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I want to alert you to the Comments my grandson, Michael, and I have been posting on this blog, poelitics.net  concerning the poelitic, Jerusalem. I encourage you to join the conversation.

MLK Day,

Today we honored MLK; we listened to John Lewis
Who spoke of raising chickens in his youth
And how he liked to sermonize them on behaviors righteous
Which, unlike Congress colleagues, heard his truths

He spoke of Martin Luther King and Selma and the March
Where he was beaten nearly to his end
And how the Selma nuns restored him so that he could march
Across that bridge with MLK again

His message quoted MLK: one’s never to give up
Speak out against injustice that you hear
Let love be unconditional; don’t suffer those corrupt
Be active, run for office, volunteer

John teaches by example; of Don Trump he made the claim
His presidency’s illegitimate
Because of Russian meddling; to help Trump was its aim
Without it, Trump might not have won some states

Don Trump’s inauguration John decided to boycott
By now some thirty colleagues have joined in
And demonstrations anti-Trump will happen all throughout
Our nation’s coastal cities and within

Auspicious Trump’s beginning as the nation’s President
His ratings are the lowest ever yet
His rash behavior these past months has made it evident
His term may be an existential threat

1/16/17

 

Jerusalem, Jerusalem let’s have a dream together
A dream of peace on Jordan’s banks conceived to last forever
Where Israel and Palestine dwell side by side as brothers
Where neither contemplates behaviors meant to hurt the other

But how could such a dream be real, where enmity is rife
Where what one gains the other loses, as it is in life?
Then let’s put that aside for now and seek a new perspective
That specifies the goal we seek; a vision that’s reflective

My vision is two sovereign states where border walls are gone
Where citizens of either state can cross and go beyond
Where Jews can live in Palestine as citizens full fledged
As Arabs live in Israel with equal rights un-hedged

Both states would be democracies with legislative seats
Most preordained as Jewish or as Muslim so to keep
The Jewish state as Jewish and the Muslim state Islamic
Each branch of each state’s government would work the same dynamic

My vision for Jerusalem: it capitals both states
An un partitioned city: citizens of either faith
Are free to settle where they wish except for holy sites
Whose sovereignty remains in tact with all ensuing rights

My dream’s naive I do admit; the obstacles are many
And do I have a cogent plan? Indeed I haven’t any
But I’ll say this, negotiations, hard as are in doing
To be effective in the end, you must know where you’re going

1/15/17

 

Jerusalem, Jerusalem how could we e’er forget thee
That’s been the chant of Jewish people century after century
In every corner of the globe wherever Jews were living
They kept the faith that some day to that place they’d be returning

Now Jews control Jerusalem, it is their nation’s capital
They’re not about to yield on this; on this they are fanatical
The Arabs, meanwhile, claim it’s theirs because of prior conquest
Their Koran teaches once land’s theirs, it always is, no contest

What Israel calls “The Temple Mount”, the site of David’s Temple
Now houses the Al Aqsa Mosque, revered by Islam’s people
They never will capitulate historic sovereignty
This sets the stage for outcomes, most of which we can’t foresee

And into this quagmire came the UN resolution
Which labeled Israel lawless for their West Bank occupation
Including, too, The Temple Mount, with Jewish anger vast
And when the US vote abstained, the resolution passed

This resolution has no teeth nor has it much persuasion
For years the Arab states have been against the Jewish nation
The Jews had counted in the past on vetoes from the States
So what went wrong this time around; what happened here of late?

