Keep on rockin' in the free world.

My heroes have always been outspoken.

Neil Young is that. The man has never hesitated to state an opinion, never backed down from a fight and he fought his way back from the brink with fire in his eyes.

"Living with War", a ten-track set recorded by a "power trio" -- electric guitar, bass and drums -- plus trumpet and a 100-member choir -- as Young states in a news scroll on his website: "I think it is a metal version of Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan ... metal folk protest?"

The crawl goes on to reveal the lyrics of the album's title track, with such lines as:

"And when the dawn breaks I see my fellow man

And on the flat-screen we kill and we're killed again

And when the night falls, I pray for peace

Try to remember peace."

You've no doubt heard a song has been recorded called, simply, "Let's Impeach the President."

I watched an interview with Young on CNN well after I should have been alseep. So tired my head wobbled, my eyes were twitchy and my voice was ragged. But I sat there, grinning, yelling, "Yeah, Neil! Take it to the people! Whoo!" Then I shut up and listened.

In that calm, nasal twang of his Young explained how he couldn't not write this song and that when he was done, the test audience of a hundred people stood up and cheered.

CNN builds on the story:

"Living with War" appears to bring Young full circle from a more pro-Bush administration stance he took in the months following the September 11 attacks. Not long after recording the song "Let's Roll," a tribute to passengers who apparently fought back against hijackers on doomed United Airlines Flight 93 over Pennsylvania, Young came out publicly in support of the U.S. Patriot Act. The legislation, which gave law enforcement authorities broad new powers aimed at bolstering the administration's war on terror, was harshly criticized by some as threatening civil liberties.

Young has changed his mind. He said, and I paraphrase loosely, that he's proud to be Canadian but his wife is American, his children are American and he's been paying taxes in America for over forty years. He feels he has a right to be heard and respects the opinions of those who disagree - but in America, after we disagree, we should be able to sit down and break bread together.

Editor & Publisher covers the story but the best all out blanketing of the subject is at a blog called Neil Young News. I was amused to see that Fox News crawler stated that Young "attacks America" when he condemns the President.

It's isn't about pure two party-politics; it hasn't been for a long time. It's about freedom.