I see another political forum eh? Well,there is actually another part to this. Toby really doesn't care for the CMA's or Awards in general. He does very well without them and has been involved in the past. But he has also skipped them when he was invited.

Every genre has them. George C. Scott turned down his Oscar for Patton because he didn't believe in an "actor's competition."

On Oscar Night, Woody Allen was playing clarinet in a regular club gig he played in New York City in a Dixie Land Jazz Band. His movie. Hannah and Her Sisters were racking up awards. Just didn't show up.

To be honest with you, this is probably the way I would be if ever nominated for an award. And having won a few, including a few I didn't show up for, I can actually say from experience. The best Award' is when people embrace your stuff. That is really all I am interested in.

But each person has to address it in what works for them.

Actually, the problem the Dixie Chicks got into was not as much the Bush quotes.It is when they called their audience "stupid redneck hicks", claimed they didn't "want any of their CD's to be owned by people that would also have a "Reba McEntire CD in their CD changer", and how much they hated Nashville. That was interesting to do in a society that had embraced them just a few years before.

You can always say whatever you want. Just have to deal with the fallout when you say something.

MAB