Update on Carrie Underwood, Rodeo, SHARK and Hindi:SHARK -vs- Rodeo Update:
Dear Friends of Rodeo Supporters and Members,
There has been a lot posted and printed lately regarding pop-star Carrie Underwood's alleged anti-rodeo feelings. One animal rights group's leader has taken it upon himself to post that he, as quoted from his website, "successfully urged Carrie Underwood to cancel performance at the horrific Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo." Steve Hindi of SHARK has dedicated a whole page to Carrie Underwood, boasting on it how he was directly responsible for convincing her to pull out of her scheduled performance.
It now looks like that is a bunch of BULL!
According to factual documentation provided me it appears that any and all claims by Steve Hindi, and his group SHARK, having been an influence on Carrie Underwood's decision to not play at the Cheyenne Rodeo are NOT true! In fact, Ms. Underwood's people were so upset over it they sent Hindi a letter demanding he "cease and desist from using her name, likeness, biography, and any other identifying references in any and all materials in connection with the SHARK's website or otherwise."
The letter to Hindi also states, "On the SHARK website, SHARK implies that Ms. Underwood's non-appearance at a performance engagement was in response to materials sent to Ms. Underwood by SHARK. Ms. Underwood's non-appearance at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo was not as a result of SHARK's actions. Any attempt to draw a connection between Ms. Underwood and SHARK is misleading and inflammatory."
That says it all!
As I've always said, Hindi should not be held credible in any way. He will use any twist of the truth in his attempt to discredit rodeo and those of us who support it. I now have a copy of the proof as to how Steve Hindi and his group SHARK apparently operate.
I hope you will pass this on and let everyone know the facts about Carrie Underwood's camp having "called Hindi out" for not promoting the facts. Hopefully the right people will see this and realize how much Hindi is NOT to be held credible in any matters regarding rodeo, especially those relating to Carrie Underwood.
Linda Burdick, Executive Director
Friends of Rodeo
forrodeo@comcast.net – email
www.friendsofrodeo.com – website
Anyone who has watched American Idol in the past couple of years knows Carrie Underwood. She not only has a voice of an angel, but she pretty much looks like one too. Her songs are incredible and her first album was a huge success. Anyone who has watched her on American Idol or seen her on CMT or GAC has pretty much become a huge fan. Although her songs are played on the local POP/Rock Stations, her fan base is in country music.
However, Carrie Underwood may be on the same path that many movie stars, singers and some country-western singers, The Dixie Chicks, have gone. Unfortunately for a lot of these movie stars and singers, once they head down that path, there is no return. Again, can you say, The Dixie Chicks. Now many of you may have not heard what happened to The Dixie Chicks, but here it is in short. The Dixie Chicks were on tour in Europe and Natalie Mains, the lead singer made the following comment at the Sheperd's Bush Empire theatre in London:
"Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas"
Now nobody, but nobody can ever change my mind about the First or for that matter the Second Amendment. The First and Second Amendments are the core of this Country principles. For those of you that don't know what the First and Second Amendments are, let me refresh your memory:
Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression. Ratified 12/15/1791.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment 2 - Right to Bear Arms. Ratified 12/15/1791.A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed
Please note two things. The First Amendment does not prevent you from making an imbecile when practicing it and the Second Amendment guarantees the First Amendment, and the Third through the Twenty-seventh Amendment.
Back to The Dixie Chicks. Before Natalie Mains made this comment, she had engaged in a feud with another extremely popular country singer named Toby Keith. She had made the following statement about Toby Keith's extremely popular song "Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue":
"I hate it. It's ignorant, and it makes country music sound ignorant. It targets an entire culture - and not just the bad people who did bad things. You've got to have some tact. Anybody can write, 'We'll put a boot in your ass'
Most likely the core problem in Natalie Main's comment was not the content, but where she made the comment. She made it in London while touring Europe. During the time leading up to the Iraq war and during the Iraq war most European nations were against invading Iraq. Natalie, however, did not have the courage to make this remark in the United States in front of Americans. She knew that she would take a beating. I actually believe that the Dixie Chicks may not have taken the beating that they did had they made the remark in the United States and not on foreign soil. But one will never know.
Well the rest of the story is history. The county-western music fan base took all their Dixie Chicks cd's and threw them away. Country-Western Radio stations put large dumpsters in front of their buildings and thousands of fans dropped all their Dixie Chick's CD's into them. The Dixie Chicks lost their fan base. Zippo. They have never recovered the popularity or riches that they enjoyed during an extremely successfully career - right up to the time that Mains made the statement. Now they have cut albums and won awards on from the POP/Rock side of things, but their fan base is history. Just a note on Toby Keith. His career sky rocketed after the feud with the Dixie Chicks and he is still on the top of the charts. There are lessons to be learned here.
Now many of you may think well that is really unfair to the Dixie Chicks. After all they were practicing their freedom of speech. Agreed. However, mixing politics with your singing career is obviously not the way to go. Fans are funny. Some fans were so obviously disgusted with the Dixie Chicks that they blew them off forever. Freedom of their speech - you betcha. Freedom of Speech cuts both ways. And yes, this is the United States and the Constitution protects freedom of speech, thought and expression. I don't like your political views that you spew, then I won't buy your music or watch your movies. Freedom of Expression - you betcha.
Now back to Carrie Underwood. She has become the darling of the PETA and Animal Rights Activists. Why. She is a vegan. Freedom of Expression. You betcha. She is also anti-rodeo. She has refused to perform at Fairs and Rodeos because she disagrees with rodeos. Now the PETA people have adopted her like a long-lost child. She is the poster child. The problem for Carrie is this.... The majority of her fan base are people who like country-western music. A great deal of those fans are huge rodeo fans. Most of them were probably huge Dixie Chick fans at one time or another. The fact that the PETA and Animal Rights Activists have adopted her is even more troubling. All of us rodeo fans know that the PETA and Animal Rights Activities are two things: Hypocrites and Moonbats.
Matter of fact one of the Animal Rights Activists web sites has a huge section dedicated to Carrie Underwood and her commitment to being a vegan and not supporting rodeo. Of course the leader of that Animal Rights Activists site is a meat-eating Animal Rights Activist. Which leads me to one of the lines in one of Carrie Underwood's songs "Before He Cheats". Seems like she etches her name into the LEATHER seats of his truck. Leather Truck Seats do not come from Ford, Dodge or Chevy. They come from cows - dead cows. Hypocrisy. Can sing about leather seats, but cannot eat meat or sing at a rodeo where there are live cows not dead ones. One thing that Ms. Underwood might consider These Animal Rights Thugs are not going to butter your bread. They are using you to promote their narcisstic agenda. Carrie might want to consider who is more likely to support her music by buying concert tickets and CD's. I can almost guarantee Ms. Underwood that the fans who support rodeo and eat meat are going to help make her living. Not the Animal Rights Thugs.
So Carrie, I have this to say. I really liked your songs. I think you are extremely talented. But, goodbye and so long. I will never buy one of your albums again. Freedom of expression - you betcha. Long live the First and Second Amendment.
Here are some links to Carrie Underwood about her activism: