Not Ready to Make Nice - Dixie Chicks

On the eve of President Bush's decision to attack Iraq, The Country band, Dixie Chicks was performing in England on 10 March 2003 when Natalie Maines, the lead singer said to the crowd that she was embarrassed that George Bush was from her home state of Texas.

The political fallout that ensued culminated with the major US Country music radio stations [predominantly owned by the mega monopoly Clear Channel Communications] throughout the US refusing to give air time to the Dixie Chicks' music. Actually, there was a flurry of organized protests against the Dixie Chicks - sponsored by local redneck stations which organized rallies where Dixie Chicks CD's were collected and destroyed - by fire, by tractor etc. The old, 'shit on the Dixie Chicks and prove how patriotic you are by doing so' approach.

Caught up in the fervor of patriotism, some of these rubes even went as far as discussing raping the girls because they "didn't know their place." Imagine that, Disk Jockeys encouraging their audience to commit heinous crimes against women who simply voiced their opinion contrary to the neoconservative cacophony of chickenhawks clamoring for war.

Now THAT is family values for you; threatening to hurt, rape and kill these women because they exercised their First Amendment right to disagree with their government about the war on Iraq.

Initially, the Dixie chicks apologized in the face of such derision and even death threats – who wouldn’t? Fortunately, they held to their contention that the war was unjust - they do to this day.

In retrospect, those three country girls turned out to be right because time has revealed George Bush & Co. lied to get this country in to the Iraq fiasco. Many other mistruths, half truths and outright lies have come to light since the Dixie Chicks spoke out against their president.

I agree with them; I respect the office of the president but I do not respect President Bush. The following song, recently released on their CD, Taking the Long Way Home reflects who they are and what character they have maintained in the face of flag-waving redneck pressure.

Not Ready to Make Nice
Dixie Chicks

Forgive, sounds good.
Forget, I'm not sure I could.
They say time heals everything,
But I'm still waiting
I'm through, with doubt,
There's nothing left for me to figure out,
I've paid a price, and I'll keep paying

I'm not ready to make nice,
I'm not ready to back down,
I'm still mad as hell
And I don't have time
To go round and round and round
It's too late to make it right
I probably wouldn't if I could
Cause I'm mad as hell
Can't bring myself to do what it is
You think I should

I know you said
Why can't you just get over it,
It turned my whole world around and I kind of like it
I made by bed, and I sleep like a baby,
With no regrets and I don't mind saying,
It's a sad sad story
When a mother will teach her daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger. And how in the world
Can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they'd write me a letter
Saying that I better shut up and sing
Or my life will be over

I'm not ready to make nice,
I'm not ready to back down,
I'm still mad as hell
And I don't have time
To go round and round and round
It's too late to make it right
I probably wouldn't if I could
Cause I'm mad as hell
Can't bring myself to do what it is
You think I should

I'm not ready to make nice,
I'm not ready to back down,
I'm still mad as hell
And I don't have time
To go round and round and round
It's too late to make it right
I probably wouldn't if I could
Cause I'm mad as hell
Can't bring myself to do what it is
You think I should

Forgive, sounds good.
Forget, I'm not sure I could.
They say time heals everything,
But I'm still waiting

God Bless the Dixie Chicks - they didn't sell out and they exercised their God-given, inalieanble right to speak out as protected by the First Amendment.

As historian Howard Zinn stated when speaking about Thomas Jefferson, "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism."

Right on Dixie Chicks - those fools can kiss your ass because, in the end, you were right.