It’s not a secret Bibi and Obama shared no love
But our support of Israel’s needs were over and above
All past administrations, aiding militarily
To abstain thus, might seem to be an inconsistency

The US has for years supported a two-state solution
It views the West-Bank settlements as counter to that notion
That Bibi keeps pursuing them has been a great frustration
To those before, but mostly so to this administration

The message the non-veto, to the world, meant to convey
The US had grown tired of these Israeli games at play
To say they favored separate states while acting to oppose it
Has brought about Obama’s doubt and Netanyahu knows it

It seems the US makes its case all based on the presumption
That absent West-Bank settlements both sides would have the gumption
To come to terms agreeable with peace throughout both nations
I have my doubts! True peace may take another generation

1/14/17

 

Let’s close the loop, connect the dots on Tillerson and Trump
Remember the parade of men Trump ran before the Press?
‘Twas only for Sec. State were those whom later he would dump
But Trump was bluffing, having chosen Rex for State, I’d guess

Now how did Russia enter in, what role did Putin play?
I’d say he whispered in Trump’s ear that Tillerson’s his man
Five hundred billion bucks all frozen, held in sanctions’ sway
That’s Exxon’s deal with Putin who will grab it if he can

But what’s the hold that Putin has to make Trump do his bidding?
Could it be what we all have heard from Buzz Feed and from others?
It might explain Trump’s attitude toward Russia, so unfitting
Connect the dots, conspiracy; its knowledge being smothered

1/13/17

 

There’s much to write about tonight but first it now appears:
The former British spy named Steele, the one who did relate
On Trump in Russia, BuzFeed’s scoop, has up and disappeared.
I speculate that MI6 has moved him someplace safe

The FBI had told Trump ’bout this dossier that’s out there
They said they hadn’t verified if it was false or true
But Trump, in conference, told the Press the FBI was clear:
It totally was false; but then Trump lying’s nothing new

I must admit I was impressed with Senate Dems last night
Proposing their amendments to the GOP’s first Measure
Toward terminating ACA, ObamaCare, that’s right,
Which made their members vote against each clause that voters treasure

They also broke the Senate rules when time it was to vote
Which meant debating had to cease, just saying yea or nay
By then, past one AM, the Dems loud orally each spoke
To dedicate his nay vote to those harmed sans ACA

1/12/17

 

The poelitic that I wrote, “Alarming”, yesterday
Contained an error, I admit, in something I did say
The FBI was not the source of sexual allegations
Concerning Trump in Moscow that was causing such sensation

The on-line website, “BuzzFeed”, broke this story unconfirmed
It gave Trump opportunity to make the Press Corps squirm
Which in his conference held today he labeled as fake news
And used it divert the Press from topics where he’d lose

The information I reported later in the poem
Whose source was The Financial Times, trustworthy as is known,
Has no relation with the BuzzFeed article whatever
I disapprove releasing news that hadn’t yet been vetted

Don Trump’s Press conference did disclose his new financial plan
He’ll form a trust that isn’t blind all managed by his sons
He’ll not divest of anything, be not involved at all
Or so he says, but wiser folks are shaking heads, appalled

Trump’s term’s beginning under clouds of mystery and doubt
It won’t take long before his ties to Russia will come out
And from day one he’ll be ensnared in lawsuits without end
These weaknesses will telegraph to enemies and friends

1/11/17

Like me, you might have wondered what’s with
Trump and Putin’s bonding
Trump’s attitude toward Putin goes beyond
Mere fan responding
And now we hear, though unconfirmed, that
FBI is claiming
Secret knowledge: Trump and Russian deals
That are alarming

Trump’s disregarding of the notion Putin
Had a hand
In helping him to be elected; now
We understand
That Putin could have set Trump up: potential
Blackmail victim
It would explain Trump’s strong disdain of
Anti-Putin dictums

Be that as may, I cannot say if it
Is false or true
And Trump denies he’s compromised; for Trump
That’s nothing new
Mark Sumner of the Daily Kos just
Published knowledge rare
Financial Times, by digging deep in
Trump’s finance affairs

Uncovered evidence that after
Bankruptcy the seventh
His banks closed all his credit lines, now
Destitute and desperate,
Don Trump was bailed by Russian mobsters,
Making deals unseemly
Trump properties as laundromats to
Wash their booty cleanly

