Goodbye yellow brick road

Elton John joins the list of mindless celebrities who apparently studied neither economics nor civics. Likening the current "fear factor" in America to "McCarthyism", he says entertainers could be "frightened by the current administration's bullying tactics".

The administration? Bullying tactics? He explains, "...the Dixie Chicks got shot down in flames last year for criticizing the president." They were criticized as being un-American, he says. True enough, I recall. Big backlash.

But, does anyone recall flames or gunfire in relation to the Dixie Chicks last year? Any actual, official prohibition to perform? There was some mutter of concert and record boycotts, and a few radio stations arranged some CD-crushing stunts, but it seems their US concert tour was pretty much sold out anyway. At least I didn't hear of any cancellations.

Maybe record sales were down a bit, I'm not sure. But here's a tip for Elton and all those "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"-impeded celebs — the government wasn't responsible for buying their recordings and concert tickets to begin with. That's the job of the competitive market.

Elton, here's how it works: You, the entertainer, produce a record. We, the consumers, buy it. If we like it. And if you don't first piss us off in some other, non-entertainment related way. Like embarrassing yourself by engaging in political punditry, the practice at which you are obviously inept.

As you say, "As of this spring, there have been virtually no anti-war concerts - or anti-war songs that catch on, for that matter". That pretty much sums up the situation, doesn't it? They don't catch on. All John Ashcroft's fault, right? The Patriotism Act requires that we officially hate you.

Yes, we all have first amendment rights in this country. But those rights cut both ways. We the consuming public are under no obligation whatsoever to underwrite your idiotic blathering. Get it? If you don't like being criticized, then shut the hell up. Simple, eh?

Your choice though. You can prattle on all you like, because I, for one, really don't want to censor you. I would much prefer to know with whom we are dealing.

So go one, tell us about the view through those rose-colored glasses, Rocket Man.