(Initially found on Kevin Drum’s Political Animal.)

ABC News has a story about how the Secret Service was called when a high school band played Bob Dylan’s Masters Of War at a talent show. Now the good news is that the principal supports the students, but the bad news is that a) a teacher who supported a student protest was questioned and b) parents and students started this whole thing by calling a radio talk show to complain.

Let’s look at how scary this is. Number one, while it seems like the kids, teachers and administration who were put on the spot by this held up pretty well under the pressure of interrogation by the Secret Service, how many people would? What will the effect be on dissent in this country if every time someone sings a protest song they have to worry about a visit from the Secret Service?

Two, what possible reason could the Secret Service really have for investigating this? That’s a forty year old Dylan song sung by a bunch of college kids? What is the agenda behind such investigations?

Three, have we become so polarized that a song sung by students can drive parents to call talk radio and complain? Although, from the few times I’ve listened to Rush Limbaugh, I guess I know the answer is yes — anything can cause the followers of right-wing radio to call.

This is the fight we’re engaged in — and it’s no less than a fight for our democratic ideals. We are a nation born of protest (Boston Tea Party, anyone?) and dissent is not only our birthright, it is our obligation. I would love to see students and teachers in schools all over our country decide to get together and sing "Masters of War" together on January 20th. Let the Secret Service come investigate all of us. Let’s raise our voices and remind this administration that we are watching them… and the future will judge them.