OK, this lady I don't get.  Helen Gricks of Ross, a self-described Republican and Evangelical Christian, writes to the Post-Gazette about  her decision not to attend the upcoming Dixie Chicks concert in Pittsburgh. 

 My son and I would like nothing more than to go to the upcoming concert, especially with so many great seats still available. However, I don't want to go to a political rally, and I'm afraid that it will turn into one. I don't agree with their politics, but I do like the music. That's why people are buying the CD but not concert tickets.

To catch you up, the Chicks are coming to Pittsburgh at the end of the month (we have tickets!) and ticket sales have been reportedly slow.  

What's interesting about Helen's perspective is that she basically wants the Chicks to perform for her, to entertain her but not bother her with those pesky politics of theirs.  I'm guessing Helen hasn't really LISTENED to the new album (or bothered to read the liner notes) or she might note a striking parallel with the second stanza to "Not Ready to Make Nice"

I made by bed, and I sleep like a baby,
With no regrets and I don't mind saying,
It's a sad sad story
That 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
Saying that I better shut up and sing

Or my life will be over

It seems to be that Helen wants the same thing --- shut up and sing for crying out loud.  Yes, Helen wants the Chicks to crawl back into the nice comfortable "girl-singer" mode so they can entertain the men without creating all that stupid thinking and whatnot.  More precisely, Helen wants them to shut and sing so SHE can remain in her little delusional land where Jesus and W have got her back. 

If some right-wing loonie hypocrite like Toby Keith comes to town, wraps himself up in the flag he won't enlist to defend, and sings about killing Saddam Hussein ... will you object to him being "political" Helen? 

But wait ... here's the really interesting part .... guess who is an old college buddy of Helen?   That would be US Representative Melissa Hart.  And the right-wing apologist herself, Ruth Ann Dailey,  wrote a fawning column about Grick and her home-schooling buddies hanging out with Melissa ("Missy"). 

If I do decide to go, I will wear a T-shirt that says: "I love Jesus, W and The Chicks!"

Well, guess what Helen?  Unlike your buddy Malicious Hart, the Dixie Chicks want you to have the freedom to wear that T-shirt.  They believe that the Constitution of the United States protects your freedom to dissent and that the First Amendment in particular gives you the the liberty to wear whatever political T-shirt you want, even if its unpopular. 

The Dixie Chicks respect your right to love Jesus and W along with them.   Too bad you can't afford them the same respect. 

I'm not ready to make nice,
I'm not ready to back down,
I'm still mad as hell
And I don't have time
To go round and round and round
It's too late to make it right
I probably wouldn't if I could
Cause I'm mad as hell
Can't bring myself to do what it is
You think I should