The headline story from last night's Grammy Awards was that the Dixie Chicks walked away with 800 awards.
4 years ago the Dixie Chicks were pulled from country music radio and ostracized by their Red State fanbase for Natalie Maines criticizing of George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq. Criticizing the Dear Leader doesn't seem like a big deal now, but way back in 2003, when everyone in the mainstream press was still lining up to experience the healing and restorative powers of the sweat from George W. Bush's mansack, it was pretty heady stuff.
However, time has proven Maines' trepidation accurate, and she and the other Dixies took every opportunity to remind us all that they were right all along during all of their many acceptance speeches, even going so far as to quote Nelson Muntz by saying "Haw haw."
Yes, haw haw indeed.
Thousands of teenagers and kids in their early 20s are dead and still yet to be killed, but that pales in comparison next to the pain and suffering experienced by Natalie Maines since the invasion of Iraq.
The mothers, fathers, wives, brothers, and sisters of those who have come back from the desert in flag draped coffins or of those fortunate enough to come back minus only a limb or a properly functioning mind can only imagine the hell Maines and the Dixies have gone thru; what with all the not being played on the radio, and threatening letters and what not.
But now that they've won a bunch of Grammys, it's OK to gloat. Haw haw. They were right, and that's all that matters. They could have said something like, "We're grateful for these awards, but they're not going to bring back anybody who has been lost in this war. We'll continue to speak out against this war thru our music though in hopes that we can help bring an end to it." That would have been nice. Instead we get "Haw haw".
That's America for you, you have your choice of Jesus Jingoism or Know-It-All Smugness. What a country!
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