What do the Dixie Chicks and Don Imus have in common? Both have seen their worlds turned upside down by making inappropriate comments in a public forum.
Like him or not, Don Imus was a voice to be reckoned with. He stood up to big business and worked tirelessly in support of kids. David Kirby over at the Huffington Post shares some insight about what won’t happen now that Imus is off the air:
Here are some of the things that Don Imus will NOT be covering in the coming weeks. And don’t count on the mainstream media to fill in the blanks:
On April 17, the Senate’s health committee will hold hearings on how to spend federal dollars allocated by the Combating Autism Act - a bill that might not have passed without the unrelenting support of Imus and his wife Deirdre.
The hearing was scheduled without any input from autism organizations that support the mercury hypothesis, nor will these groups be allowed to testify. Imus would have gone ballistic over that injustice. But now he is gone, and he can’t.
Just two days later, the Institute of Medicine will convene a two-day workshop on devising research protocols into environmental factors of autism, including mercury and vaccines. It is doubtful that the media will give it much thought, let alone coverage. Imus would have covered it intensely. But now he is gone, and he can’t.
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Like them or not, the Dixie Chicks have survived scathing criticism and death threats to once again come out on top. I must commend these women for having the courage to be honest and true to their beliefs at the risk of losing their entire career, or even their lives. The turmoil and fear that they suffered for four years is chronicled in a new documentary, Shut Up and Sing. We watched it last night (watch out for the language and a couple of crude sexual references) and found it very interesting.
On the eve of the Iraq War, one sentence (”I’m ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.”) was cheered loudly at a venue in England and caused the Chicks to be ostracized by country music radio and fans. Their producer testified on Capitol Hill over the event. Flashbacks of 2003 newscasts promise that the Iraq situation will be over shortly. I would be really, really curious to know if the people who were so outraged at the Dixie Chicks’ anti-war sentiment then are still – four years into the war - of the same opinion.
), he’s been in radio for lots of years (30?) - a person with that kind of public speaking time is bound to make a poor choice of words on occasion. In this case it was a really poor choice of words, but I think he is repentant. 
April 16, 2007 @ 10:06 am
I was upset by Natalie Maine’s statement and I still am, although my opinion about the war in Iraq has radically changed. I was for going to war based on the info we were given at the time, but it has since been proved wrong. But back to the Dixie Chicks - I think there is a big difference between saying “I don’t agree with this war” and “I am ashamed that President Bush comes from Texas”. One is an opinion, the other is a personal attack. I am the first to admit that Pres. Bush has made many, many mistakes, and I would not vote for him again if he was up for re-election. But I still believe it is wrong to personally attack someone - to attack their very character. It’s not an easy job, and the office of president deserves at least a measure of respect. Just my opinion, of course.