There’s plenty more to read about; these
Articles are clear
They cite place, names and references
Convincingly, I fear
No wonder Trump won’t stand against the
Russian cyber actions
That cripple our democracy; Trump’s tied
To Russian factions

1/10/17

 

When something happens unexpected, bang, out of the blue
Events that statisticians call outliers, or black swans
Events that beggar precedent, revealing something new
Something growing there unnoticed, suddenly it dawns

When world events are true black swans they alter history’s course
As though their happenings were needed, forcing major change
Experiencing of such events disturbs us at our source
We then are moved to join in actions past our normal range

The Trump election fits the mold of black-swan happenings
Republicans, most fall in line, ramrodding Trump’s appointments
To hell with conflicts, laws, traditions, they’ll approve all things
Whatever Trump will dictate, bowing down to Trump’s anointment

Meanwhile the Dems are organizing up and down each State
They’re shedding their complacencies, connecting with their roots
This black swan has awakened them to take charge of their fate
And history will record that Dems Trumpism did refute

1/9/17

 

It’s true that campaign promises that politicians make
Are mostly of the category labeled: “news that’s fake”
Be that as may, supporters do expect their man to act
On promises that they had made, to transform them to facts

So let’s examine where Trump stands on promises he voiced
“We’ll build a wall!”, he shouted while his followers rejoiced
“To keep those raping Mexicans from pouring ‘cross our border!”
“And Mexico will pay for it; its back to law and order!”

Republicans are working up a bill: the wall to build
But net flow now is negative, so who’s the wall to shield?
Who’s paying? You and I! But Mexico will later pay
Fool us once, don’t fool us twice, we’ll never see that day

Trump’s cutting taxes drastically to increase work employment
It’s trickle down which only helps the rich for more enjoyment
But stocks have soared on promises that won’t come to fruition
It’s middle-class demand that drives economy’s positions

One promise made, Trump might succeed, to fund more infrastructure
A trillion dollars o’er ten years, that seems to be the picture
Which averages some fifty billion added yearly, say,
And that’s about one fifth of what is spent on it today

Obama Care, repeal it, yes, replace it, there’s much doubt
On Social Sec and Medicare, no change, the jury’s out
On immigration, banning Muslims, he’ll disclaim he said it
Deporting all undocumented, he’ll, perhaps, forget it

No matter how things do turn out, the truth he’ll always edit
To make it look most positive so he can take the credit

1/8/17

I am forwarding this poelitic to my email list of people mainly to broadcast the websites referenced in the poem. Please do the same. Thank you, Sabba Rabba

Our politics, frustrating and discouraging they be
We feel deep pangs of helplessness at news we hear and see
To Hell in Satan’s basket, we all watch our world descend
And wonder whether all we fought for suddenly will end

Trump lies with every utterance, trustworthy, that’s not he
And reckless with his inane tweets, he’s on a power spree
His Cabinet appointments are disastrous every way
In thirteen days he’ll be sworn in, and we will rue the day

But deep despair and helplessness give in to our defeat
There’s plenty we can do to counter Trump, his lies, his tweets
Grass-roots projects o’er the nation have materialized
Practical, informative, resistance realized

Let’s start with “Indivisible”; they’ve drafted up a Guide
A handy-dandy set of insights, insights from inside
The offices of Congressmen, their former staffers’ views
They tell what works and what does not. It’s something to be used

And then there’s “Daily Grab Back”, posts an action, one each day
These are actions we can do to lobby for our way
This focuses our efforts when together we all act
The more of us, the stronger we, to make our wishes fact

Another group is “Wall-Of-Us”, posts actions, four per week
They’re similar but often different in the goals they seek
“Flippable” is, too, a group that offers things to do
That’s focused on state legislatures, flipping red to blue

So click on the blue wordings of the groups that interest you
You’ll see there is a host of actions waiting there to do
These are actions tried and proven, they produce results
It’s you and those who think like you can bring Trump to a halt

1/7/17