Party Political

A while back, one member of the "Dixie Chicks" spoke out onstage saying she regretted that George W. Bush hails from her friend, Texas. After that, they were attacked by the media and general public as being anti-Bush and therefore anti-America. Now, things have come full circle, and the majority of Americans have a low approval of both Bush and the current administration. Now it is fashionable to question our current government. But that was not so a few years ago.

In the wake of terrorist incidents and widespread threats, many people sacrificed freedom for security: the freedom to question one's government, to hold our leaders accountable, to voice disapproval in public. Were we wrong? I think so. Sure, it was a scary time. But when times get tough, you don't just shut down and pretend you've got an infallible hero leading the way. You've got to pay attention and do whatever you can to help. Blind support is not helping. It is hindering.

And yet, it was fashionable, and the "Chicks" ran right up against the worst of it. Pretty soon people stopped buying their music, and radio stations nationwide stopped playing it. The "Dixie Chicks" were seen as unpatriotic. But now we realize the truth -- that they may have been more patriotic than most. The actions they took expressed how much they value our freedoms -- enough to risk a severe backlash from a tightlipped Police State. How long before we reenter such a society? Or maybe we've never left?

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