>Apology from Natalie Maines of The Dixie Chicks
>
>As a concerned American citizen, I apologize to President Bush because my
>remark was disrespectful. I now realize that whoever holds that office
>should be treated with the utmost respect.
>
>I hope everyone understands, I'm just a young girl who grew up in Texas.
>As far back as I can remember, I heard people say they were ashamed of
>President Clinton. I saw bumper stickers calling him everything from a
>pothead to a murderer. I heard people on the radio and tv like Rush
>Limbaugh, Pat Robertson, Newt Gingrich and Trent Lott bad mouthing the
>President and ridiculing his wife and daughter at every opportunity. I
>heard LOTS of people disrespecting the President. So I guess I just
>assumed it was acceptable behavior.
>
>But now, thanks to the thousands of angry people who want radio stations
>to boycott our music because criticizing the President is unpatriotic, I
>realize it's wrong to have a liberal opinion if you're a country music
>artist. I guess I should have thought about that before deciding to play
>music that attracts hypocritical red necks. I also realize now that I'm
>supposed to just sing and look cute so our fans won't have anything to
>upset them while they're cheating on their wives or getting in drunken bar
>fights or driving around in their pickup trucks shooting highway signs and
>small animals.
>
>And most important of all, I realize that it's wrong for a celebrity to
>voice a political opinion, unless they're Charlie Daniels, Clint Black,
>Merle Haggard, Barbara Mandrell, Loretta Lynn, Ricky Skaggs, Travis Tritt,
>Hank Williams Jr, Amy Grant, Larry Gatlin, Crystal Gayle, Reba McEntire,
>Lee Greenwood, Lorrie Morgan, Anita Bryant, Mike Oldfield, Ted Nugent,
>Wayne Newton, Dick Clark, Jay Leno, Drew Carey, Dixie Carter, Victoria
>Jackson, Charlton Heston, Fred Thompson, Ben Stein, Bruce Willis, Kevin
>Costner, Arnold Schwartzenegger, Bo Derek, Rick Schroeder, George Will,
>Pat Buchanan, Bill O'Reilly, Joe Rogan, Delta Burke, Robert Conrad or
>Jesse Ventura.
>
>God Bless America, Natalie
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