My local Starbucks has been on a Beatles craze lately. For the past two weeks, albums such as "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band" and "Magical Mystery Tour" have been on heavy rotation. This got me to thinking; if the Beatles were still together today, which candidate would they support to be the United States president? The answer is quite obvious: Congressman Ron Paul.
Time and time again, whenever there is a top 100 ranking for "greatest rock and roll band," "greatest album," or "most influential musical artist," the Beatles consistently come out on top. As Eric Olson of MSNBC puts it, "The Beatles are unquestionably the best and most important band in rock history." While you may agree or disagree on the musical talent of the Beatles, their influence on culture during their heyday was tremendous.
Barry Manilow, the famous soft rock crooner responsible for hits such as "Mandy," recently endorsed Ron Paul’s candidacy. Just a week ago, singing legend Tony Bennett had these particularly candid remarks on the Howard Stern show:
"To start a war in Iraq was a tremendous, tremendous mistake internationally."
"But who are the terrorists? Are we the terrorists or are they the terrorists? Two wrongs don’t make a right."
"They flew the plane in, but we caused it. Because we were bombing them and they told us to stop."
Sound familiar?
"What would we do if another country, say China, did to us what we do to all those countries over there?"
There is even a Ron Paul punk rock anthem.
So would an incredibly influential band such as the Beatles jump on the anti-war and pro-market Ron Paul bandwagon? The first overtly political song by the Beatles was "Revolution" written by John Lennon in direct response to the Vietnam War.
Lyrics:
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know that you can count me out
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right
You say you'll change the constitution
Well, you know
We all want to change your head
You tell me it's the institution
Well, you know
You better free you mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao
You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right
all right, all right, all right
"People must understand that we can't use violence to have our own way over others – nor should the agents of our government have that power. Even a majority vote should never be accepted as legitimatizing government's use of violence against the people."
Lennon’s criticism of Chairman Mao and communism in "Revolution," is certainly in line with Ron Paul’s beliefs. Paul has always acted on the side of liberty and decentralizing power, not empowering the state for the sake of achieving his ends. In an interview with Reason magazine:
Paul: "Martin Luther King is one of my heroes because he believed in nonviolence and that's a libertarian principle. Rosa Parks is the same way. Gandhi, I admire. Because they're willing to take on the government, they were willing to take on bad laws."
Ron Paul’s position is one of peace and cooperation. The State, by definition, supersedes voluntary cooperation by establishing itself as a monopoly on coercion and violence. This has grown to include drug prohibition. Just in the federal prison system alone there are approximately 103,000 people locked up for drug offenses, that’s 50% of the whole federal prison population.
The influence of drugs on the composition of the Beatles’ music has been speculated for years. While it is widely known the Beatles used drugs during the recording of their most popular albums, they never endorsed their use. Ron Paul has never endorsed the use of drugs either but has held the strict belief that individuals have an absolute right to their body and therefore the government should abstain from prohibiting the use of narcotics. In a Republican presidential debate back in May, Paul outlined his position on drug prohibition brilliantly:
It’s not a stretch to think that John Lennon or the rest of the Fab Four would get behind such a position based on property rights, self-ownership, and social harmony.
With songs like "Revolution" and "All You Need is Love," the Beatles catalog contains many songs promoting peace and non-violence. While "Revolution" is often characterized as the Beatles’ most political song, "Taxman," written by the under rated George Harrison, is a scathing attack on the State’s parasitic need for more revenue:
"If you drive a car, I'll tax the street,If the Beatles were still together and all with us today, it is not farfetched to assume they would support a presidential candidate such as Ron Paul who embraces the libertarian philosophy of non-aggression that detests coercion and violence. Though John Lennon may have drifted toward anarcho-communism (think "Imagine") later in life, his message of peace and cooperation is completely in line with Ron Paul’s principles.
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat.
If you get too cold I'll tax the heat,
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet."
All America needs is not another slick talking politician ready to throw his grandmother under the bus for the sake of one vote. What the country needs is a principled intellectual who holds a record of not only speaking out against the impoverishing policies of the federal government, but one who consistently advocates for peace. Ron Paul is all we need.
September 24, 2011
James E. Miller [send him mail] holds a BS in public administration with a minor in business from Shippensburg University, PA. He is a former staff columnist to the Shippensburg Slate and current contributor to his hometown newspaper, the Middletown Press and Journal. See his blog.
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