendous conditions after watching their whole livelihood destroyed and too many families still not knowing where the rest of their loved ones are doing just fine by the Bush Matriarchs standards…….
Barbara Bush Bonus disgusting Quote!! “But why should we hear about body bags, and deaths, and how many, what day it's gonna happen, and how many this or what do you suppose? Or, I mean, it's, it's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?” Barbara Bush, On the impending war in Iraq, March 18, 2003
“America welcomes India's economic rise, because we understand that as other nations prosper, it creates more opportunity for us all. In a free economy, every citizen has something to contribute. That is why trade is such a powerful engine of prosperity and upward mobility. When markets are opened and the poor are given a chance to develop their talents and abilities, they can create a better life for their families, they add to the wealth of the world, and they can begin to afford goods and services from other nations. Free and fair trade is good for India, it's good for America, and it is good for the world.In my country, some focus only on one aspect of our trade relationship with India: outsourcing. It's true that some Americans have lost jobs when their companies moved operations overseas. It's also important to remember that when someone loses a job, it's an incredibly difficult period for the worker and their families. Some people believe the answer to this problem is to wall off our economy from the world through protectionist policies. I strongly disagree. My government is helping Americans who have lost their jobs get new skills for new careers. And we're helping to create millions of new jobs in both our countries by embracing the opportunities of a global economy.” George W Bush March 2006 in New Delhi. Espousing the benefits of outsourcing,and our record trade deficit on foreign soil. One of the biggest acts of treason I have ever seen a President perform!!!! http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/03/20060303-5.html
As we can see by their own words, Republican Hypocrisy runs deep!! Please remember these words when you go to the voting booth!!
posted by Jeff Simpson | 4:29 PM
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