A Party invitation for Natalie Maines

"Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas." –
Natalie Maines, Dixie Chicks

Have you ever played the party game? It goes something like this – if you could invite 10 living/dead people to a party, who would you invite and why? On so many people’s list, Jesus, Gandhi, Mother Theresa, and Martin Luther King make the final cut. Not true for me, though, perhaps with the exception of Jesus, I much rather have the living at my party . . . at least this party.

In 2003, Dixie Chicks’ lead singer, Natalie Maines, while performing overseas made what seemed like an innocuous statement at the time, but proved to be a life-altering event for the group. Natalie said, “We’re ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.” This statement was her outcry against Bush’s war instigation in Iraq. The Dixie Chicks did not realize that their measly words would cause such a tidal wave. There were many southern folks, particularly Texans, who were incensed by this sacrilege against a (self-professed) god-appointed president. Who did these chicks think they were? The intelligentsia of the southern community began protesting the Dixie Chicks in the most erudite manner. They burnt Dixie Chicks’ compact discs, held up signs telling the Dixie Chicks where they could burn (and we’re not talking about just in France), boycotted concerts in droves, radio stations refused to play their music, people made death threats toward Natalie Maines, and one classy individual came up with the stylish idea that Natalie should be strapped to a bomb then dumped over Iraq. Ah, the cream of the crop in America! I am ever so puzzled as to why other countries tend to hate Americans! Look how civilized and organized these people were.

The Dixie Chicks were branded as traitors for speaking out against a costly American mistake – (trickery at the polls in 2000 or the war in Iraq, you choose) – and they, in turn, loss most of their country music fan base. Was that really a loss? Do they really want their clientele to be of the mindset of potential murderers, obtuse tobacco-spitters, and blind sheep led by a blind shepherd? By no means!

The Dixie Chicks may have lost their country music fan base, but they gained a world of respect around the world, and they gained new fans. Like me. Natalie’s passion and heart won me over. I know what it’s like to fight against the norm; to be criticized for doing so; to be misunderstood. I know what it’s like to lose voices of support because the crowd can’t understand what’s beyond the matrix, what exists outside the box. I know what it’s like to feel scared, alone, and tired, but knowing that you must stand up for what you believe; you must sing truth, even when all other voices are fluctuating with nonsense. I know what it’s like to be told to just “shut up and sing” as if you are only a singer or actor or whatever it is that you DO. “Our life is more than our work, and our work is more than our job.” Shut up and sing? What an ill philosophy, a putrid testament to a tapered worldview. Sing, Natalie, and never shut up. Let your voice be heard, even if it means the sacrifice of your life. We shall live on. Remember this: obedient women have never been remembered in history! You, my friend, have lost bronze, but have been rewarded with gold.

If I were to have a party, inviting 10 people from the living and dead, Natalie Maines would most certainly make the list. She has made her bed and now sleeps like a baby. Thank you, Natalie, for showing fearful how truly to be brave!

Dear Natalie, I am having a party someday, and would like to formally invite you to come. I promise that the cast of characters at this event will be only those who have chosen the lesser trodden path. And like you, all have been misunderstood in some form or fashion. I hope you accept my invitation, and I look forward to meeting you in this or our next life. Please RSVP as soon as possible. Sincerely, Michael Fowlin.