I can only speak to the U.S. experience. I watched some of the Army- McCarthy hearings when I was around 10 years of age. I recall the original broadcast, watched with my parents on our old RCA black and white TV, when Edward R. Murrow finally challenged Joseph McCarthy when no other journalist dared. It was a time of great paranoia when "duck and cover" meant diving under your school desk when you saw the white flash in the window. I guess it would have been better to get fried there than while standing or sitting.

People in power who should have known better did some very stupid, and often self-serving things. We were deprived of the talents of many creative people who happened to have an alternative point of view - or were merely accused of it. It was just as grotesque as incarcerating people of Japanese ancestry during early WWII simply for being who they were. I am anything but proud of those times, during which I also became aware of The Weavers, Pete Seeger and Josh White, among many others. I have not always shared their political views, but I think I understand their roots and I absolutely defend their right to express their thoughts.

What worries me now is that I see a resurgence of attempts to stifle free speech, or shout it down, when it offends or is contrary to the views of certain political or religious groups or powerful individuals. I pray we see this for what it means to all of us and lend our artistic and musical talents, whenever needed, to defend the freedom to speak, publish, perform and believe freely.