I took a slightly different tack on the whole Dixie Chicks debacle.  When Maines shot her mouth off in Europe it didn’t particularly offend me.  Yes, I thought it was a stupid point to make, but I am somewhat jaded to Hollywood people doing the same (relentlessly), so seeing a group from Nashville do the same was a big yawn.

In other words, I just noted it as status quo.

Moreover, I am a firm believer in free speech.  I served for over a decade in the Air Force, and in a sense, I did so to give people like her the right to speak her mind.  I may disagree, and I may think she is an idiot, and I will obviously express that (as I just did), but I also have to give her license to be an idiot.  The fact she was in Europe made it a bit more stupid to me, but I don’t believe free speech stops at the border or the international dateline, and again, there is not a particular lack of people talking trash there.

In the initial blast, I felt some of the backlash was overboard, but heck, that is more freedom of expression isn’t?  Her fans had every right to vote with their wallets.  They eventually expressed their regret, and I thought it was a done deal…until the new album came out, and they opened all the cans of worms up again by unapologizing and declaring they were not ready to play nice.  That to me was stupid as well.

Personally, I think they like the controversy.  Their new movie seems to rely on it, and this latest issue with their ads being refused is clear proof that they are as interested in playing to the public on this as they are to making a point.

We start with the reports about the ad refusal via Drudge:

NBC REFUSES ADS FOR DIXIE CHICKS MOVIE

In an Ironic Twist of Events, NBC and The CW Television Network Refuse to Air Ads for Documentary Focusing on Freedom of Speech

NBC responded to a clearance report submitted by the Weinstein Company’s media agency saying that the network “cannot accept these spots as they are disparaging to President Bush.”

Famed litigator David Boies stated, “It is disappointing and troubling that NBC and The CW would refuse to accept an otherwise appropriate ad merely because it is critical of President Bush."

Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman of The Weinstein Company stated, “It’s a sad commentary about the level of fear in our society that a movie about a group of courageous entertainers who were blacklisted for exercising their right of free speech is now itself being blacklisted by corporate America. The idea that anyone should be penalized for criticizing the president is sad and profoundly un-American.”

Clearly this was about to spin into a hailstorm.  The Lefty bloggers went on the attack.  Blue Crab BlVD has a good list of excerpts from many prominent leftblogs.

TPM: "This really is pretty unbelievable: NBC won’t run ads for the Dixie Chicks documentary because, in the words of the NBC’s commercial clearance department, "they are disparaging to President Bush."

All Spin Zone: "Two interesting stories have emerged today regarding NBC and their political bias. If you need further evidence after Path to 9/11 that the big three networks are almost, in essence, state-controlled TV, look no further."

Crooks and Liars: "Back in 2003, I was busy practicing and playing music as much as I could, but when I heard that maniacs were issuing death threats against the Dixie Chicks because they spoke out against Bush—you might say it woke me up about where our country was headed. Not about Bush, but about wingnut behavior. I knew they were setting the tone that anyone who spoke out against their Dear Leader was in for a world of hurt. I take a very deep interest in the Dixie Chicks now because of their courage.

AmericaBlog: "Let’s just all pack up and move to Canada because this isn’t our country anymore. But then again, I have a better idea. Once Democrats win back the congress we have a long and hard look at media consolidation, and more importantly, media bias and whether the large networks have essentially been bought off by the Republicans. The Fairness Doctrine went away a long time ago, and as a result, whether through coercion or wooing, the networks have gone Republican.

You get the idea.  But as Blue Crab also notes, they all got played.  The whole story was apparently a cheap publicity hoax.

From the AP:

The Dixie Chicks are again at the center of a controversy over the limits of opinionated talk. A film company said Friday that NBC wouldn’t accept an advertisement for "Shut Up & Sing," a movie about the fuss created by Dixie Chick Natalie Maines’ comment that she was ashamed President Bush was a fellow Texan. The network suggested the complaint may be a publicity stunt.

The problem arose when the Weinstein Co. began conversations with networks about buying ads to be shown nationally, in anticipation of later wider release of the film.

CBS has agreed to air the ad, a spokeswoman for the Weinstein Co. said. ABC and Fox have not given an answer while the CW and NBC rejected it. The film distributors said NBC explained it was because the ad disparaged President Bush.

But Alan Wurtzel, head of standards and practices at NBC, said it is network policy not to accept ads on issues of public controversy — like abortion or the war.

While the Weinstein Co. had shown NBC its ads, it had not inquired about buying commercial time, he said. Generally, when an ad is rejected, prospective advertisers return and work with the network on ways to make it acceptable — as was done with the Michael Moore film "Fahrenheit 9/11," he said.

But NBC heard nothing more from makers of "Shut Up & Sing" until portions of what NBC executives thought were confidential business correspondence showed up in a news release, he said.

"There was no attempt to come back and have a conversation," Wurtzel said. "There are times when some advertisers get more publicity for having their ad rejected."

The CW said a Weinstein representative discussed the ad with a low-level network official who questioned whether the network had the right programming to fit the ad.

"It was the beginning of a dialogue at a low level and it didn’t get beyond that when they decided to go to the media about it," network spokesman Paul McGuire said.

The CW would accept the ad if commercial time was bought, he said.

So it appears that the Dixie Chicks just uplayed Drudge and the left blogsphere like a cheap banjo to help spread their stupid stunt.  I hope it was worth it.

Pity they cannot generate as much attention for their musical merits, which are considerable.

Their mouths and politics just keep getting in the way.

Laura Ingraham is right.  Shut up and sing.

Also at Sister Toldjah,

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