Civic duty.

You've probably already seen Leon Fleisher's remarkable February 9 Washington Post editorial, "My White House Dilemma," about the conflict he felt in attending the Kennedy Center Awards ceremony at which he was an honoree. If not, go read it right away... I have no idea how long this link will be active. Fleisher's statement lucidly states the deep moral misgivings a great many in the arts would no doubt have felt under the same circumstances. (Thanks to MusicalAmerica.com and others for the pointer.)