The backlash against Bob Dylan being awarded the Medal of Freedom last week is expected, I guess, from a population that seems to know little about him and about his contributions to American music and culture.
Many people don't know that he was a featured performer on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial before Martin Luther King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. Bob has had a 50-year career recording music.
Can you imagine any of today's artists enjoying success for that long? As for the letter writer who questioned his patriotism: Throughout his career, Dylan has refused to answer questions regarding any of the topical issues of the day -- like Vietnam, Watergate, Iran-Contra --but rather has allowed his lyrics to speak for him.
Can you imagine any of today's celebrities not speaking out when asked? And last, during his famous 1966 tour of Europe, he had the stage adorned with a massive American flag when anti-American feelings permeated Europe as our role in Vietnam escalated.
The true artists of our time let their work speak for them. Beatle George Harrison, a huge fan and close friend to Dylan, once said about him, "He is a giant, a great, great soul, with all of the humanity, all of the wit and humor, all of the wisdom, the spirituality, the common sense of a man and compassion for people."
TOM J. INTIHAR, BROOKLYN PARK
