The Liberty Papers

John Locke, the founding fathers, Ayn Rand, Milton Friedman and the other names of great thinkers we quote often at The Liberty Papers are not the only ones who have written amazing works concerning philosophy, liberty, culture, and government. These issues do not even have to be addressed in the form of a book, newspaper article, or even a blog post but can exist in yet another form: music and poetry.

Take a look through your CD collection or your MP3 playlist. What do your favorite music artists have to say about the issues we address at The Liberty Papers? Do any of them seem to follow a coherent philosophy? Those who do not listen to much rock or heavy metal may not realize the types of weighty subjects which are addressed which other genre would not touch with a 20’ pole. Megadeth, for example, covers political and cultural issues ranging from censorship, to criminal justice, to genocide, to nuclear proliferation!*

I believe that the lyrics of some of these songs should be brought to a different audience. It’s for this reason that I believe that “Liberty Rock” should be a regular feature at The Liberty Papers (Fridays maybe?).

Because my most recent posts have been on the topic of police misconduct (and those who approve of the misconduct), it seems natural that this week’s selection I would choose Anthrax’s “I am the Law”.

I Am the Law

Written by: Joe Belladonna, Frank Bello, Charlie Benante, Scott Ian, and Dan Spitz

Fifteen years in the academy
He was like no cadet they’d ever seen
A man so hard, his veins bleed ice
And when he speaks he never says it twice
They call him Judge, his last name is Dredd
So break the law, and you wind up dead
Truth and justice are what he’s fighting for
Judge Dredd the man, he is the law
DROKK IT!

With gun and bike he rules the streets
And every perp he meets will taste defeat
Not even Death can overcome his might
Cause Dredd and Anderson, they won the fight
When the Sov’s started the Apocalypse war
Mega-City was bombed to the floor
Dredd resisted, and the judges fought back
Crushed the Sov’s with their counter-attack
DROKK IT!

Respect the badge – he earned it with his blood
Fear the gun – your sentence may be death because…
Chorus

I AM THE LAW!
And you won’t fuck around no more – I AM THE LAW
I judge the rich, I judge the poor – I AM THE LAW
Commit a crime I’ll lock the door – I AM THE LAW
Because in Mega-City… I AM THE LAW

In the cursed earth where mutants dwell
There is no law, just a living hell
Anarchy and chaos as the blood runs red
But this would change if it was up to Dredd
The book of law is the bible to him
And any crime committed is a sin
He keeps the peace with his law-giver
Judge, jury, and executioner
DROKK IT!

CRIME – The ultimate sin
Your iso-cube is waiting when he brings you in
LAW – It’s what he stands for
Crime’s his only enemy and he’s going to war

CRIME – The ultimate sin
Your ISO-cube is waiting when he brings you in
LAW – It’s what he stands for
Crime’s his only enemy and he’s going to war

Download the song here (legally) from Amazon

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