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Fire Power

With 

the former

guy

who branded

himself

on tv

saying,

“You’re fired,”

the wannabe

important,

desperate 

for attention

and power,

led

the charge

to fire

the Speaker

of 

the House.

An assault

on The House

of Representatives

again,

this time

we witnessed

from within,

it is clear

that 

fire

and power,

assaulting

institutions

and traditions

while

calling themselves

conservative,

is the Republican

brand

in the 21st century.

Cruelty

sparks drama

while pretending

it’s some sort 

of political

philosophy.

This century

began for us

with a disputed

election

followed

by a terrorist

attack

from

abroad.

The answer

to difficulty

and complexity

it seems,

is assault 

weapons. 

Now in human

form,

some openly 

carry

banners 

and weapons

of hate

to intimidate

to feel

important.

AH, 

to be

seen

in scene

after scene,

matters more

than governance.

It’s the anti

social

media power

that

fires up 

the pyromaniac

group.

I thought

of calling

this

“Burning Down

The House”.

But fire power

is really 

the only

discernable

stance 

beyond 

no taxes

that is consistently

attempted

at all costs.

Excusing

hostage 

taking 

with a government 

shutdown.

Excusing

mass shootings.

Excusing

insurrection,

and then twisting

and distorting

truth

while nuclear

secrets

were being

shared.

The relentless

spray,

like an 

AK

47,

requires

more 

than duck

and cover

and remaining

silent.

Dumb and Dumber

“Every time

I hear

you,

I feel

a little bit

dumber”,

hailed

candidate Haley.

Honestly,

I feel this

all the time

every time

I hear,

read,

see

news.

Some want

candidates

to say 

what the

voter

feels,

like:

Make

America

Great

Again.

or 

Yes 

We 

Can.

Defund

(you name 

it)

or

My pronouns

are…

or 

Build

Back

Better

or even

The Climate

Crisis—

no matter 

how valid,

the issues

have been

poorly

constructed

taglines.

These have

caused

backlash,

mockery,

spin,

failed explanation,

but little

social connectivity

beyond 

the already

connected. 

Even

pro-lifers

understand

the misnomer,

and seek

to advance

a more 

effective

rebranding

to keep

abortion

a crime.

Knowing

the fraud

perpetrated

in front

of us,

while

pretending

it’s just

business

as usual,

keeps us

fighting

a rather

uncivil

war

of culture.

Languaging

the culture

becomes

most

important. 

‘Alternative

facts’

is now

an alternate

reality.

‘Alternate’

electors

were

real news,

despite

the 

declaration

that

‘lame-stream’

(Palin’s Seussian

coined term

for mainstream)

news

is Fake 

News.

As 21st

century-

speak 

defines

a new era,

now 

the sides

have different

languages

further

balkanizing

the states

we are in.

I feel dumber

every time

I hear

the attempts

to project

fraud

on the

electorate

when the

evidence

is abundant.

As the 

dumbing

down

gets dumber,

it seems

to get

dirtier.

Disregard

for any 

correlation

between

verbiage

and 

reality

means

anything

can be uttered

or typed

with no

accountability.

Fraud-

shmaud,

as there

is no debate

about 

who they applaud

on his own

stage

staging

a get- out-

of- jail-

run -for -his-

life-

candidacy

for President.

Our feeling

defeated

and depleted

is the goal.

I’ll take

feeling dumb,

but we can’t

be numb

to the inanity

and insanity

being perpetrated

upon us.

Don’t withdraw.

Don’t stay silent.

Don’t be mute.

Don’t be dumb.

Hunting Hunter

Hunter

bought a gun.

He allegedly lied

as he applied

for a weapon

of self destruction.

Now the gatherers

of signatures

to change 

the gun laws,

lead by 

Hunter’s father,

speak about

trauma

with compassion

for the son

whose depression 

and addiction

may have resulted

in terrible 

decisions

and deceptions.

But hunting

Hunter

has been 

the obsession

of the opposition,

intent on indicting

and impeaching

Bidens

while abiding

by 

and supporting

Trump’s

overt corruption

with distortion

and endless

disruption.

Gathering

actual evidence

before condemning

to  sentence

is the order

to law

in this democracy.

Hunting 

Hunter

may lead 

somewhere.

But it will 

never  lead

to equivalence.

Any ambivalence

about the

malevolence

of the false

equivalence

should be 

mitigated by

following

justice,

not merely

as 

an opportunity 

to inflict

pain.

Hunting for

sport

kills

the innocent.

If hunting

Hunter

tracks

a crime,

let justice

be served. 

What’s in a Name? (McCarthyism Too)

The American Heritage Dictionary

gives the definition

of McCarthyism

as:

  1. The political practice of publicizing accusations of disloyalty or subversion with insufficient regard to evidence; and 
  2. The use of methods of investigation and accusation regarded as unfair, in order to suppress opposition.

Joseph?

Kevin?

Neither sir has

much decency.

McCarthyism Too

is the Speaker’s

pathetic

listening

to the reactionaries

desperately grasping

for enduring power

at any

and all

costs.

The third

most powerful

American

is powerless.

He knows

he can

only

retain

his powerful

position

by launching

an impeachment

inquiry 

into this

Joe

(Biden).

The Un-American

Activities of

one party

continue 

with endless

attempts

to instill

fear

and loathing

as they fear

and loathe

the truth:

that they

have

bupkis

to offer 

now

beyond

hate

and 

lies.

