Light skinned black man, look like an Afghan
Ashcroft act say - either is a bad man
Babylon man follow on the street. Creep
Tactical brief over hidden ear piece
Man with the tan fit the profile for violence
Man with the badge sit and surveil in silence
Man with the tan don't agree with the war
Man with the badge don't need probable cause
Amendment number four is the first casualty
Man with the tan is searched and he's seized
Now the man with the badge has the man with the tan
And they speed off in an unmarked sedan
They arrive at a camp and the man with the tan
Isn't given phone calls and he doesn't understand
Why nobody he knows even knows where he is
And the feds won't even tell him if he under arrest
Due process just jetted out the door
Amendment number five is as dead as number four
Now they got him locked away in relative obscurity
Ask where he is? They say: NATIONAL SECURITY
He don't get a lawyer and he won't see a judge
Just a secret military court and only after months
The sixth amendment's done and so is the eight
Cuz when he's locked away its time to being the pain
Inhumane torture methods but he don't speak
So they don't let him eat or sleep for a week
But he still can't say what da man wants to know
And he still don't know what he being held fo
And we still don't know where he being at
And they still wrap a flag on the patriot act
And we still not mad to the point we react
Our rights get attacked and we ain't fightin' back
Target Iraq? What the f*ck is that?
Saddam never shot me just for being black
He never overheard me with roving wire taps
Only Uncle Sam is capable of that
So who's a bigger threat to the way I live?
The man from the desert or the executive...
Skit
Man got his hand clenched tight into a fist
Man not a fan of this government
Man gonna stand up for dissidence
Man with the badge gonna start listenin'
Man with the fist gonna talk politics
Man with the fist gonna say what he thinks
Man with the fist gonna criticize this
Government by bringing up intelligent shit
Babylon man got a plan for the man
With the hand in the fist and goes like this
First he don't comment, he won't dignify it
If it don't vanish, then he deny it
Publicly call man with the fist "Liar"
Privately spy by tapping his wire
Follow every step, target acquired
NATIONAL SECURITY warrant not required
Man with the badge start a smear campaign
Man with the badge try to ruin the name
Of the man with the fist coz he won't desist
Criticizing this Establishment
So they call him a traitor, they call him a snitch
Different opinion? Then he a terrorist
But the man with the fist still gonna resist
Man with the badge gonna be mighty pissed
Man with the badge use new strategy
Man with the badge gonna threaten the family
So man with the tan never feel safe
Cuz Babylon man don't like what he say in the
Home of the Brave, Land of the Free
Freedom of speech and ideology
Think for yourself, choose what you believe
But John Ashcroft don't like what that means
The Patriot Act is written like that
Make it illegal for you to talk back
To the man with the badge or the man with the tank
The man in 1600 Pennsylvania Ave
If you speak up and try to make change
Watch what you say cuz they bound to crash your plane.
Ashcroft act say - either is a bad man
Babylon man follow on the street. Creep
Tactical brief over hidden ear piece
Man with the tan fit the profile for violence
Man with the badge sit and surveil in silence
Man with the tan don't agree with the war
Man with the badge don't need probable cause
Amendment number four is the first casualty
Man with the tan is searched and he's seized
Now the man with the badge has the man with the tan
And they speed off in an unmarked sedan
They arrive at a camp and the man with the tan
Isn't given phone calls and he doesn't understand
Why nobody he knows even knows where he is
And the feds won't even tell him if he under arrest
Due process just jetted out the door
Amendment number five is as dead as number four
Now they got him locked away in relative obscurity
Ask where he is? They say: NATIONAL SECURITY
He don't get a lawyer and he won't see a judge
Just a secret military court and only after months
The sixth amendment's done and so is the eight
Cuz when he's locked away its time to being the pain
Inhumane torture methods but he don't speak
So they don't let him eat or sleep for a week
But he still can't say what da man wants to know
And he still don't know what he being held fo
And we still don't know where he being at
And they still wrap a flag on the patriot act
And we still not mad to the point we react
Our rights get attacked and we ain't fightin' back
Target Iraq? What the f*ck is that?
Saddam never shot me just for being black
He never overheard me with roving wire taps
Only Uncle Sam is capable of that
So who's a bigger threat to the way I live?
The man from the desert or the executive...
Skit
Man got his hand clenched tight into a fist
Man not a fan of this government
Man gonna stand up for dissidence
Man with the badge gonna start listenin'
Man with the fist gonna talk politics
Man with the fist gonna say what he thinks
Man with the fist gonna criticize this
Government by bringing up intelligent shit
Babylon man got a plan for the man
With the hand in the fist and goes like this
First he don't comment, he won't dignify it
If it don't vanish, then he deny it
Publicly call man with the fist "Liar"
Privately spy by tapping his wire
Follow every step, target acquired
NATIONAL SECURITY warrant not required
Man with the badge start a smear campaign
Man with the badge try to ruin the name
Of the man with the fist coz he won't desist
Criticizing this Establishment
So they call him a traitor, they call him a snitch
Different opinion? Then he a terrorist
But the man with the fist still gonna resist
Man with the badge gonna be mighty pissed
Man with the badge use new strategy
Man with the badge gonna threaten the family
So man with the tan never feel safe
Cuz Babylon man don't like what he say in the
Home of the Brave, Land of the Free
Freedom of speech and ideology
Think for yourself, choose what you believe
But John Ashcroft don't like what that means
The Patriot Act is written like that
Make it illegal for you to talk back
To the man with the badge or the man with the tank
The man in 1600 Pennsylvania Ave
If you speak up and try to make change
Watch what you say cuz they bound to crash your plane.
inviata da Riccardo Venturi - 5/11/2005 - 18:10
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Lyrics and Music by Rev1
Testo e musica dei Rev1
"One of the most frightening prospects of life in a post-9/11 world (Americans firmly believe that the terrorist attacks of September 11th changed everything) is that Americans are now willing to sacrifice basic freedoms in order to feel safer. Safe from what, I wonder? The "enemies" we're told to fear, "hate freedom" and want to "destroy our way of life". The USA Patriot Act, a much contested piece of legislation passed soon after 9/11, grants the government sweeping new powers to invade the privacy of US citizens, to detain citizens without charge, to operate in secrecy without accountability. In short, the Patriot Act opens the door for the United States government to behave like the totalitarian dictatorships and ruthless, lawless terrorists we're attempting to defend ourselves from. What sort of freedom is it when one can be whisked away on suspicion without being charged for any crime? No appeals, no lawyers, and classification of "enemy combatant" means no civil rights, no prisoner of war rights, essentially no human rights. The Patriot Act is, in my opinion, a return to McCarthyism, the fear of the Cold War, the solidification of the police state." -Rev1.