How to Argue Like a Boss with Frank ZappaWere talking aboutwords why are people afraid ofwords? Frank Zappa Why was the subject up for debate? At times in the Crossfire episode he calls out the opponents: I love it when you froth like that. When they tried to argue that dirty song lyrics were a matter of national defense Frank said: The opponents, particularly Washington Times commentator Jon Lofton, tried to argue that dirty music was leading to behavioral crime and hopelessness. Zappa wanted youth to find hope by registering to vote and running for something. That suggestion was scoffed. On his album covers Zappa called for people to register to vote, even having register booths at his concerts. He opposed the War on Drugs, believing that the crime lies in a persons actions towards another, and that the US Treasury would benefit from decriminalization.You own the governmentit doesnt own you, he once said. They talk over him a lot, but he remains calm and unfortunately never gets to finish his last point. He reiterates: were not talking about advocacy, were talking about words. Basically, it would be better to allow everything, without fear, with functioning brains and free choice, rather than install a government board that forbids certain words from our ears. He didnt want to see the U.S. government moving towards fascism. If you want to go right for the kill-zone low blow in an argument, do what Dave Barrys satirical How to Win an Argument says compare your opponent to Adolf Hitler. Character attacking is number one if you find yourself spectacularly wrong. In this case, they actually did just that and called him an anarchist for taking a non-invasive view. Read other articles by Amanda Warren Here 