Democracy

Dick

Hiding behind

Bush father

and son,

he sought

the way

to get 

the job

done.

The dark

invader,

known as

Darth Vader,

he was 

the Iraq

invader,

Dick.

“Enhanced

interrogation”,

was his own 

abrogation 

for investigation;

a negation

of the application

of the Geneva

Convention

with the contention

that terrorists

are stateless.

With torturous

explanation,

the Dick 

Cheney way,

captives

were waterboarded

at Guantanamo

Bay

to get them to 

say

anything.

Preying 

on fear,

his thinking

quite clear,

that we have

the right

and imperative

to proceed

with his 

narrative

of making

the world

safe

for democracy.

The legacy

of Dick,

sadly, 

won’t be

his brave move

in 2024.

Breaking

rank

with the GOP

plank

that stank 

of TrumpMAGA,

Dick voted

for Kamala,

putting

partisanship

aside

for

America.

I’m not sure 

he was really

Machiavelli,

and I believe

he served 

his country

in the way 

that he

believed

sincerely.

Unfortunately,

his neo

con job

prob-

ably

made matters

worse.

The Cheney

family,

of political

fame,

has lost

the guy

who owns

the blame

for what 

went wrong

before Trump

came along,

and he bore

the name,

Dick.

OH SNAP!

Shutting down

the government

has meant

that each 

and every

constituent

receiving an

entitlement

of nutrition

assistance 

supplement

may soon find

these subsidies

absent 

to pay

for groceries.

The Hunger Games

frames 

our situation

of food 

and health care

politicization.

Multiplication

of division

within

our own

communities

disables 

opportunities

for progress.

The mess

that Trump

and Congress

tend to inflict

to maintain

conflict

keeps us

tricked

into believing

it’s the price

we pay

to have 

representational

say, 

with the hope 

that this 

will conclude

any day

now.

But how

will those

who need

to feed

their own

manage

without

the advantage

the wealthy

maintain?

Once 

the pain

ensues,

then Trump

will choose

to pull 

back.

This attack

and retreat

before full

defeat

is the Trump-

MAGA trap

we’re in.

But who

will snap

from all

this crap?

And when

will Congress

snap out 

of it?

The Reckless will Reckon with the Wrecking Ball(room)

Why have elections,

if gerrymandered

sections

ensure protections 

from voting

rejections?

Abolishing everything

like demolishing

The East Wing

while insisting

upon citizens

paying,

is not really

playing well

with others.

He’s no king,

but a tyrant

who regards

our government

as his

own business,

and everyone

knows just

how that goes-

just look at his

casinos.

The East Wing’s  

now lost

and we’ll bear

the cost-

and not just

the bill

for 300 mill-

but for the 

recklessness

atop Capitol Hill.

We’re all

nervous wrecks

as he goes on

and wrecks

each aspect

of American life.

I think 

he’s having

a ball

with all

his destruction

pretending construction

of some home

improvement.

Our movement

away 

from democracy

each day

will bring

a reckoning,

I’m sure.

If not for 

him,

then for

each supporter

who 

knew better

than to gamble

with what followed

the preamble

and ambled

toward creating

the end.

But it’s not

over yet

so don’t forget

that there’s

more that we 

can all do.

You can help 

flip congress

from this

mess:

https://app.oath.vote/.

And Election Day

is not far away,

with propositions

and positions

of import.

Please support

our democracy

from the crazy

recklessness.

Happiness

and the pursuit

of justice

is not about

retribution.

Each individual

contribution

to building

a more perfect

union

may seem 

inadequate now.

But doing 

democracy 

is the way

that we

will ensure 

its longevity

and the brevity

of the recklessness.

Next Day Err

I noticed 

the reporting

was, in fact,

distorting.

Is journalism

comporting

to 

you know

who?

A day 

of demonstration

across 

the nation

in every location

with a 

fire station,

or at least

one 

not far away,

should demand

we pay

close attention.

With barely

a mention,

and an odd

contention

that participation

was in

the tens

of thousands,

not millions

as the math

bares out;

the clout

of the once

touted

journalistic

outlet

is about

to get

caught

in what 

ought

to be

simply

unthinkable.

Did pressure

mount

to distort

the count

or report

more generically?

Since when

have there been

approximately

2700 mass

demonstrations

across the nation

in a single day?

Meh?

And several 

tens of thousands

in several

cities and towns

means millions

(at least seven)

gathered

and together 

stood 

for democracy

which should

be covered

accurately

and emphatically.

It’s a serious 

story.

The NYT

and NPR

know when

numbers

are telling.

It’s smelling

fishy-

this wishy

washy

story of no

big deal.

The real

takeaway

from 

an incredibly

peaceful

and supportive

pro-democracy

day

that was,

in fact,

of history

is no mystery.

Crowd size 

matters.

And  the way

we tell it

will sell it

or not.

They may

downplay

this No Kings

day 

as a way

to keep 

the peace.

But we choose

the news

to peruse

assuming

abuse

is not

informing it.

Performing

it ,

with

a softer

version,

lacking immersion

in details,

further derails,

perhaps 

incrementally,

what is essentially

necessary

for democracy

to be

more than 

in name only.

Re: Pete

A military

career

in the rear

view,

before we 

knew 

his name,

now known

as secretary

and very

outspoken,

he faces

a daunting

situation.

And speaking

of faces,

he’s a good

looking guy,

which helps

him to buy

good will.

He also

embodies

and represents

the epitome

of that

which his 

party 

presents

(or he thinks

it should).

If only 

he could

get 

the attention

of 

the party

heads

for the next

convention.

He’s often

on Fox

and does 

TikToks,

for those 

who can’t

get enough.

Political

relevance

need not

mean eloquence;

just ask

the Secretary

of Defense

or

of War.

