In his letter of June 6, Tom Bulger suggested that we have lost our country because the Dixie Chicks aren’t alongside Betsy Ross in the pantheon of American political activists; that they lost their lofty position because they exercised their right to free expression and were punished by the establishment.

I support their First Amendment rights to free speech. But the right to disagree with them is just as important to me.

Many Americans exercise that right by voting with their checkbooks. The Constitution does not guarantee freedom from responsibility. Unlike the reaction to the recent cartoon fiasco in Europe, we did not impose new laws restricting expression.

The U.S. entertainment industry has proven many times that it is full of folks with big mouths and small minds. To paraphrase Mr. Bulger: Just because someone is a brilliant musician doesn’t mean they aren’t a political idiot.

Finally, Ms. Ross did her butt-kicking right here, unlike Ms. Maines, who performed her posterior-smooching before a sympathetic audience in a foreign country.

Michael LeBlanc, East Wilton