Watching the relentless bandwagon of cultural cleansing of all things Southern has started me thinking about all the music that will have to be condemned if those who have vilified the Rebel Flag continue their bullying revisionism. One song that comes to mind is "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down."  And one of my favorite versions of the song, besides the original by The Band (the song was written by The Band's guitar player, Robbie Robertson, with assistance from The Band's vocalist and drummer, Levon Helm), is Joan Baez's version.   (By the way, in most of her performances, her lyrics are not quite faithful to the original; e.g., instead of the historical reference to "Stoneman's Cavalry," she renders it as "so much cavalry.") Baez has always been an "activist" for the whole laundry list of typical liberal causes: nonviolence, gay rights, environmentalism, opposition to the Vietnam and Iraq wars,...(Read Full Post)