I thought Rick F. addressed the question. It's a great quote and places what I feel is a critical question squarely on the table. It has even led to some pretty interesting thread creep.

As an artist, and a patriot, and a man/woman of conscience, which direction do you point your gun, if you feel you should pick one up to begin with? It seems that this has been an active (though often unspoken) question in this country for a very long time - and is as important now as it ever was. Pete Seeger chose to not participate; if everyone who recognized the sleazy danger in Tailgunner Joe would have had the courage to do the same the hearings would have "died a bornin'". Woody Guthrie, based on Rick's citation, attacked through his music (which, as I see it, is kind of the indirect approach). Does anyone have any examples of artists that stood up and testified that the hearings were wrong?