He had showed up at the protest
With a banner and a shield
With a sense of righteous anger
And a vow, he would not yield!
He was shouting all the slogans
He was marching through the park
(He had even brought a Tiki Torch
In case it got too dark) [Read more…]
It’s not that I’m a bigot
I just want my country safe
So stop it with those photos
Of the body of that waif
Yes, of course, my order bans him
From the USA, but damn…
It’s not that I’m a bigot,
But, of course, we know I am. [Read more…]
Remember the story of Officer Slam?
Well known by the students to not give a damn–
He struggled, determined he wouldn’t be beat
By a student who wouldn’t get out of her seat.
She wouldn’t submit, so he knew what to do;
There’s kind of a script, when she’s black and he’s blue. [Read more…]
We have to prune the registries
Of enemies of note—
What sort of country would we have
If everyone could vote? [Read more…]
My concern for you is genuine,
It’s heartfelt, true, and strong
And it hurts my very soul to see
The way they do you wrong
Now, I’ve got a few suggestions
Of some things that you could do
So just put your life on hold
While I pontificate to you. [Read more…]
I broke my leg while hiking, and it really, REALLY hurt;
As I waited for assistance, calmly writhing in the dirt,
I was contemplating this and that, anticipating hell,
And I hoped the paramedics fixed my other limbs as well!
Just the one was really broken, and the other three were fine,
But, the thing is, all limbs matter, and of course, these limbs are mine! [Read more…]
A few weeks ago (wow, maybe a couple of months already), I got a call asking for donations for some group supporting our brave, misunderstood, and oft-attacked police officers. Recent news events made it very easy to hang up on them, but as soon as I did, I regretted not having asked the rep what the organization’s official stance was on the Tamir Rice shooting (this gives you several possible time-frames for when I got the call). This time around, it was an email, not a phone call, and I want to take a bit of time to unpack it. [Read more…]
He’s an isolated lunatic,
A sorry, troubled soul;
Just a mild-mannered, quiet sort
Who simply lost control [Read more…]
I remember reading a particular issue of Mad Magazine back in the seventies. As it so often did, it included some song and poem parodies, this time on an environmentalist theme. I can recite two of them from memory–one a spot-on Dr. Seuss, and the other a version of the song “America The Beautiful”:
O cancerous, for smoggy skies
For pesticidal grain
Irritated mountains rise
Above an asphalt plainAmerica, America
Thy sins prepare thy doom
Monoxide clouds shall be thy shrouds
Thy cities be thy tomb!
On the tube or the net, the distraction I choose
Is to sample a bit of the national news
I look for the stories that tug at my brain—
The ones that are tricky, or hard to explain
But the story today? Well, we’ve seen it before;
Just another sad death in a long, bloody war;
A conflict that seemingly never will stop…
Just another black kid who’s been killed by a cop.
[Read more…]