BS”D
Another quote out of context.
Hakaras hatov is like tipping the waiter and in the case of the US that means paying our taxes according to law and living according to all civil laws which do not contradict Torah, while protesting loudly any moves by the non-Jewish government which jeopardize Jews anywhere in the world including EY.
We thank only Hashem for our brochos and we admire only those who live according to His laws.
PPM were not even observant of the 7 Mitzvos Bnei Noach – they were part of the free love pritzus of the time which is ossur lemehadrin even for bnei Noiach.
And speaking as someone who lives in the FSU, the whole Soviet Jewry movement (which Rav Moshe ZTL condemned) only endangered Jews here. In the end, we saw nissei nissim as the Wall fell and Communism crumbled with hardly any bloodshed. Reagan was very slightly Hashem’s shaliach in allowing it to happen, but even with an Obama in the White House it was time for that klipa to disappear and it did.
Finally, anecdotes about gedolim and heterim are just that. Assuming the story is even true, do we know why? Did a grandchild of that godol become ill L”A and need to listen to music while recuperating? Was it one particular song he allowed? Or, as I think, was it hearsay along the lines of the Kennedy curse?