The Dixie Chicks were honored in December by the ACLU for defending liberty and the right to free speech in the face of overwhelming pressure. Lead vocalist Natalie Maines said she’s proud to be a card-carrying member and “It hasn’t taken courage to stand strong, just a first-grade education.”

On Sunday the group won five Grammys to resounding applause — a sign of how times have changed since the band first came under fire for criticizing President Bush in 2003.

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