Mike Herrera, the lead singer of the punk band MxPx, has tattoos–a lot of tattoos. In fact, he’s got a giant bald eagle inked across his entire back, which means he’s sort of a fan of America.

Mike’s not necessarily political; he wouldn’t call himself a “D” or an “R.” But he’s got something on his mind that’s been quite the hot topic for Ds and Rs lately–how Uncle Sam is collecting your phone records and online communications without warrants or permission on the off chance that someday you might do something illegal (or apply for 501c4 tax status–kidding! sorta).

Over at United Liberty, Mike’s got a long, winding, and entertaining string of thoughts about the controversy. An excerpt:

The government should always lead by example, but President Obama seems to think words from a carefully written speech are enough to assuage us. But are mere words from a position on high enough to get away with mass spying, murder by drones, prosecuting the truth? At least Bushy was always dumb. You could actually picture him being coached on what to say. However, Obama only seems to play dumb when he’s been caught doing the exact opposite of what he promised. Reminds me of an abusive relationship. We just can’t make that connection that our government really actually does not have our best interests or even our median interest in mind.

This leads us to the growing unrest towards authority and the police that have been caught just like the Obama administration is getting “caught” violating civil rights, murdering American and global citizens without a trial. I’m all for the kill or be killed world of vikings and survivalists, but I’m rather enjoying my peaceful life. I don’t want to lose freedoms in real life or online. I like my privacy. The government should help people, and yes…a military is practical in the cesspool climate that us humans have created with our eternal lust for power, riches, and glory from winning battles and wars. But if you give this mouse a cookie, it most certainly isn’t going to stop at asking for a glass of milk.

Read the rest here. And while you’re at it, this is a good time revisit some old-school MxPx:

Photo: Mike Herrera/Facebook