The Boss Speaks, You Fools Better Listen

The Dixie Chicks have taken a big hit lately for exercising their basic right to express themselves. To me, they're terrific American artists expressing American values by using their American right to free speech. For them to be banished wholesale from radio stations, and even entire radio networks, for speaking out is un-American.

The pressure coming from the government and big business to enforce conformity of thought concerning the war and politics goes against everything that this country is about - namely freedom. Right now, we are supposedly fighting to create freedom in Iraq, at the same time that some are trying to intimidate and punish people for using that same freedom here at home.

I don't know what happens next, but I do want to add my voice to those who think that the Dixie Chicks are getting a raw deal, and an un-American one to boot. I send them my support.

Bruce Springsteen

Hey, Bruce...... :P

If it's the Dixie Chick's right to say what they want, doesn't the American people have the same rights? Radio stations are banning their music because it's what a majority of the listeners wanted. Show me a radio station that goes against it's listeners, and I'll show you a radio station that loses alot of money due to poor ratings. If the Dixie Chicks can't stand the heat, then they better get out of the kitchen. Bruce just assumes that it's corporate censorship...but then after he made this comment it was shown that this was the view of the listening public.

hmmm.. By banning their music, the radio stations are telling people what they should be thinking... if the radio stations were just treating it as music, and projecting that message, most people would accept it. It's only because there's so much made out of it that people are so again'st them... Same as the press over here. There are people who don't like Tony Blair, doesn't matter what he does. But the majority will read a few newspaper headlines that critisise him, and they'll decide they don't like him, or he's doing a bad job. Same with this, of cource there are going to be people against, but the people who are listening, and hearing how it's anitamerican, they're not going to play them e.t.c accept this line...

Unfortunately the homepage seems to be down (http://www.thefontman.com/celebrity_..._blacklist.htm) but the Dixie Chicks are not the only band who are banned from airplay and stuff.

Even Jon is on a Celebrity Liberal Blacklist. It's not as worse as the list where the Dixie Chicks stand but still. I again wonder where the freedom of speech is in America, esp. since there's always said how liberal and free America is.

amen sister Christine

Wrong, Mike McRock. They were banned after the public was calling for their ban. That's the work of the "free speech" public, not the radio station. They set up a poll and went with the majority.

majority???

it's not representative of the whole population or even the town, or of their fans, or of anyone...

it's representative only of those who phone up and vote

errm....goosey....i posted this about a week ago in the other bands forum

Just cos SOME Yanks who think they are morally superior to anything and everything are prepared to spend the time and money to phone in does not mean it is representative of the whole

In which case, I'd say this shows how petty, and pathetic the American public can be...

I'm also sure that it must have been provoked, newspapers, TV e.t.c, who were giveing it negative press....

You can say anything you like in America, so long as it's not against America....

example, Zappa was banned from numerous Cities (well, allover the world, but particularly America) because he sang some songs that sent up American, I mean, why do peple take everything so personally?

If I hear somebody say something negative about England, I don't go off in a huf, and start protesting, and trying to get things banned...