That sums up a less than sparkling (but good) truth about our country. I bet we all grew up hearing we can be whatever we want to be. That’s a nice optimistic attitude. The reality is a bit different:

We can try to be whatever we want to be. This is how it really works in our country.

When I was a kid I wanted to swim in the Olympics and win 7 Gold medals like Mark Spitz. There was no Michael Phelps when I was a swimmer. I never reached that goal or even came close. But, I got my chance to try.

You wanted to be a rock star. I don’t know how far you went with that. But you had your chance if you wanted to try.

I agree. It’s best to hang it up when people want more. Call it quits when you are on top and that is how people will remember you. If you hang around too long, then people tend to focus on your over stay and not what you did for your entire career.

Financially, you cannot hurt Madonna – it’s impossible. Her P&L statement might not be as impressive as it was 10 years ago. But her retained earnings have got to be nearing about a billion dollars by now. The interest on those earnings; not to mention the hundreds of millions she has invested in mutual funds, stocks, bonds, and real estate will make her money until her grandchildren’s kids are grandparents, too (if none of them worked and lived off her earnings).

But taking away our interest really is what crushes someone that hungry for attention.

Just because the Dixie Chicks or Madonna WANT to make music doesn’t mean that we are required to buy it and help them make a living at what they want to do. I know some people who want to be cops so badly that it consumes them, but they can’t pass the psych eval. Just because it’s what they want doesn’t mean we’re required to give them a badge and gun and a paycheck to wag their finger at people.

I wanted to be a rock star, too. I was pretty damn good at it. But if nobody’s willing to buy it I’m up a creek with a broken paddle. It doesn’t matter what I have a right to; I can go find another job. So can they. If we as the public find a group or singer’s attitudes or actions deplorable, we certainly have the right to say, “you’re an idiot and we’re not buying your crap anymore.”

We – as a society (whether we admit it or not) concur on behaviors in the public eye. When people choose to put themselves into a public spotlight, reep the benefits of mass sales and popularity, we have a right to ensure that they aren’t using that power inapporopriately because in the end, it does affect all of us in one way or another.

Market decided that Air America should go bankrupt, market decided that the Dixie Chicks were a done-deal. I do hope market decides appropriately on Madonna as well.

It’s really a shame. She could have retired with at least some dignity.

Just like all the dimwitted hosts at Air America – they say stupid things, sure. But I don’t want any of them censored. I don’t want Madonna censored.”

Wait a minute. I am confused. You don’t want Madonna or Air America censored. I agree with that. Not censoring them allows them to engage in their repugnant or not lawful activities.

But it is o.k. to boycott? Isn’t that the same thing as censorship? Getting Madoona’s music kicked off the air waves and refusing to shop at Safeway are the same thing in my opinion. The only difference is the method to deliver the final product.

As I said before the answer to repugnant free expression is free expression. If Madonna or Air America or Wal Mart does something repugnant then tell it like it is and let people on their own decide what to do. People are not that dumb. They will do what is right once they know the facts.

John – I do believe people need to feel the consequences to act right. Guilt and discomfort motivates us to do the right thing.

I think you’re wrong about boycotting only to the degree that you’re not realizing that this is the market – in a Democratic way – making a decision. People don’t have to put up with behavior and the market decides these things.

Just like all the dimwitted hosts at Air America – they say stupid things, sure. But I don’t want any of them censored. I don’t want Madonna censored.

But the market and people decide. There is no set rule as to what the desideratum should be, either. If Madonna grosses out a lot of folks and her music gets boycotted, I’m happy about it. Because the people work together to make sure she knows they are heard….as is what happened with the Dixie Chicks.

There was NOTHING communist or un-American with what happened to them and with what should happen to Madonna.

As for how did the Dixie Chicks pay? I think they are still off country music radio. Country music fans by and large have abandoned them. They did find pop chart success with Not Ready To Make Nice. But they have not followed that up because they are not a pop music group.

I don’t know how this has hurt their bank balances.

For what I have read they’ve received death threats from people too.

I don’t agree with what their lead singer said about President Bush and I don’t 100% agree with the reaction to it. The remedy to unpopular free speech is rebuttal. Trying to deny people in a lawful line of work a means to earn a living is going too far. I’ve never listened to their music and I don’t find it music I enjoy. But I won’t tell the masses to boycott it.

I hope her fan base (even Obama supporters can realize the difference between “political difference” and outright “slander”) makes her pay for this in the exact same way the Dixie Chicks had to pay for their screw up.

How did the Dixie Chicks “pay” exactly?