Of course these threads are needed. To suggest anything else is to demonstrate a lack of understanding as to what folk and blues music is all about. A great deal of the subject matter of the music is either about the injustices and inequities of the times, or inspired by it. Topical discussions about the differing points of view, IMO, helps one to understand these points of view, and perhaps sing with greater conviction. I find that some folks get caught in the trap of "folk music as history". When they do that, they trap the music and it ceases to be a living entity that evolves and helps to shape the present and the future. Historical perspectives are only a part of the genre, but their relevancy to what is happening now, as well as their use as a roadmap to the future is another big part.

I have said many times that Mudcat is not a music site. It is a community of musicians that has music, as well as the conditions that spawn it, as its focus.

And finally...........if you don't like the politics, just don't read them.

Mick