'Blixie Chicks' Blame Conservative Web Site (That's us, folks)

NewsMax.com ^ | 3/19/03 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[kattracks]

A manager for the Country and Western group the Dixie Chicks is blaming the ongoing firestorm of negative reaction to anti-Bush comments by lead singer Natalie Maines last week on a vast right-wing cyber-conspiracy.

Dixie Chicks' manager Simon Renshaw has told radio stations currently boycotting the group's music that the uproar has been ginned up by the Web site FreeRepublic.com, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported Tuesday.

FreeRepublic has nicknamed the group, "The Blixie Chicks," after Saddam-friendly U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix. Several posters to the cyber-forum have urged visitors to contact radio stations about the controversy.

"Your company is being targeted by a radical right-wing online forum," Renshaw complained in an e-mail distributed to radio stations by the Dixie Chicks' label, Sony Music. "You are being 'Freeped,' which is the code word for an organized e-mail/telephone effort attempting to solicit a desired response," he explained.

On March 10, lead Dixie Chick Maines told a London audience: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."

After her remarks were reported, nationwide protests erupted in the U.S., with angry fans reportedly destroying their collections of Dixie Chicks CDs.

After four days Maines issued a semi-apology, saying her initial remarks had been "disrespectful."

"I feel that whoever holds that office should be treated with the utmost respect," she added.

But Maines' statement did little to assuage angry Country and Western music fans, who are predominantly conservative and pro-Bush.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:

Media Bias

[unspun]

Now I am the proud member of at least conspiracies:
1. the VRWC -- vast right-wing conspiracy
2. the GZC -- the global zionist conspiracy
3. and now the RWCC -- the right-wing cyber conspiracy
Maybe I can quit my day job.

As a member of the ultra-conservative, religious right, Christian fundamentalist fringe conspiracy, I salute you!

Maybe there should be bubble-gum cards for things like this....

[demlosers]

But Maines' statement did little to assuage angry Country and Western music fans, who are predominantly conservative and pro-Bush.

The Ditsy Chicks didn't know who their fan base was.

Dumb Chicks

[shezza]

Hey, Natalie! FReep you!

[DeuceTraveler]

"I'm conflicted - I'd love to think that Free Republic has that level of influence but I also would like to think that the backlash is bigger than just us. How big are we?"


Not big, more like connected. We have people on here who search for snippets of news that fall through the cracks and pass it on to news agencies like Fox or Talk Radio hosts like Rush. If the news item is indeed noteworthy enough it finds new life and is picked up by everyone else. There is no Freeper conspiracy, just alert conservative citizens who share information.

[Kevin Curry]

You mean,

What if the Vichy Chix Held a Concert and Nobody Came?

Hm. Sound distantly and vaguely familiar.

[CougarGA7]

Aww. Poor Simon. Losing your cut from record sales because Means opened her mouth.

Doesn't it bite when 1st Amendment rights slap you back?

Means has the right to say whatever she wants, but she has to be willing to face the consequences of how people react to it.

As far as ol'Simon complaining about being Freeped, well that's our 1st Amendment right so,.....sucks to be you.

Boycotting the Dixie Chicks was easy for me since I didn't care for them in the first place. If I want to see 3 ugly women sing badly, I'll go to Kareoke night at the bar.

[Corin Stormhands]

Okay. Who's next?

[Alberta's Child]

What's really funny is how the face of "right-wing fanatics" has morphed over the years to suit the agenda of whomever is doing the complaining.

Back when talk radio was being blamed for the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, we were all portrayed as dumb rednecks with gun racks in our pickup trucks, living in run-down rural areas with homes that were mobile and a bunch of cars on the front lawn that were not.

Now, we've all got high-speed internet access, and enough purchasing power to send any advertiser scampering simply by threatening a "boycott."

Pardon my French Spanish, but Natalie Maines can go f#ck herself.

[SerpentDove]

PINGING

This is gooood.

[freedomcrusader]

We have people on here who search for snippets of news that fall through the cracks and pass it on to news agencies

True. I like Hugh Hewitt's description of us as "coast watchers".

[STFrancis]

What did Simon say on American Idol..???

[unspun]

See also...

Is Dixie Chicks protest a conspiracy? (They blame Freerepublic)

Posted yesterday (but a Ditzy Chick thread per day would be fun).

[FrankR]

"After four days Maines issued a semi-apology, saying her initial remarks had been "disrespectful.""

It takes a lot of "atta-girls" to overcome one "oh sh*t".

[glock rocks]

click here to join the official vast right-wing cyber conspiracy

[ewing]

I admit it, it was me and my wife who made the 845,714 calls to radio stations around the country to ban the Dixie Chicks..

Does this manager even believe the stuff that comes out of his own mouth?

[conservativemusician]

Um, uh, this is my first conspiracy.......so please be gentle.

[HamiltonJay]

Dixie Chicks Parody

[CougarGA7]

No, no. Simon RENSHAW. The Dixie Chicks manager.

[aShepard]

Just to remind--Ditsy Twits kick off their American tour May 1, Greenville SC.

!!!!Attention: Greenville SC Freepers!!!

FALL IN

[snooker]

Alright who said it. You in the back, drop that chunky chick disguise.

OK, we caught the freeper who did it. Hope you liked your 15 minutes of fame.

Back to just being the blixie chunk chicks.

snooker