Death Threats: Always Anti-Christ

From an article in the New York Times:

'THE DIXIE CHICKS call it "the Incident": the anti-Bush remark that Natalie Maines, their lead singer, made onstage in London in 2003. "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas," said Ms. Maines, a Texan herself.

It led to a partisan firestorm, a radio boycott, death threats and, now, to an album that's anything but repentant: "Taking the Long Way" (Open Wide/Monument/ Columbia).

Her remark was reported in Britain and quickly picked up. Right-wing blogs and talk shows vilified the Dixie Chicks as unpatriotic and worse, and the Incident reached the nightly news. On March 12 a Web site statement from Ms. Maines said: "I feel the president is ignoring the opinion of many in the U.S. and alienating the rest of the world. My comments were made in frustration, and one of the privileges of being an American is you are free to voice your own point of view."

The article makes it clear that the Dixie Chicks got the shock of their life when they found out that there are a large number of Americans who are not for freedom of speech and wish to kill people who do not parrot their own views:

"We have video footage of this lady at one of the shows protesting, holding her 2-year-old son," Ms. Maines said. The woman commanded her son to shout along with an angry chant. "And I was just like, that's it right there. That's the moment that it's taught. She just taught her 2-year-old how to hate. And that broke my heart."

The band received death threats, including at least one, in Dallas, that the F.B.I. considered credible. A newspaper printed Ms. Maines's home address in Austin, Tex., and she ended up moving first outside the city and then to Los Angeles.'

It is the height of irony that these Americans would support a war that, supposedly, was being fought to bring American freedoms to another country while simultaneously denying those same freedoms (i.e. freedom of speech) to their own fellow citizens.

The Times article then talks about how now, over three years later, the same media pundits who once slandered this musical group for their clear-sighted honesty, are now are praising them:

"At the Time 100 party a few days before this interview, the Dixie Chicks performed "Not Ready to Make Nice." Afterward Ms. Maines recounted, the Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly — who has regularly denounced her, and whom she pointedly calls "despicable" — rushed over to greet them. "It's like, 'Just want to say that was great!' " Ms. Maines said. " 'I really like that new song.' "

"And I go, 'But two million tops, right?' And he goes, 'What?' And I said, 'I saw your show when you said we wouldn't sell more than two million, tops.' And he was like, 'Oh, ah, well, two million's pretty good these days, right?' And I was just like, 'Right, yeah. You were saying it in a positive way.' "

Ms. Robison interrupted, laughing. "That's what you call a no-spin zone."

"So then he was just backtracking," Ms. Maines continued. "He says: 'We really respect what you did. And we really respect that you stand up for yourself and blah blah blah.'

My point of bringing this to your attention:

Some of the people - maybe all of the people - who made those death threats, who taught their children hate and who tried to destroy the Dixie Chicks consider themselves Christians.

They tried to destroy the Chicks because they, themselves, chose to stand on the side of war and killing and against rational discussion, conflict resolution and saving lives.

The fact that a hometown newspaper would print a person's home address in order to encourage such criminal behaviors as harassment, vandalism and possible injury or death is unconscionable.

Yet, as Ms. Maine says, her home of Lubbock, Texas (which she had to leave because of death threats) has "more churches than trees."

But those churches did not help the people to do right. They encouraged them, instead, to do wrong. This is the worst kind of hypocrisy.

Our primary commandment from God is "Do not kill."

What kind of mind is it that twists that gospel so it can justify death threats against those who are against killing?

And what kind of heart can translate "Thou shalt not kill" into support for a hasty, ill-conceived and pre-emptive war?

It is a fearful heart - and a fearful mind - separated from God.

Let's get one thing straight:

Such people are not Christians, even if they disguise themselves in the robes of clergy.

They are the anti-Christ.

Ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists. 1 John 2:18

The battle is not yours, but God's. 2 Chronicles 20:15

Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. Isaiah 2:4

Whence come wars and fightings among you? James 4:1

Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Matthew 7:3

If God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 1 John 4:11

Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer. 1 John 3:15

Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder. Matthew 19:18