It is no secret to those who know me that I have been an avid Dixie Chicks fan since they first hit the airwaves, and that continued even more so when they were pulled from the airwaves for expressing their political views (gasp!) that did not mesh with country radio's conservative views, and my admiration only grew as they proved themselves to be strong women, standing up for their beliefs and sticking together in the face of it all. And while I have long been in awe of their great musical talent and spirit, I am not much of a groupie as I have my own life and tend to enjoy it with Dixie Chicks tunes playing in the background. But recently I saw a news story focused on lead singer Natalie Maines and for the first time thought "Wow, I can really relate to how Natalie is feeling right now! We have something in common!"
As much as I wish what we had in common was a brilliant singing voice, musical talent or ageless beauty, it was something much more human. Natalie has caught flak from conservatives, once again, for a tweet she sent out: "Do you ever feel like you can't escape that person that brings out the worst in you? @realDonaldTrump you're mine and I hate you for it!" And while that sounds like just another tweet dissing #45, it hit me that I know exactly what she means by it, even though that person for me is a different wolf in sheep's clothing.
I could easily say that my move last year from Wisconsin to Minnesota was because Wisconsin, while flying under the national radar, has systematically become the poster child for the new (at the time) conservative approach to governing, a reverse Robin Hood scheme of robbing the poor to pay the rich. Using conservative talk radio to fire up the uninformed and easily manipulated, Wisconsin has taken away working people's rights and dignity, made sure that they get the lowest wages possible to keep them in check, has drained public schools in an effort to make them fail so private religious schools (who happen to be political donors) can get a piece of the public school funding pie, and using the same strategy with the prison system in an effort to bring in private prison companies (who also happen to be political donors) to clean up the mess created by large worker vacancies thanks to unsafe working conditions created by low morale, budget cuts and worker pay cuts. They have taken gerrymandering, voter suppression and an assault on the environment and women's rights to new levels. Well, you get the picture. I have a lot of complaints about Wisconsin and what Scott Walker and his minions have sadly done to this once great, progressive state.
But the real reason that I fled Wisconsin, and now happily reside in Minnesota, is because I hated that Scott Walker had made me hate. I was tired of being angry that it had happened and, worst of all, that people I knew let it happen and were so proud of their ignorance. I was tired of hating what he had so smugly and proudly done to the State. I was tired of hating that he had broken up families, friendships, neighbor relations, not to mention all of the people who have lost their jobs and homes under his watch. I hated the anger that is now a common Wisconsin trait, and I knew that I could not go on living under the rule or shadow of Scott Walker and ever be happy in a place that had screwed over my family and livelihood, my neighbors and friends, and brought out so much negativity in me. I hated that the first thing to come to my mind before attending any extended family event, was who I would avoid and what I would not talk about, to keep things peaceful. It really made me see people I've known my entire life differently, and yes, for that I still hate Scott Walker.
So @1NatalieMaines, while I'm glad to know we have something in common, your solution will surely be different than mine. Trump is on a national scale and Walker, while just as evil, is on a state level. It's easier to change states than countries. But hopefully knowing that there are so many good people out there, good people who you can surround yourself with, good people that see what is happening to our country and are vocal about their own choice of causes, will help you use your platform to continue to do the good things you do and raise awareness for your own causes! You have always been ahead of your time and I trust you will never back down! Kudos! New music would be fabulous as well!
