All Alone in the Night

Holding grudges is, sadly, a quintessentially American trait, and it seems bureaucracies are no less prone to the malady than individuals. Case in point, the decision by the Army to deny Joan Baez the chance to sing during a concert at Walter Reed.

Yes, Baez opposes the war. So? Baez seems intelligent enough not to try and turn a concert for soldiers into an antiwar rally. More likely than not Baez would have sung a few songs, perhaps entertained a few soldiers, and moved on without incident. Why the soldiers should be denied the opportunity to hear her sing simply because she holds views diametrically opposed to those of some fraction of the Army is beyond me. Soldiers hold a lot more diverse views than the media tends to portray.

What is supposed to make America great is that people are free to disagree. Granted, Baez isn't really being punished by not being allowed to sing to soldiers; that's a loss for the soldiers. But the notion that the service is going to vet artists based on their political views is anathema to what the U.S. is supposed to stand for and is a disturbing trend.