Natalie Maines On George Bush Slam: 'I Was Right From The Beginning'

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

Source: Huffington Post



Dixie Chick Natalie Maines has long been outspoken with her views on politics, famously deriding George Bush in 2003 by saying she was "ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."

In a new interview with Us Magazine, the singer -- who has since started a career as a solo artist -- says she doesn't regret bashing the then-president. "To me, I was right from the beginning, because it's my right as an American to speak up and question our President, have my point of view, have my opinion, question what I want to question, and say what I want to say about our government," Maines said. "It's very scary to me that people actually think we should just follow our leaders. If we can't learn from our history, we're nowhere."

But the country star is hardly proud of having been right about the carnage of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. "My point I try to make about that is it's not a thing I wanted to be right about," she said. "It's not a good 'I told ya so' with all these people losing their lives. War is horrible."

The dig at Bush set off a maelstrom of criticism within the country music community, with at least one radio station hosting a "chicken toss" party at which fans were encouraged to discard Dixie Chick's tapes and CDs. A number of Texas radio stations also pulled the group's records from the air. (Melodramatic quote from the time: "People are shocked. They cannot believe Texas' own have attacked the state and the president.&quot

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/26/natalie-maines-george-bush-dixie-chicks_n_3163296.html?ir=Entertainment

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a little antidote to the Bush revisionism the media has treated us to these past few days.

[Skittles]

1. we here on DU always believed you, Ms. Maines

we admire you too

[calimary]

2. Yes we did. And we still do.

[wordpix]

15. not only that, but I've LOVED the DC's since I first heard them in the '90's

My son introduced me to them and he was only about 14.

[Skittles]

32. I first saw the Chicks on Mr. Peppermint's show!

[Warpy]

51. Not my favorite genre by a long shot

but I confess I own one of their CDs. They are damned good.

And Ms. Mains was exactly right about Stupid. I wished she was wrong, too, but I knew she wasn't.

The knee jerking in Texas looked just like goose stepping, didn't it?

[BaronChocula]

3. No one said a word about Iraq

at the "libary" dedication. I think it says more for the legitimacy of Natalie's legacy.

[tofuandbeer]

4. Oh, how do you sleep...Mr. Bush

[WorseBeforeBetter]

26. As Don Draper would say, "On a bed made of money." (n/t)

[cpwm17]

5. The Dixie Chicks were one of the few decent acts in Country Music

and County Music destroyed their careers for actually talking bad about the President before an unprovoked war. This is one more reason to hate Country Music, besides the fact that most of Country Musics sucks.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

47. yep. n/t

[cantbeserious]

6. Not Ready To Make Nice - Dixie Chicks

[mokawanis]

39. That song

was the perfect response to their critics. They were right to criticize shrub and they were right to not back down. Very admirable of them.

[blkmusclmachine]

7. Our Corporate Media Is Guilty As Charged, Too.

Lies, and damned lies.

[CBHagman]

14. Thank you for mentioning that.

The drumbeat to war was deafening, for instance at The Washington Post.

Getting back to Natalie Maines, another reason the criticism against her rang so hollow was that it smacked of the "Shut up and do as your told" mindset of the right wing. Of course that same right wing actually finances the professional bile-spewing of pundits, radio talk show hosts, think tank fellows, and the like.

[onehandle]

8. We bought their entire catalog that year. nt

[Marie Marie]

38. Never really been a fan of country music but,

I went right out and bought their CD after the backlash on her. Pretty good CD.

[ck4829]

9. K&R, the problem though is that the right doesn't like 'being right', they like 'feeling right'

"Hey, we got Saddam in retaliation for hittin' us on 9/11, USA! USA! USA!"

[go west young man]

10. I was never a big country fan...

I especially dislike glossy corporate country. But I bought the Dixie Chicks CD's to support them for their stand on the war and I ended up actually truly liking their music. They are super talented and super smart.

[Carolina]

21. Same here

I was indifferent to country music in part because I painted with a broadbrush and thought that many of them were likely wingnuts. But in support and solidarity, I bought the Dixie Chicks CDs after they were vilified by the corporate whores of the media and found that were/are they very talented musicians. Smart and telented... a winning combination!

[LuckyLib]

30. Only a small number of (country) music folks

Are both talented and make good music. DC were one of that group. The RW managed to censor one of their best. Stupid idiots!!

[Ikonoklast]

11. If I was a politician, I'd more afraid of one Natalie Maines than a thousand armed Ted Nugents.

[Raster]

37. Yes, and she doesn't shit her pants!

[William Seger]

12. Yes, she was right

Subjective political opinions are one thing, but in terms of palpable, quantifiable damage to the country and the world, no other President comes close. I still haven't really recovered from the depression and cynicism I felt when he was re-elected.

[jimlup]

13. The same people who bashed the Dixie Chicks for "being ashamed of Bush"

are the ones constantly and overtly bashing Obama. And generally the jerks say much much worse about Obama.

I'm tired of our country being beholden to the political whims of an extreme fringe. Why the hell do they have so much God Damn power?

[BlancheSplanchnik]

48. you are so right.

As in, CORRECT.

That's exactly what they do.

They also love to poke at you...I'm talking about everyday conversations with the conservative (ergo, the CONservative media consuming public). I've known soooooooo many who purposely would always wheedle in the needling comments--you know that game? Bait the Librul?

