Over the past few years, it has truly become apparent that "Freedom" of Speech comes with a price, and in the case of the Dixie Chicks, it came with a very large price: their careers and fans. That is only the half of it though, they also were in fear of losing their lives, their fame and their right to just be "normal people." [1]
At the Dixie Chicks show in London, England, they rightfully voiced their opinion siding with the English view of the war in Iraq stating that they were, "ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas." From here the whole story snowballed and they recieved not only harsh criticisms for their words, but their fans and the public started to boycott them, leading the Dixie Chicks into a downward spiral putting their careers at a halt. [1]
A few years after Bush's grand re-election as President, things started to go wrong in his office, and the public began to slowly detest George Bush. A number of other celebrities also decided to join the bandwagon, and create songs that are still considered politically offensive. For example, P!nk came out with a song titled 'Dear Mr. President,' which is known for its crude words that completely rip apart anything the former President has ever done. Throughout the song she repeatedly recalls on all of the situations he promised to fix and failed, his past as well as what kind of father figure he is. [5] Here take a look for yourself, and compare it to the previous statement of Natalie Maines, which one do you think is truly more controversial and offensive?
[3]
Other celebrities who also spoke up against the government include Kanye West with his comment on live television stating that "George Bush doesn't like black people"[4] and Pearl Jam, who in case you do not know is a band that was huge a few years back displaying more of a soft rock genre. But what happened to these celebrities careers? Were they glared down upon like the Dixie Chicks were after their comment? To be honest, it was far from. If anything, these celebrities and bands managed to gain more fame after the release of their statements and songs.
This incident leads to the questions of whether or not "Freedom" of Speech is really free, and why the Dixie Chicks, but no one else?
I believe that the sole reasoning behind this is timing. [1]At the time when the Dixie Chicks released their commentary, George Bush was still seen as a brilliant man to have in power and had many supporters, especially in the South. As a result, many of their fans turned on them to make an equally harsh statement against the Dixie Chicks, as a way to say that they had been insulted by the Natalie's words. In the case of P!nk, Kanye West and Pearl Jam, by the time their commentary and audio had been released, the majority of the public had growing distaste for the President of that time, so their comments were viewed with a better outlook, seeing as most people agreed with what was being said. Their songs were much more about the social issues that were not being addressed, which easily gained support seeing as most of the United States was left facing at least one of these problems. America felt that since they could not say anything, at least stars such as these three, were working to get the public's voices heard.

Somewhat contradictory to my previous paragrapgh though, my personal opinion is that although everyone is entitled to free speech and their own opinions, celebrities should leave their personal comments, especially regarding such social issues that affect the whole world, out of their performances. Celebrities are prime examples of people with power, and this power can quite easily influence many others. When a person with power states something extremely controversial in front of a large group of people, especially about an issue that they are facing at the time of the comment, it seems as if they are trying to make the audience agree, and sometimes conform, to their personal beliefs, which power can help do. Problem is, celebrities do not quite understand the blow that can sometimes follow after their actions, and are not ready to deal with this.

This belief is what led people to believe that celebrities should just "Shut Up and Sing." Celebrities are given too much power, especially in front of millions with a microphone to their mouth, and they really need to be careful with what they say if they are not ready to deal with the raff of things.

Another belief as to why only the Dixie Chicks were heavily criticized is because, throughout the years they have only continued to gain more and more fame, and people felt the need that they needed to be slowed down, and have some power taken away. After Natalie Maine's statement, it seemed as if it would be the perfect time to twist her words to make it seem as though she had committed the most heinous crime, which would ultimately bring them back down to a level of normality.[1]

All in all though, I think it is quite obvious that Freedom of Speech does have its rebounds leaving behind a costly consequence and although everyone is legally entitled to state their own opinion, they need to be careful because they can easily influence just about anyone with the amount of power that they hold. BUT, their statements can also help raise awareness on certain social issues, or even help get the voice of many heard, when they can't do it themselves. This matter is truly divisive, but just remember there is no such thing as "Freedom" of Speech.

For other artists who have cretaed politically offensive music check out this list: [2]

P!nk - Dear Mr. President
Kanye West - American Red Cross Centre Relief Fund comments
Beastie Boys - In a World Gone Mad
Lenny Kravitz - We Want Peace
Luka Bloom - I'm Not at War with Anyone
Green Day - Life During War Time

[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixie_Chicks
[2]http://www.inthe00s.com/archive/membersonly/smf/1106014002.shtml
[3]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eRApNHSRRk
[4]http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/03/AR2005090300165.html
[5]http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/pink/dearmrpresident.html