Category: Uncategorized

 

It’s law, our fighting forces under civil rule must be
Except for Trump just military men make all decisions
No civil input into operations largely military
The Army’s good at executing well their given missions

We learned today Trump gave his generals all authority
That they pursue our wars whatever way that they see fit
Engagement Rules Trump also changed with no publicity
He made it far more likely to kill women and their kids

Trump’s military men are smart and up on all the news
It’s natural for them to choose no matter what’s the question
A military answer, no civilian point of view
But then, again I trust them more than Trump, it’s fair to mention

4/13/17

 

A new reality is setting in; we’ve seen the start
The st art of Trump the President?
His campaign views, which he once took to heart
Are being swept aside, Trump’s new approach hell bent

NATO now is up, the EU’s up and Russia now is down
All because of images Trump saw of babies dying
In their fathers’ arms; and tomahawks were flown
I wonder what new images will send more missiles flying

Consistency, coherency, transparency of policy
In how we interact with other nations
Is fundamental to our own security
Trump’s actions leave me void of expectations

4/12/17

 

I’m coming back to tomahawks, my stance on them keeps changing
Although in my opinion the attacks of gas were senseless
At first I didn’t think Assad was dumb enough to do this
Since sarin gas attacks to Putin would be quite embarrassing

Also, I felt the mood post strike for us would be unfavorable
I found attacking Syria and ISIS most confusing
Since Syria was also giving ISIS quite a bruising
That our position in all this would soon become untenable

But then that Sec. State Tillerson was now opposed to Assad
Was an improvement relative to his position prior
Meanwhile nothing else has happened making things more dire
And Tillerson’s in Russia where most angels fear to trod

O’Donnell’s TV show tonight had featured Malcolm Nance
A former agent, CIA, to whom I pay attention
He had a different take on this that’s worthy here of mention
That Putin is behind all this to test the U.S, stance

He said that Putin had to know Assad had sarin gas
And, also, there was no good rationale for the attack
It all was Putin’s test to see if Trump would answer back
And I expect Sec. Tillerson to be handed back his ass

1/11/17

 

Of late, I’ve witnessed trends I find disturbing
They have to do with Constitutionality
And how, when it’s convenient to ignore
That document that is our nation’s core
To think of it as legal niceties
To set aside for politics prevailing

I saw it first when Mitch McConnell chose
To totally ignore Obama’s choice to be
The SCOTUS next, which wasn’t meant
By Senate’s right to offer its consent
Republicans, thus, stole the SCOTUS seat
The Senate’s long tradition thereby closed

Again, we see this flaunting of our laws
Specifically the clause: “emoluments”
Where Trump did not divest his holdings foreign
Conflicting interests Trump ignores with scorn
Republicans, politically hell bent,
Permit these violations, for their cause

The latest act of war that Trump okayed
Against Iran for provocations vast
‘Though lauded by both Reps. and Dems.; Trump’s stance
Was not approved by Congress in advance
No AUMF document was passed
Respect for Constitution’s law unpaid

When those in power honor with their lips
Our Constitution as the basic source
And strength of our democracy
But when convenient, hypocritically
Ignore the law, pursuant of their course,
This attitude leads to dictatorship

4/10/17

 

Several thousand years ago
The Jews of Egypt crossed the Sea of Reeds
Escaping then from slavery to free
And ever since we celebrate each year our passage

We, each of us, must cross this sea
From being subject to another’s will
To discipline, deciding for one’s self
Not easy to be free. Not easy to be free.

Especially true this is of politics
That nasty word

Are we the slaves of channel news
Whatever brand we somehow choose
Of hearing only what we want to hear according to our labels?
If you are this, you must think that

How often do we question what we think?
Portfolios, we have of right opinions
Based upon our chosen labels
Why do some good people choose to disagree?
Do we know why?

The age of knowledge is upon us
Data everywhere
Each fact surrounded by its countervailing fakes
How do we know which fact is true
And does it really matter?

