"The Revolution Starts ... Now"

The revolution starts now
When you rise above your fear
And tear the walls around you down
The revolution starts here
Where you work and where you play
Where you lay your money down
What you do and what you say
The revolution starts now
Yeah the revolution starts now

Steve Earle's new album, "The Revolution Starts ... Now" comes out on August 24. As his record company says, it is "extremely political" (you can read the lyrics here, and listen to some of the songs here). For people who don't want to hear the political views of a writer or a performing artist, that's your right. But, Mr. Earle does have some thoughtful things to say, as in the liner notes for the new album:

The Constitution of The United States of America is a REVOLUTIONARY document in every sense of the word. It was designed to evolve, to live, and to breathe like the people that it governs. It is, ingeniously, and perhaps conversely, resilient enough to change with the times in order to meet the challenges of its third century and rigid enough to preserve the ideals that inspired its original articles and amendments. As long as we are willing to put in the work required to defend and nurture this remarkable invention of our forefathers, then I believe with all my heart that it will continue to thrive for generations to come. Without our active participation, however, the future is far from certain. For without the lifeblood of the human spirit even the greatest documents produced by humankind are only words on paper or parchment, destined to yellow and crack and eventually crumble to dust.

And, like everybody else these days, Mr. Earle now has a blog. I'll put it in the list, and check back there from time to time.