GREEN DAY-- THE SPIRIT OF LIBERTY

Green Day is probably the biggest band in the world now. They're certainly the over-all best live band on the concert circuit and Billie Joe Armstrong is the only young songwriter I'd ever compare to Bob Dylan or Joni Mitchell. Tuesday night I was really proud to take part in a very special Green Day night. The country's most prestigious progressive advocacy organization, People For the American Way awarded Green Day their Spirit of Liberty Award for 2006. It's not the kind of award they normally hand out to punk rockers. Normally people like Teddy Kennedy, Walter Cronkite, Nancy Pelosi, Charles Kuralt, Gore Vidal and George Clooney are singled out for this honor. So why Billie, Tré and Mike? I asked a People For the American Way Board member to explain it.

"Green Day have reached millions of people around the world with their realistic and positive message of engagement. Their politics aren't partisan, party politics; their politics are the reactions of observant young people growing up in a world of inequality and families struggling to stay together and navigate through a hateful health care system in a society where corrupt elected officials vote themselves immense pay raises-- while stealing millions more-- and at the same time victimize labor unions and refuse to increase a pitiful minimum wage. Green Day were profoundly shocked by the devastation Katrina caused to New Orleans. But when they told me about it, they seemed far ore shocked by the non-response from a political system that has to this day left New Orleans in ruins and uninhabited. As Billie Joe mentioned in his acceptance speech, the Spirit of Liberty Awards was different from one of their Grammy awards or MTV awards or American Music awards or any of the international awards that have been heaped on them. This one wasn't just because their music struck a chord with millions and millions of rock music fans around the world. It's about how they've responded to the world around them, whether helping Fat Mike with punkvoter.com or helping New Orleans with relief the Bush Regime is unwilling to provide."


Tuesday was a special night for yours truly too. Along with my Blue America partners, Jane Hamshire or Firedoglake and John Amato of Crooks and Liars, and Blue America congressional candidate Robert Rodriguez I got to watch the evening unfold from a ringside seat. Ambassador Joe Wilson gave a ringing keynote speech, a powerful indictment of a criminal regime run wild. I also got to introduce Green Day and present them with their award, something I'll never forget. The biggest thrill for me was hearing one of America's best comedians, George Lopez, deliver lines I had written. That really blew my mind.

Anyway, I just want to make note at DWT about this milestone for People For the American Way-- it's their 25th Anniversary of fighting the radical right-- and this milestone for Green Day. I can't think of a better way for People For the American Way to keep itself relevant to a new generation of Americans than to understand and engage 3 guys like Mike, Billie and Tré and the people they speak to and for.