But what is true
We always do enslave ourselves

On this Passover day
Let us remove the shackles from our minds
And cross the sea from slavery to free

4/10/17

 

 

A threshold has been crossed
That sets the stage for many future years
McConnell led the way, tradition tossed
Our highest court politicized, I fear

It started when a vacancy occurred
The President, a year in office still
Obama’s choice, Mitch swore would not be heard
The Senate balked, that seat stayed unfulfilled

Now Trump as President chose as he might
To fill the SCOTUS vacancy at last
For Dems his choice was too far to the right
And less than sixty votes for him were cast

By Senate rules this meant he didn’t win
More moderate a choice Trump had to choose
But Mitch McConnell changed the rules there in
It meant Trump’s candidate then didn’t lose

A Senate precedent was newly set
Unless a single Party has control
Of both the Senate and as President
No SCOTUS candidate will fill that role

A Party’s candidate, though quite extreme
Needs one and fifty votes to win consent
Then looking down the years at what this means
The Court will then evolve as bias bent

4/8/17.

 

I’d like to turn the time-piece back
To Wednesday, after sarin gas
Before our Tomahawk attack
What different might have come to pass

Consider Al Assad’s position
By himself he can’t survive
His power base, in his condition
Relies on powers from outside

Russia and Iran’s behind him
Absent them he’d soon be gone
Clearly Assad’s brain is dim
Deploying sarin nerve-gas bombs

Embarrassing this must have been
To Putin who removed the stock
Of Syria’s gas from fighting scenes
To see Assad, then bring it back

Since Trump and Putin have been close
Since we’ve agreements with Iran
Trump’s leverage on Assad was most
By dealing with them, since he can

It’s clear diplomacy would work;
With pressure from supporting states;
To stop this stupid Syrian jerk
From using gas beyond this date

Instead, Trump struck a Syrian base
Committing, thus, an act of war
Confusing our allegiances
And made things worse than were before

4/7/17

In yesterday’s poem. Gas, the word saran should be spelled, sarin.

Tomahawks, some fifty nine, were launched at Al Shayrat airbase
That is the base in Syria, that sourced the sarin gas attack
The one whose cable images, horrific scenes on which to gaze,
Made Trump reverse his policy toward Al Assad, no looking back

This gas attack was not the first with planes attacking overhead
Committing gross atrocities, four hundred thousand have been slain
Trump’s own attacks have killed civilians, women, children, all are dead
But this time Trump saw suffering that penetrated his numb brain

I have no doubts that here at home he’ll boost his popularity
As far as good responses go, this limited response was best
The question is, what happens next among eventualities
And how will Russia now react; so goes this foreign crisis test

Meanwhile at home some changes made: Steve Bannon’s gone from NSC
And Nunes has recused himself from heading Russian inquiries
But now the focus of the news is on our act of war, it seems
And on the legal basis to attack the Syrian sovereignty

4/6/17

 

Today, a rare occasion, Trump claimed he’s responsible
To counter Syrian attacks of sarin gas which yesterday
Killed innocents of every age, most reprehensible
Of all Assad’s atrocities. But why it’s hard to say

Assad had gained a policy: U.S. won’t interfere
In Al Assad remaining as the country’s head of state
We’ve joined with Russia’s and Iran’s supporting reigns of fear
Abandoning the people, leaving them to meet their fate

Now Trump with mock emotion say’s he’s changing his great mind
On watching videos of children dying in the streets
Like everything the President pronounces or decides
We’re left to scratch our heads, to wonder what he really meant

My question, if it was Assad, where did he get the gas?
The Russians were supposed to store it all beyond his grasp
Yet gas there was and kill it did; it murdered them in mass
Those images indelible, a baby’s final gasp

1/5/17

 

A deadly poison gas attack was launched today in Syria
The Trumpean response has been to blame it on Obama
The Congress, not Obama, would not act in their hysteria
Back when Assad was using gas, his people meeting Karma

Eventually Rex Tillerson came out with State’s response
Pure platitude, all righteous, tough, with nothing really said
The US blames Damascus, though Damascus claims it not
There may be truth to Assad’s stand, despite the views we’re fed

In warfare gas is last resort, used only by the losers
Assad is winning, air and ground, politically as well
He has no reason to use gas, more likely his opposers
Especially since Trump switched sides: Assad’s his man, do tell

So many things are happening as in a nightmare dream
With neophytes in charge of all, devoid of expertise
And headed up by Donald Trump. We can’t believe his tweets
Ineptitude shows everywhere. But we’ll land on our feet

1/4/17