A Raucous Rebuttal for Government Three-Letter Agencies

Steve Earle gets fired up and throws f-bombs at the security state

Is the old adage, “what goes around comes around” always true?

Perhaps. But in some cases, maybe the truth is closer to the fact that it never went away. This is the reality of the national security state and America’s decades old dilemma with censorship growing into a domestic tumor.

Back in 2004, Steve Earle sang a few choice words on the matter in his hit song, F the CC.

Twenty years later it’s time to dust of the old albums and take this song on another spin on the record player. (Or just watch the YouTube version.)

The Post 9/11 Surveillance Switcheroo

America is an enigma.

Despite the brilliance of the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights, the country remains in turmoil over the interpretation of these founding documents. A democracy does not stay in a fixed state, it is manipulated at every opportunity.

That is the realness of freedom.

The 9/11 attacks on American soil changed the policy and surveillance landscapes forever. A nation in chaos is a breeding ground for subterfuge. And the security state took full advantage of a confused and hurt citizenry.

The USA Patriot Act of 2001 was intended to make it easier to ferret out foreign terrorists. The act allowed law enforcement agencies to expand phone tapping (foreign and domestic) programs and increase penalties for a broader list of terrorism activities and crimes.

Several key problems arose out of these enhanced protocols: indefinite detention without trial, searching property and records without consent and misuse of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant requests.

In short, increased monitoring of foreign threats abroad gave rise (read: an excuse) to expand spying activities on law-abiding Americans, both those at home and those living overseas.

In theory, more power in the hands of any federal agency is not in alignment with true American values. In reality, it’s dangerous to the citizenry.

Rebellion is an All-American Trait

Steve Earle is no stranger to speaking his mind and the controversy that usually follows afterwards.

When everyone was trying to show a patriotic front after 9/11, Earle called America out. His 2002 album, Jerusalem, took aim at mainstream politics. John Walker’s Blues was banned by radio stations because it was deemed too unpatriotic. The song takes on the story of the captured American, John Walker Lindh, fighting with the Taliban.

This earned Earle the ire of the country music fandom.

Not one to cower to censorship, Earle’s next album release was The Revolution Starts... Now in 2004. As a response to the backlash of his previous album, he wrote F the CC (read: Fuck the FCC).

This is a reference to the Federal Communications Commission, the agency responsible for censoring certain media or songs over the airwaves.

There is no hidden agenda with Steve Earle. He tells you what he thinks to your face, even if it’s the federal government. Here are the lyrics for the chorus:

So fuck the FCC
Fuck the FBI
Fuck the CIA
Livin' in the motherfuckin' USA

Coda

Music has a way to remind us that the sins of the past are still present.

The security overreach due to post 9/11 concerns altered the privacy mindset of many Americans. And that was even before the onslaught of social media interference.

Today, censorship is the norm. Political parties rally around authoritarian measures to maintain control and prevent the opposition from gaining ground.

Most three-letter agencies (e.g. CIA, DHS, FBI, DOJ) are complicit in exercising democracy by force. They are now the overlords of the censorship industry. They control the levers of free speech and stymie alternative voices.

The Twitter Files gave insights into how the machinery was put in place to curtail certain points of view to maintain a status quo narrative.

America is in a quandary. The security state is in full censorship mode. However, free speech is really one of the few absolutes that keeps the country sustainable.

What many Americans tend to forget is that great nations fail from their own misdeeds. Outside meddling is nothing but an economic or political excuse.

Members of Congress, the Vice-President, federal judges and military personnel all recite the same Oath of Office. (But not the President of the United States)

I, (name), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same …

When did everyday steadfast American citizens become the enemy to be spied upon and silence their free speech rights?

Steve Earle’s rebuttal back in 2004 is still valid today.

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