A Chill Wind Blows: Dixie Chicks Violate NBC's Rights

Yesterday, the big news was that NBC has banned ads for the new Dixie Chicks movie:

The NBC television network is reportedly refusing to air ads promoting Shut Up and Sing, a new documentary about censorship of the Dixie Chicks. NBC has reportedly said it will not accept the ads because they are “disparaging to President Bush.” Ralph G. Neas, president of the nonpartisan People For the American Way, which advocates free speech, strongly criticized the reported NBC decision. “If these reports are true, it would be astonishing for NBC to censor criticism of President Bush less than two weeks before the election,” Neas said. “This is a film about censorship, and now it sounds as though it’s being censored.”

The Dixie Chicks voice is being silenced. Yes, a chill wind blows through America, but from where does it emanate? Why, right out of Harvey Weinstein's ass, of course (from Associated Press):

While the Weinstein Co. had shown NBC its ads, it had not inquired about buying commercial time, he said. Generally, when an ad is rejected, prospective advertisers return and work with the network on ways to make it acceptable — as was done with the Michael Moore film "Fahrenheit 9/11," he said.

But NBC heard nothing more from makers of "Shut Up & Sing" until portions of what NBC executives thought were confidential business correspondence showed up in a news release, he said. "There was no attempt to come back and have a conversation," Wurtzel said. "There are times when some advertisers get more publicity for having their ad rejected."

The CW said a Weinstein representative discussed the ad with a low-level network official who questioned whether the network had the right programming to fit the ad. "It was the beginning of a dialogue at a low level and it didn't get beyond that when they decided to go to the media about it," network spokesman Paul McGuire said.

The CW would accept the ad if commercial time was bought, he said.

Meanwhile, I don't hear the Left talking about the real silencing which is being proposed by a British Imam:

A gay rights campaigner has accused an Imam of saying the execution of gay Muslims to stop the spread of disease is "for the common good of man". Dr John Casson visited Arshad Misbahi, the Imam at Manchester Central Mosque, to discuss concerns over the execution of homosexual Muslims in Iran. Dr Casson said the comments were made in a private meeting but he wrote them down afterwards. The Imam did not deny the comments but said he had been misinterpreted. Mr Misbahi said he was only talking about the Islamic perspective on homosexuality ...

Why doesn't the Left have anything to say about a Muslim cleric calling for the genocide of gay people? Because most people of the Left do not care about gay rights nearly as much as they hate American patriotism and Judeo-Christian morality. Issues like gay rights, women's rights, and freedom of conscience are simply hammers with which the Left beats on the heads of Christians and American Patriots.