Keep Talking

J. Kevin Tumlinson

The first amendment gives anyone in this country the right to state their opinion. I use it every day. You probably do too. Of course, there are limitations to any right. You can't threaten someone's life, for example, or yell "fire!" in a crowded space. Basic, common sense type stuff, really. If your words endanger someone, that's a pretty good sign that you won't be protected by the first amendment.

That said, let's just make it clear that I am not bothered by comments from groups that are against the war with Iraq or the President's decisions concerning that action. They have every right to be vocal with their opinions. They can say that they think the war is stupid, they can say that they think the President is an idiot. They can say pretty much anything they want.

But so can we.

What bothers me about situations like Michael Moore's comments at the Oscars or the Dixie Chicks faux pas in London isn't the fact that they have views opposing my own, it's the fact that they are OUTRAGED that anyone would dare openly disagree with them. Or, in the case of Moore, that there isn't a rally of support for his views from the American public. On his web site (www.michaelmoore.com) he makes a plea for "the majority of Americans who did not support this war in the first place" to raise their voices and be heard.

Fact check, Mr. Moore. We've already heard from that "majority." They're the fringe groups with suspect political views and agendas that have protested since the first hint that this war might happen. They aren't a majority. They are a handful of pseudo-educated elite, deriving power from the public eye long enough to make ignorant and uninformed statements that are meant to do nothing more than cause controversy and garner even more publicity. Many of them are members of the Hollywood machine, with no real education (some of them didn't even graduate high school), and the errant sense that just because they're in front of a camera they are qualified to comment on political issues.

You see? I have the right to say all of that, simply because I am an American. I also respect the opinions of loud-mouthed, unpatriotic, alarmingly arrogant film makers. He can have any opinion he wants. It's the American way.

The Dixie Chicks have opted to voice their outrage by posing nude on the cover of Entertainment Weekly, with phrases such as "Dixie Sluts," "Proud Americans," and "Traitors" appearing on various parts of their bodies. I'm not sure what statement is being made by the cover, but the attitude comes through loud and clear. They are not apologizing for their sentiment, only the way they expressed it. Good for them. I still think Natalie Maines is an idiot.

My message to Michael Moore:

I've worked in the documentary film business. I have friends who work in that field. Don't speak for us. We aren't all part of some great solidarity, with a view of the President as a lying, morally bankrupt moron. State your idiotic and sensationalistic opinion all you want, but leave me out of it. I'll make my own idiotic statements, thank you.

My Message to the Dixie Chicks:

You do have the same rights as everyone else. You can say whatever you like. Your opinion is worth as much as anyone's. Just keep in mind; because you ARE in the spotlight your words will have greater impact than Joe Average. Since they're heard by more people, more people will have an opportunity to be offended. In your shoes, I might try to choose my words a little more carefully, but I know how tough that can be sometimes. Voice your opinions, but be prepared for the results. Sometimes people are not going to be happy with you, and those people are likely going to voice their own opinions.

Or they'll just stop buying your albums, whatever.

J. Kevin Tumlinson is a writer and a schoolteacher living in Lake Jackson, TX. He's all talk.