Nice . . . .
First . . .
Yes, I will acknowledge that I have been absent for nearly 4 weeks. Sometimes life just takes the driver's seat back. The last weeks have been such a period of time.
The family knows we went to Columbia and had a great time, despite the hectic pace we always tend to push on ourselves. We both love Columbia, we both love visiting the family and I love nosing through the shops and stores no matter where I am. And Columbia just has better weather in early April.
But we love visiting family in Pennsylvania as well, and Easter was a delight at the corporate offices of Automated Workflows. Especially when teamed up with Milk Chocolate Orange Creams and Dark Chocolate Nonpareils. I did share them, by the way, and they are all gone.
The biggest factor in my absence was that task master freelance. The last three weeks, except for our trips and some volunteer work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department, was dedicated to my big freelance job of the year. On the positive side, it adds accolades as well as cash flow to my life, and if you haven't heard, The Gable's Rainbow Directory won the 2006 NJ Governor's Tourism award for Excellence. I hope that is in some way due to the fact that I design and print the publication, but it is, after all, the brainchild of Vince Grimm and he deserves the lion's share of credit, along with the cool glass trophy.
Anyway . . .
That brings me to the picture above. Yes . . . it's the Dixie Chicks and their newest album is due to hit the stores in the latter part of May. But one of the songs from the album is getting airplay now, and can be purchased from iTunes. Not Ready To Make Nice is the Chicks musical response to those that villified them for their negative comment about George W. Bush during a London appearance in March, 2003.
I want to share just one verse from the song . . .
I made my bed and I sleep like a baby
With no regrets and I don’t mind sayin’
It’s a sad sad story when a mother will teach her
Daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger
And how in the world can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they’d write me a letter
Sayin’ that I better shut up and sing
Or my life will be over
The verse refers to the death threats and the boycotts that followed.
I like this song just as I liked the Chicks before the comment. And they've stood their ground in the face of a huge onslaught of negative reaction. I believe that takes courage and conviction.
It is no secret that political opinion in this country has become increasing polarized during the past decade, actually even further back than that. But as someone who came of age during the Vietnam War, I have one question for those people that would have every dissenting voice silenced. When did you decide that it was better to be American than to believe in America, and what America has always stood for? For two and a half centuries, American men and women have paid the ultimate price for one thing . . . Our Freedom.
And that freedom encompasses many things . . . religious, political, social, and personal. While it might seem like a good idea to trade our freedoms for security, or ease our minds by jailing or deporting suspects in violation of their civil rights, or shouting down and drowning out dissenting voices, not one of those things is American. America, at least the America I grew up to love, embraces diversity, protects the right of the individual against the mob, risks everything for freedom. The truest patriots stand for EVERYONES rights, even if they don't come easy and they don't come cheaply. And even if their opinion is different.
American men and women have died all around around the world protecting your freedom and mine. I, for one, will not disgrace their sacrifice by not exercising that freedom.
I am glad to see the Dixie Chicks back and unbowed.
posted by (jim) Bo Ba Log at 11:50 AM
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