Martin:

It depends how you understand the role of Politics and folk musicians' relationship to it. Regarding folk music and modern era, I am sure we both know of legions of folk musicians (singer songwriters) and non folk musicians who wrote pieces as a way of "coming to terms" with 9/11 (of course, you can't ever come to terms with 9/11, but nonetheless attempts were made...); most notably, Judy Collins and Springsteen. Robin Greenstein wrote a great piece, Christine Lavin also wrote one -- many others, too. These were not attempts to shove their political agendas down listeners' throats. The songs are, however, musical responses to a political event, responses to deal with an unspeakable tragedy which, as I said in my earlier post, is a role that folk music (and other musical genres and other forms of art), has always played, to wit: clarifying and distilling feelings. The facts about what happened are one thing, but the feelings of enormous sorrow, shock, mourning, fear, courage. Not to mention Judy Collins' use of "Amazing Grace" as an attempt to bind up the nation's wounds. I rest my case.