The city council of Madison, WI is joining the Dixie Chicks in formulating foreign policy: LG
http://launch.yahoo.com/read/news.asp?contentID=212965
(4/9/03, 3 p.m. ET) -- The City Council in Madison, Wisconsin would like to offer the Dixie
Chicks their city as a safe haven for the award-winning trio after coming under fire for lead
singer Natalie Maines's recent anti-President Bush comment while performing in London.
City Council member Ken Golden has offered a resolution, co-sponsored by half of the council's
members, that calls for a Dixie Chicks album to be played during meeting breaks, in addition to
suggesting the mayor present the group with the keys to the city, French wine, and a "suitable
welcome" if they ever visit.
The resolution also wants to adopt the Dixie Chicks as their own, advising them to change their
name to something more geographically suitable such as the "Heartland Chicks" or "Dairyland
Chicks." Golden said: "I am urging the council to pass this resolution to make sure that the
Chicks' right to free speech is defended and they have a protected place within which to exercise
their right to dissent." Madison Mayor Sue Bauman said she's in support of the resolution.
And then they backslide, just like the Chicks, when they?re called on it: LG
http://www.channel3000.com/entertainment/2100011/detail.html
MADISON, Wis. -- An east coast company is pulling business out of Madison because of alder
Ken Golden's controversial resolution to give the Dixie Chicks a key to the city. Madisonians
have been talking about Golden's resolution and so are people thousands of miles away. Folks
caught wind of the issue online and now outsiders are letting Madisonians know what they think.
"Those idiots in Madison, Wis., are trying to do national policy again ... " alder Judy Compton
said. News 3 has learned that an east coast production company has pulled the plug on bringing
500 people to Madison for a training class this June. The production liaison writes, "Many of the
cameramen, grips, etc., were former Vietnam vets and this ridiculous city council resolution
really hit home."
But Golden said he didn't do anything wrong. "Rather than criticize them in somber serious way,
I ribbed them, for God's sake," he said. "What's wrong with that?"
So last night, the national criticism turned the resolution into a substitute "freedom of speech
resolution," which was passed. Alder Andy Olsen offered the substitute proposal, which simply
said that Madison re-affirms that right of Americans to criticize the president. "I stripped out all
mention of that country ban, which has that has touched a number of nerves, make a core point
we need to respect freedom of speech," Olsen said.
The resolution reads, "Whereas,a growing intolerance of free speech in the United States has led
to a backlash against Americans expressing even mild criticism of the president, and the City of
Madison has a strong tradition of encouraging free speech and dissent and has, in fact,
congratulated itself by calling Madison the City of Tolerance ... it is not sufficient to say we
support free speech, we must all support free speech by tolerating and engaging speech by those
with whom we disagree ... "
The resolution also makes special mention of the French. "Be it further resolved that the City of
Madison welcomes all freedom-exercising Americans (or French people) to Madison," it reads.
It passed 12-5.
BTW, gang, the Dixie Chicks appear on David Letterman tonight (4/10/03) who wants to bet
they only make things worse for themselves?