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Are you saying that the group had the right to voice its political views but radio stations (and the general public) don't have the right to respond by banning the music or destroying CDs?

The Dixie Chicks have the right to express their beliefs, and I think they were pretty courageous to do that in a public forum. I'll defend their right to do that with my life.
However, I don't share their beliefs. And I'm under no obligation to support them with my money by buying their CD's, concert tickets, etc.
They took a stand. Others took a stand against them. Because we're a free and democratic society both sides have that right.

No, they have every right to do that. I just think it was overkill, just as I think Maines' comments were.

I on your follow-up comment, I agree. Both used their rights to speak freely. And the public had its right to agree with one side or the other. And if it saw fit, not to go to Chicks concerts or buy their CDs.

Um... it's okay to criticize the President, but not Toby Keith? Bad for business, maybe - but "insensitive"? Please tell me you're kidding.

Have you watched CMT lately, caught "Country Fried Home Videos"? The genre, as it exists in the marketplace anyway, consists of sending itself up in parody after patriotic parody. That's where the money is.

Rock bands, hip hop artists, and classical musicians categorize their fans in similar hierarchies all the time, usually in much more elitist language. I'm sure the cool people understood what she meant.

As I said, Maines was within her rights. But her comments weren't directed so much at Toby Keith as country music fans.
Now, I'm hardly a country music fan, but I thought the comment was unnecessarily condescending and gratuitous.

Chewie, as one of the cool people, you really should master basic literacy. Maines's criticism is clearly of people who have Toby and Reba in their cd changer. What she meant was that she'd rather have the cool people buy fewer cds than the unwashed country masses buy more. You can tell she meant that because that's what she said.

And luckily for her, that's what will happen! And luckily, her commodification of anti-Bush sentiment and entrance into the market of coolness will still net her millions--probably even more than Michael Moore. Everybody wins. That's what great about this country. We can all, for the price of a CD, buy what makes us feel cool. Capitalism in action.

I'm not one of the cool people, unfortunately.

It certainly was impolitic, and Maines was only expressing her own idea of "cool people". Every person probably thinks their particular brand of musical taste is "cool". It's sad, really. If she had only said something more precise, such as, "I'm willing to be an artist appreciated by like-minded anti-war advocates, rather than cater to jingoism." Of course, then the debate would be about what constitutes jingoism.

Since the nineteenth century, artists of the avant-garde have defined themselves against the prevailing traditional attitudes and styles. The Dixie Chicks are hardly avant-garde, but even the most "out there" (among my favorites is Tom Waits) with lyrics and/or musical style, the capitalist maw has provided a warm little niche. The very best don't care if they sell a record.

all that is going on around u and u....allen...bring a post about the dixie chicks? damn...how pittiful

My apologies, Ben. What would you like to talk about instead?

Mr Allen may I borrow your Dixie chicks cd"s" and listen to them. never would I buy one.

I actually bought a Dixie Chicks cd back when they were (now) not cool--i.e., when they were commodifying down-home sauciness instead of progressive in-the-knowism. It's one of about 6 country cd's I have--Willie Nelson accounts for the others--so I'm thrown into a quandary about whether I'm cool now or not. But I've got so many Stones, AC/DC, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and REM cds, I really don't think one DC cd will matter either way.

I happened to watch the DC interview on Larry King a while back. I got the impression that the two sister part of the group who didn't seem to thrilled about the event, would prefer that Maines would shut up about her political views and just play music and make more money.

In the spirit of full disclosure I am not now, nor have I ever been, a Dixie Chicks fan. I just think their situation raises some provocative questions about free spech and its consequences.

In my humble opinion people in this country for some reason do not express their real thoughts on the goverment. Its like we are afraid to or we feel like we are committing treason. I lived in Europe a couple of years and people seem more able to criticize the goverment. If you are British and you criticize the goverment it doesnt mean you are anti your own country.
Here it seem we are anti american if we do this.
Just my opinion.