>>  Of course I defend their right to tattoo anything they want on
>>their asses, but a little old-fashioned intellectual discourse might be
>>more appropriate.
>
>It might be. But if you've ever seen the Dixie Chicks' episode of Rock & 
>Roll Jeopardy, you'll know: it ain't bloody likely. :-) In a shameful 
>display of stereotyping, the brunette was the only one who could answer 
>questions (or question answers) to save her life. The two blondes were 
>completely lost. In my single favorite game-show moment ever, one of the 
>blondes accidentally got one right, and ended up with a Daily Double. I 
>wish I could remember the question, but to save time, let's just agree 
>that it was the easiest question of all time. After about ten seconds of 
>her staring blankly, the host snapped, "THINK!" Hee.

Erm, interesting points, but I don't see what any of it has to do with the 
manifest high quality of the Chicks music, the incredible, ignorant, 
un-American and likely career-thwarting backlash to Natalie Maines 
expression of a sentiment that could have been easily uttered by most folks 
I know, or the Chicks attempt to do some damage control in Entertainment 
Weekly. I imagine there will be some intellectual discourse or its 
reasonable facsimile in the magazine, interesting art direction choices for 
the cover aside.

Honestly, I guess I probably wouldn't have much trouble with peripheral 
sniping at country artists like Toby Keith or Darryl Worley, who've clearly 
taken the political situation as an opportunity to score points with the 
public and boost their careers through feel-good jingoism. But the Dixie 
Chicks are making modern country music the right way, with traditional 
country sounds that have achieved preeminence in a country music 
marketplace that has by and large little to do with traditional sounds and 
more to do with 70's and 80's pop and rock. If you're among those who care 
at all about country music, the Chicks have been a triumph of art with 
commerce. Is it the commerce, or just country music that inspires the 
sneers?

BTW, all three of the Dixie Chicks- Natalie Maines, Martie Seidel and her 
sister Emily Erwin, are natural brunettes. Lots of gals dye their hair, or 
so I'm told.

b.s.