The Importance of Muhammad Ali and the Dixie Chicks

Muhammad Ali and the Dixie Chicks were both in the news this week, and they shared probably a bit more than you think. Both spoke out and against war and both had many people in the U.S. turn their backs on them.

Both Muhammad Ali (Rest in Peace) and the Dixie Chicks lost millions of fans by speaking their minds. Let's also add that if given the chance, they'd both probably do it all over again.

Ali refused to fight in the Vietnam War. He wasn't just against the killing and the war; he also refused to fight for a country that still didn't treat him as an equal.

You have to remember that Ali grew up at a time of segregation. He was born in 1942 and slavery ended in 1863. That's just about 80 years. Wounds are still fresh then. Ali didn't just say he would refuse to kill; he said why, and that really bothered some folks. Ali was pretty much banned form boxing for a few years years while he fought the matter in court.

Now let's look at the Dixie Chicks, specifically our own Natalie Maines. You can deny it all your want, but you can still find plenty of folks in this town who think that women and minorities should just keep their mouths shut, especially when they have different ideas on how things should be done. The Dixie Chicks went into a self-imposed exile after speaking out against a war they didn't agree with. They probably could have just kept releasing albums and touring overseas, but I guess they wanted some down time as well.

It's important that we have people out there who speak up when they think something is wrong. Every once in a while, a good-old gut check is in order.

This brings us to the final thing that Muhammad Ali and the Dixie Chicks had in common: They were both right.