To compete

with Pete

is replete

with the feat

of winning

hearts and minds.

The kinds

of sound bytes

that fight

for the right 

to and for

democratic

infrastructure

is keeping

the former

mayor

secretary

very 

engaged

and prominent.

Will he 

be

dominent?

It remains

to be seen,

but to unseat

one Pete

will be a treat

for the 

other one

and confirmation

of our country’s

direction.

Carr Alarm

The noise

around

silencing speech

may reach

a tipping

point.

The joint

astonishment

and grief

may be

brief

as the next

one to fall

will call

our attention.

While there’s

no comparison

between the firing

of a comedian,

or two,

and the firing

of a gun,

we can’t run

from this

crisis.

Opinion

has been

the dominion

of the comedian,

even mocking

the politician.

It’s free speech

in action

and a cultural

tradition.

But the addition

of retribution

to our polity-

once

the contribution

only

of the most

violently

disturbed-

comes from

the top guy,

perpetually

perturbed.

The Federal

Communications

Commision

is now

on a mission

to stifle.

Instead of

a rifle,

or other

violence,

the way

to silence

criticisms

is to fire

the guys

whose

wittisms

are bothersome

to some;

or maybe

just

to one.

Carr’s action-

Kimmel’s subtraction-

in reaction

to the comic’s

wit,

is every bit

a lack of

grit

and merely

a fit

of alarm

of the president

who sees

speech

as harm

and uses

it

to harm others.

Is this retribution

or fear?

Who can hear

over the alarm

over the act

of commission?

Kirk’s Enterprise

Charlie Kirk’s 

horrific demise

as he pursued

his enterprise

as a conservative force

through

political discourse,

should be

our turning point,

USA.

This school shooting,

unlike the other,

was political;

an intentional

act of violence

to silence

debate-

the latest

in a spate

of hate

crimes

against

political

figures.

The triggers

may be

multiple

but when

the political

is emotional

and what 

seemed

impossible 

is no longer

notional,

anything

becomes

motivational

against

a perceived

enemy.

Because

the hate

is visceral

when our

discourse

is so 

uncivil,

we can’t be

casual

about this

hit,

especially when

it

took place

on a college

campus.

Now

most of us

can feel 

the real

pain and sorrow

for his widow

and his children.

But can we

mourn for 

a person

who sparked

attention

for opposition

that may 

have intended

to provoke

and offend

if not

upend,

the woke

when he spoke?

I am chilled

by the blood

that’s been

spilled,

and I feel

my own

turning point.

Our enterprise

can’t be

the demise

of opposing

another’s belief.

Let this 

monstrous

event

help us 

to reinvent

good grief.

I just realized

that today

is 9/11.

What

have we

become?

To boldly go

where no 

one

has gone

before

was the American

enterprise

(cleverly

stated in

the Star Trek

franchise),

at the birth

of our 

democratic

republic.

But we have

succumbed

to hate

and fear

that we’re

in our

final frontier.

Our reaction

to terror

is often

contraction,

while

heightening

security.

But political

(and social)

purity

is immaturity,

not worthy

of who we

need to be.

Taking Dictation

I have no

capacity

for taking

dictation

or anything

else

like it.

I’ll never be

a secretary

or assistant

to 

an administrator

who listens to

a dictator.

Those compliant

with a tyrant

like those

who chose

to remain

silent,

may survive

and even 

thrive,

for 

at least

a while

or more.

But,

in time,

history’s 

rhyme

will seek

poetic

justice.

It’s not

just us

as never 

before

or ever

again.

When power

corrupts

and monopolizes,

taking dictation

finalizes

consolidation

of power.

Whether 

government

or corporation,

the excessive 

power

manifestation

somehow

gets justification

(and monetization )

while deterioration

ensues.

But…

You have agency

to disrupt

complacency 

and the responsibility

to do so.

Those who

take notes

in history

class

know the past

is more

than prologue.

It’s a dialogue

with the present

and future

that we must

nurture

without

taking

dictation.

The Point of No Return

The point of

no return

is to learn-

not just

yearn-

for something

else.

We don’t 

grow younger

or

have more

innocence

when life

provides us

ongoing

experience.

We tend to 

digress

and at times

regress

making progress

seemingly

less 

likely.

Home isn’t

there

where it 

is no more,

before

we moved

away.

We can’t

really stay

the way

we were,

but we sure

can mature

and play

wiser.

Ironically,

it looks

quite silly,

but seems 

to be 

impactful.

Forget 

being tactful.

We live

in the gutter

now.

It’s how

you utter

the message

that matters

so it splatters

across all

media.

No encyclopedia

needed,

just deep 

seeded

anger,

and a commitment

to mirror

this horror

show.

The point 

of no

return

is to know

(and to show)

that we are

better than

this.

To boldly 

go 

where no

one

has gone

before

has moved 

from Star Trek

to South Park;

our stark

cartoonish

reality.

Finally,

heroically,

momentum

is increasing

as Newsom

is teasing

Trump,

with a 

shocking,

and mocking

style.

Sadly,

this is 

progress,

(and also

hilarious)

if we are 

serious

about 

the point

of no

return.

The Late Show

Defund PBS.

Extort CBS

to obey

in advance

and pay

in advance

to dance

with 

the devil.

Making 

a show

of 

The Late Show

just 

to let you

know

that speech

won’t be 

free

even in

comedy.

The dissolution

of an institution 

of American

culture

shows how

the culture

of cancelling

is now cancelling

culture.

And:

each branch

of government,

and education,

the Kennedy Center,

public radio 

and television,

in addition

to science-

the environment,

weather,

and medicine.

Let’s not forget

women

who have lost

the right 

to legal

abortion.

Everything

is being 

scrapped

and crapped 

on,

as of late,

making a show

of how great

America was.