[mainstreetonce]

16. Talent

brains and beauty. You were right and brave. Sing it for the Travelin Soldiers! Bush Sucks!

[Paladin]

17. God bless Natalie Maines. This lady is entitled to have her career back. (nt)

[Brimley]

18. She nailed it

Props to her!

[heaven05]

19. had

and has more courage and integrity than the NYT. Dan Rather, she and all the rest who were cursed and spat upon because they told the TRUTH. You have my undying gratitude. True Americans and patriots.

[denvine]

20. I became a fan.

Because of the fervor of the right wing lemmings, I thought I should go out and buy one of the Dixie Chicks' CDs to be supportive. I wasn't familiar with their music at the time but now I'm a big fan. I guess this is the silver lining. Thank you Natalie Maines for sticking to your principles and right to be heard.

[DinahMoeHum]

22. Natalie Maines re Bush: ". . .what a dumb fuck. . ."

a clip from the documentary Shut Up And Sing:

http://www.amazon.com/Dixie-Chicks-Shut-Screen-Edition/dp/B000KX0IN6

[mikeysnot]

28. You're a dumb fuck

Favorite part of the movie. I found it funny and stupid that people would destroy the CD's they paid for? It was not like they would get their money back?

I went out and bought three disks the day I heard of this mess.

[DinahMoeHum]

34. "Bought three disks"?? Heh heh.

(Oh, by the way, maybe you should put your reply title in quotation marks so that it does not get mis-interpreted by someone as a personal insult)

[joanbarnes]

23. Me too and we're not ready to make nice.

[Aristus]

24. Now and always, a huge fan and admirer.

[lunatica]

25. A whole lot of DUers were right too

Including me. The day after 9/11 I 'knew' what would happen, and it sure happened. Now the world is truly a devastated place for it. That's what Bush and his Administration will be remembered for, and it's as it should be. They left a swath of destruction that is worldwide.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

49. .

[Dawson Leery]

27. The same people who told us to "shut up", are the same ones

who vilify the current President daily.
The country music establishment are s**t. Most of their "legends" are s**t.
Remember, Dixie Chicks attack a Republican President = boycott/death threats/end of career.
Racist Hank Jr. attacks Democratic President = standing ovation.

The Dixie Chicks were one of 5% or so of country music which was good.
The rest of the genre is garbage.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

33. No. Absolutely not. Some who told us to shut up then are now telling us to STFU.

For some of us, it didn't work then and it's not working now.

Natalie Maines supported Obama in 2008 as a great many of us did. There is nothing to indicate that she favors letting war criminals go free, giving hundres of billions of dollars to banksters (including those in foreign countries), keeping GITMO open, continuing with endless wars and occupation in the Middle-East, shipping and maintaining jobs in foreign countries.

There's not even any indication that she favors cutting Social Security.

So, "The same people who told us to "shut up", are the same ones ..."?

Not even close. And no, we won't shut up.

[Dawson Leery]

43. The "some" are the far right.

The far right told us to shut up when a Rethug was in the Presidency, not that it's a black Democrat, they are up in arms and threatening violence.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

44. I agree that there are those on the right who want us to shut up.

Nothing prevents anyone from the far right (as determined by their conduct) from posting on DU and telling us to shut up.

The absence of such people from being "up in arms and threatening violence," does not, IMO, make them liberals.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

50. absolutely right.

the same ones.

[DesertDiamond]

29. She will always be a hero to me. Hearts to you, Natalie!

[Cha]

31. It certainly got me into the Dixie Chicks.

Love their "Shut up and SIng" and "Taking the Long Way Home"

thank you, Ade.. for the Excellent antidote. I don't own and tv and if I did I wouldn't be watching indoctrination 101.

[Joey Liberal]

35. Natalie Maines is a hero

And she's pretty hot too .........

[Rain Mcloud]

36. I do not respond to sensationalism about new music being usually hype from A&R People

When I heard the DC version of Bob Wills & The Texas Playboy's of Roly Poly i was hooked.
Country music at the time was dominated by the Gaylord Family who believed they owned Nashville after buying the old part of town and erected the hideous Grand Ole Opry Hotel.

I was delighted then when the stars who fled for Branson fought tooth and nail to keep the Gaylords out and won.


After the 2000 sElection,i knew the fix was in to turn this country into a third world labor camp,i was delighted at this article from the Onion News and again gratified that the Chicks had been the ones to finally thrown a pail of cold water on the 24/7 MSM murder boner sometime around 2003:
[link:http://www.theonion.com/articles/bush-our-long-national-nightmare-of-peace-and-pros,464/|

[DirtyDawg]

40. The saddest...

...thing of all is that these bastards in 'country misic' would do it all over again. Can't wait to get Ms. Maines' new album...just wish 'The Chicks' had been able to keep making music, and money, over these past years.

[Aristus]

41. ...

[AtheistCrusader]

42. No, she was wrong.

Bush isn't a Texan. He's from Connecticut. He's a fake Texan. Fake just like everything about him.

[Boomerproud]

45. Nope. Texas loves him and Texas owns him.

It's the northeast (where his parents are from) he hates.

[AtheistCrusader]

52. Part of the reason I like reminding people he's from New England.

[Warren DeMontague]

46. Yeah, some of us are just ahead of our time.

I deeply appreciated their speaking out when they did.