Last_DJ wrote: 
OK, let's consider all three of your points.  Steve Earle's voice?  Still a great fit for his music.  Left-wing politics?  I applaud artists mixing politics into their work, even when I don't agree with them.  And lack of songwriting skills?  That's a truly laughable claim.  Steve Earle is an American treasure, and you just struck out swinging, DJ.

That is all.

wow, a real blast from the past.... first play since 2003.  Nice one Bill, now lets see the sparks fly!

I really used to be a fan of this guy, but his left wing politics, accompanied by his lack of songwriting skills and his voice getting worse, has made me give up on him. This song should have never been written.

:)

Thanks for the heads up on this, -great article. Trying to merge domestic law enforcement with counter terrorism scares the hell out of me. Not are they entirely seperate issues, they have two entirely different solutions. Taking the fight to the Middle East is the best way to handle this. Stablize that region and we won't need much of a Patriot Act, let aone a sequel.

Unimpressive song. The controversy was a red hearing to mask how stupid this song is. I\'d imagine his publicist was the one that sent the lyrics to all the conservative talk show hosts, after all it is free publicity. \"This song might get me deported\" - hardley, the Berkley, CA city council is in more danger of that than he is, and that will never happen. What is clearly self evident, that John Walker was a mixed up kid, does not require a song this bad to reveal such an idea to us. I can\'t say I hate this song, but if I never hear it again I won\'t complain either.

OK. Why is it insulting to them? I don't see a hint of that anywhere in this song. It is clearly an attempt (though definitely not his best work) to mine the perspective of Lindh ("to climb inside his head"). Not a word about anything else that I can see. It's not an espousal of Lindh's monstrous beliefs. And by the way, I do appreciate our military (despite living in Berkeley). Just not blindly. I feel sorry for the poor guys in the reserves who NEVER expected to have to go to Iraq (and face the real possibility of toxins and poison attacks on the battlefield). Isn't that what we have a standing Army for? For the record, I loathe John Walker Lindh. I do like Steve Earle. He has guts. Go listen to Clear Channel radio stations (they're not hard to find) if you just want to hear happy talk or right-wing jingoism. I guarantee you won't ever hear Steve Earle on mainstream radio again. He just immolated his career because he decided to take a clear stand, like a real American should. Not too many have followed him. the New York Times published this on that topic: nytimes Signed, a moderate democrat

Lyrics are on this page, and an article by Steve Earle can be seen here. Note the URLs. :)

Just plain sucks in its own right. Dump it.

Au contraire, mon frer. That artists can freely stir up controversy shows just how un-fascist the state is. Earle's critics are also free to make asses of themselves by jumping to false conclusions.

While I certainly applaud Steve Earle's attempt to look at things from a different perspective, which I feel is probably the single most important thing we can teach ourselves and our children, I find this very hard to listen to. It has no lyrical or musical quality that is appealing to my ear.

I like Steve, but this is a so-so song. It\'s supposed to be controversial, but I don\'t see it, however everyone seems to be raising a stink. He is capable of better music.

Thank God, a country singer who takes risks! Play it more frequently. If this is deemed un-american, you live in a fascist state!

Believe me ... I completely understood the context Earl's song and I have no problem AT ALL with him OR the song. My comment was strictly related to the discussions I've heard related to what might have caused Walker to join in with the Taliban. The link I posted is only a discussion of reality. Had you actually read the article that you linked to here you would have seen that Earl looks at the Taliban in the same light that I do .... here's a quote from your link .... "In the PR material for the new album, Earle says of the track, "I'm happy with the way the song came out, but I'm nervous, not for myself, but I have taken some serious liberties with Walker, speaking as him, in his voice. I'm trying to make clear that wherever he got to, he didn't arrive there in a vacuum....My son Justin is almost exactly Walker's age. Would I be upset if he suddenly turned up fighting for the Islamic Jihad? Sure, absolutely. Fundamentalism, as practiced by the Taliban, is the enemy of real thought, and religion too." and finally ... the definition of jingoism is "extreme chauvinism or nationalism marked esp. by a beligerent foreign policy". My post had nothing to do with political views .... rather was only referring to the inhuman (subhuman) actions of the religious fanatics that were running Afganistan.

Yea ... poor John Walker ... I can see how growing up in this horrible country (especially that Hellhole know as Marin County) ... inspired him to go to Afganistan .... join the Taliban ... so that he could grab one of those clubs and go out into the streets and beat women, on the spot, for laughing outloud in public ... praise allah ... https://www.newlondoncountyguide.com/Taliban.htm ...

I\'ve read about this. I would protest it just for the piss-poor singing. I generally dont care WHAT you\'re singing about, as long as its a good tune. This ain\'t.

Bill, I\'ve read a lot about the controversy surrounding this song; it\'s nice to finally hear it. Thanks Bill. I hope it stays on the playlist.

Bill: Given the heat this has generated, thanks for your willingness to play it. I think anyone who knows Steve\'s songs will know he\'s a hell of lot more complex in his approach to issues than are those who revile what he\'s done here.