'John Walker's Blues' not so sad

Freedom of speech. \nApparently Steve Earle, provocative Nashville musician and songwriter, is aware of this right as he's consistently exercised his liberties by pumping out such controversial songs as his released, "John Walker's Blues," on his new album, "Jerusalem."\nThe song takes the view of John Walker Lindh, a 21-year-old Californian who is now serving 20 years in prison for aiding the Taliban and possessing a firearm while committing a felony. The anti-death penalty and self-proclaimed Marxist simply wanted to explore what drove Lindh to accept the Taliban government.\nEarle's song goes a little something like this:\nI'm just an American boy, raised on MTV,\nAnd I've seen all the kids in the soda pop bands,\nBut none look like me.\nSo I started looking around, and I heard the word of God,\nAnd the first thing I heard that made sense was the word of Allah,\nPeace be upon him.\nEarle told The Associated Press, "I'm pretty unapologetic. I'm genuinely radical, and I insist that it's OK for me to be radical in a democracy."\nSteve Gill, a radio host in Earle's adopted hometown, told the New York Post that the song was "particularly offensive to Christians": "If I should die I'll rise up to the sky," Earle sings, "just like Jesus, peace be upon him." \nNow the song is in jeopardy of not making it to the airwaves, due to complaints from those who control the industry.\nBut the Federal Communications Commission can't legally ban the song, as a site entitled, "The FCC and Freedom of Speech" on www.fcc.gov states, "The FCC is barred by law from trying to prevent the broadcast of any point of view ... Expressions of views that do not involve a 'clear and present danger of serious substantive evil' come under the protection of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press …This principle ensures that the most diverse and opposing opinions will be expressed, even though some may be highly offensive."\nPost-Sept. 11 music, for the most part, has been outright jingoistic. This album isn't, as it finally takes the stance that perhaps both sides should be held accountable for the cause of Sept. 11's great tragedy. Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Neil Young and Paul McCartney, among others to produce musical remedies for Sept. 11, hid their messages under commercialized sounds and lyrics that lacked perspective. But regardless of how offensive one might find the song -- it's Earle's right as an American to produce and sell music with a message.\nAlthough we have a free press, it seems as though commercial control can take over. If critics who feel Earle is unpatriotic don't want to listen, they don't have to. But if radio stations crumble to the dictators that be and let money control the industry, eventually the real 'substantive evil' will surface. Earle's simply trying to understand the crookedness of such evils that resulted in monstrosities like that of Sept. 11, by looking and exploring all ends of the spectrum. \nLet it play.