GO, DIXIE CHICKS!

Can we blame it on the moon? Are computer chips installed in a goodly portion of this country that are programmed to cause people to act like utter idiots? Isn't it against the law, akin to denying citizens their Freedom of Speech, to treat them like pariahs, refuse to buy their albums, and even phone in Death Threats at their concerts?

These talented little Country Western singers are not political people. They are just melodious little country singers who got together to cut tapes. Evidently, like many of us, they did not approve of the Iraq War, or its super salesman, George Bush. And, because one of them stated this fact by saying she was ashamed to admit that Bush hailed from her home state, Texas, the rightwingers went into a froth of anger and all hell broke loose.

They smashed tapes. They refused to buy albums. They flooded radio stations with calls, objecting to the airing of the Dixie Chicks' music. They ranted and raved and actually succeeded in ruining the careers of these three singers, who eventually went into semi-retirement despite a few sold-out concerts.

Did this happen in America? Is Joe McCarthy still alive? Is Hitler alive and well in the United States? Or have we drifted back to the time when we burn "witches" at the stake? If so, how has Ann Coulter survived?

The truth is, Liberals have never acted that way. They may not like Ann Coulter, with her incessant spew of hatred. They may not like Rush Limbaugh, with his hateful view of humanity. They may not like Karl Rove, with his management of nasty political ads. But they have never tried to publicly destroy these people.

No, Ann Coulter's work has not been subjected to a book-burning. Liberals have not danced around a bonfire consuming her hate-filled rhetoric. Liberals have not flooded bookstores with objections to the Coulter nastiness on the shelves. They have not vilified her, threatened her with death, or staged protests, stomping on her books and ripping apart the pages.

The Christian Right, for supposedly being Christian folks, have acted like hateful, silly children. Christians are supposed to show love and mercy. They are supposed to turn the other cheek, forgive and forget. Throughout the New Testament, the love of God and love of each other is promoted in page after page.

This violent vengeance, this bloody love of warfare, this nasty, infantile business is just not right, not Christian, not American. Our Constitution has given the Dixie Chicks and everyone else the right to say what they think, without fear of retaliation. Leave it to the rightwingers to supercede that with a childish tantrum.

Fortunately, the Dixie Chicks have made a comeback and what sweet revenge it must be! Their album has climbed to the top of the charts. Their anger is obvious in their music, and it reflects the anger of a majority of Americans. The Dixie Chicks are a reflection of what is going on in America today. They are not political, but the political side of the issue cannot be avoided. Like it or not, they are symbols of a mistreated, misguided and very unhappy American public.

Since when has it been wrong to dislike a meaningless War? Since when has it been wrong to dislike a War that has culminated in a power grab for oilfields, but has been promoted as a great humanitarian effort and a War against Terror?

There is no victory in this War. The victory will be on the day our troops return home, leaving behind many thousands of dead Iraqi, mourning families, and orphaned children. The United States will be left with an astounding, mind-boggling debt and more graves in our National Cemeteries, as well as a burden of guilt weighing down our shoulders for years to come.

So, the Dixie Chicks, protesting the War and the man who brought it about, simply echoed my own feelings and the feelings of many, many Americans. Yet we stood by numbly, open-mouthed in shock, and allowed a bunch of crazed radicals to annihilate a successful singing group. What is wrong with us? Where is our courage, our common sense, our decency? Are we so worried that we will seem unChristian, bestial folks who like to kill babies and give money away, that we ignore the stupidity surrounding us?

So, although I can blame the Christian Right for what happened to the Dixie Chicks, I place more blame on the silent faction of our country, that same silent faction afraid to report the news, afraid of retaliation or charges of treason, afraid of this imperialistic group who want to impose this stupidity on everyone else.

Go, Dixie Chicks! And forgive the cowardice of all of us who secretly agreed with every word you said!