Episode #582 in the series known as Corporate America’s Spineless Assholes Hate On Girls With Strong Ideas, NBC and The CW have announced they will not be airing trailers for the Dixie Chick’s politically outspoken documentary Shut Up and Sing. (Read Peter Travers’ review of the film here.) Now, this is the kind of thing we’d expect from The CW, a network that specializes in mind-numbing teen soap operas even we won’t watch, but NBC? Dang.

According to the Drudge Report, The CW Network is claiming it doesn’t “have appropriate programming in which to schedule this spot.” The NBC folks don’t even bother with bullshitting — they merely states that they “cannot accept these spots as they are disparaging to President Bush.” For fuck’s sake, like President Bush requires any assistance in the disparaging himself, or the office that he holds?

Anyway, Harvey Weinstein (whose studio is releasing the film) made an objection-filled statement, and, according to reports, the Weinstein Company is considering taking legal action. Weinstein said: “It’s a sad commentary about the level of fear in our society that a movie about a group of courageous entertainers who were blacklisted for exercising their right of free speech is not itself being blacklisted by corporate America. The idea that anyone should be penalized for criticizing the president is sad and profoundly un-American.”

We personally find this development to be incredibly disturbing. Luckily we still live in a city where theaters are willing to show scandalous documentary films about pretty Texan country singers. So, right after work today we’re gonna go see this movie, then come home and stare at our voter registration card until a new congress magically materializes. Check out the objectionable trailers for Shut Up and Sing here, but don’t let your kids watch, they might turn into unpatriotic Pinkos who have horns and believe in free speech.