Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should...

I have lost nearly all of my respect for Reba McEntire. The insipid TV sitcom and obvious plastic surgery turned me off quite a bit, but her inappropriate and unfunny comment during the Academy of Country Music awards show a couple of nights ago, crossed a line I refuse to ignore. During the telecast, McEntire made the ‘joke’ that "If the Dixie Chicks can sing with their foot in their mouths, surely I can host this sucker."
At this point, I feel I should explain that I’m not a big Dixie Chicks fan. In fact, I only own 1 of their CDs. I can assure you that will change. I have just become a super-fan – and most of you know what that means! Often times I wonder if I personally put the ‘fan’ in fanatic!
It is sad to see Reba join the likes of Toby Keith (a man I have lost all admiration years ago) in publicly hating a group for stating an opinion – a right that our oh-so-patriotic Constitution allows. I don’t understand the animosity. But perhaps this spite-filled shunning of a band that doesn’t just look pretty (who knew a girl band could play instruments…and well), will turn out to be the best outcome. The country music industry has a long history of spurning their most talented artists: Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn (I loved Van Lear Rose), Merle Haggard, and Emmylou Harris. Personally, I think they are in far better company now than with Reba and her cohorts – a good portion of which gave that tasteless and badly chosen joke a standing ovation, I might add – ever had to offer.