Dear Mr. President

It's an old argument of mine that the protest music of the sixties, some of which was "commercialized" and played, uncensored, on the popular radio stations of the day, was an inspiration to a movement bent on moving civil rights forward, ending an unjust war, and unseating a criminal president.

From "Blowing In the Wind" and (yes) "Eve of Destruction" to "For What It's Worth" and "Ohio" a spirit of righteous dissent had an appropriate soundtrack.

Where are those songs today? They're out there, but a little harder to find. My nominations for the best in the current struggle: Pink's "Dear Mr. President," (which moved me to tears just last evening) Eminem's "Mosh," Dan Bern's "After the Parade," Bruce Springsteen's "Devils and Dust," Pete Seeger's "Bring Them Home," Eliza Gilkyson's "Man of God" and Mark Erelli's "Volunteers."

Some will move you to tears. Some will move you to call your representatives in Washington. Some will move you to get out on the street in the next protest march.

Unfortunately, these days, few are heard on commercial radio. Fortunately, there's the internets.