To be

a Republican

in name

only

means

being

a 21st

Century

McCarthy

MAGA

acolyte.

A

MAGArthy.

22 Years

The fictions

being told

will be sold

among

non-fictions.

There will be

volumes 

recounting

the fabricated

accounts

of corruption

at all levels

of government,

while those

deeply committed

to the rules

and rule

of law

have continued

to work

anonymously

as always

upholding

standards

that the rest

of us now

realize

have been

a privilege

to obtain 

and maintain.

22 years

after

the twin towers

were destroyed,

the threat

is now 

within.

They hate

our freedom.

They hate

our democracy.

They are not

a regular

military.

And they

brought

us

to our

knees.

In between

then 

and 

now,

so many

thoughts

and

prayers.

We are stuck,

deep in a state

of despair

and destruction;

of never

seeming

to accomplish

the mission

of creating

a more 

perfect union

without

retrograde

motion.

Our environment

is in crisis.

A generation

passed.

We can not

pass

on the next

generation.

Raging Bull

He sees red.

Pierced

by several swords

as he bleeds

and huffs,

he charges forth.

Is it really

a contest,

or mostly

spectacle?

They yell

for the raging

bull.

They too

insist they

are wounded

by elites

who woke

to oppress

them.

Ban books!

It’s parental

choice

(of a few).

No black

or gender

studies.

Oh GOD—

nothing queer!

No (parental) 

choice for

the pregnant.

The faux injured,

furious,

and dangerous

mercenaries

are willing

and eager

to disrupt,

disregard,

distort,

and deny

any perceived

threat

to their

dominance.

The raging

bull

posted

daily on

social media

may soon

become

witness or jury

tampering.

But the bull

rages on

and the crowd

loves it.

They think

he’ll care

about them

so they 

care about

him.

Senator Mitch,

the raging bull’s

bitch,

is clearly ailing

in public.

How 

terribly sad

to watch

him frozen

while the one

chosen

to lead

the party

rages 

incessantly

as the victim.

Meanwhile,

the money

flows toward

him

to pay

his defense

for 91

felony charges.

It’s hard

to know

who actually

believes

the bull

or when 

he (and they)

will finally

collapse. 

Mugging in Atlanta

The menacing scowl,

furrowed brow,

is now

the presidential portrait

of 45.

I bet

he practiced

mugging

to get

his image

just right

for the merch

of the shot

seen ‘round 

the world.

Soon you

can get

his mug 

on your mug

of coffee

or a tee

shirt—

proceeds 

to fund 

his legal

fees.

Never afraid

to take shots

at others,

he got 

his shot

at infamy.

Ignobility.

Indignity.

It’s all over 

his face.

The disgrace

he has brought

from Queens

to the Presidency

is forever

framed 

in a snapshot

of him

mugging

for the camera.

Sew What?

I think these times

are tailor-made

for the aptly named

one

who trumps up

plots

and  projections

compulsively;

skirting

accountability

while

harnessing

power 

and money—

so much

money—

to pay 

his legal bills

or not.

Lying about

sexual assault,

his taxes,

his wealth,

size/amounts

of anything

and everything,

COVID 19,

election loss,

dead voters,

machines,

insurrection,

electors,

endless 

nonsense

without

hemming

and hawing,

constantly 

reinforced

by 

the worst.

Now becoming

hemmed in

by 4 indictments

on numerous

counts,

he pretends

to be

the victim

of a conspiracy

of the deep

state,

whatever

that 

is.

The fringe

seems

fringier

but 

not

frayed;

poised

to enter

the fray

when

summoned.

But fewer

magas

have shown

up

since

justice

started

reigning

down on

the criminal

ones.

Meanwhile,

he has

all but

sewn up

the party’s

nomination

to be 

safeguarded

from prison,

except….

GEORGIA,

as he might

type.

So what

happens as

this  unfolds?

Will he

come apart

at the seams?

Will the fabric

of our 

democracy

be altered

to better fit

an altered

culture

and politics

that seemed

unthinkable,

but has been

unraveling

for decades?

Say Cheese

New revelations

of an old 

memo

explaining fake

electors

as a tactic

to delay

and confuse

and 

I’m not really

sure

what else

because its author,

the other Ken bro,

Chesebro,

admits

the legality

is dubious,

at best.

He acknowledges

it is

unlikely

to persuade

the Supreme

Court

to overturn

the (2020)

election,

but…

whatever….

let’s try it!

The thickening

plot,

for a time 

thinly veiled,

is visible

(and audible)

and reeks

of criminality

and conspiracy.

Meanwhile,

The Sacrificial

Ham

figured out 

his campaign

theme:

“I’m being indicted

for you.”

It’s the stuff

of TV

that you can’t

unsee,

and he

will surely

up the ante.

The anti-tv

folks suggest,

that televising

the trial(s)

will endanger

those 

in the courtroom:

witnesses,

jurors,

lawyers and judge(s).

But so many

people want

to see 

transparency.

I thought I wanted

the trial

broadcast,

because I thought

it would 

show

truth,

like January

6th,

and the congressional

hearings.

Ha!

Will justice

be served

when they 

say

cheese

for the cameras?

Out of the Box

Out of the box,

Barbie lives

As Barbie does

Being

Barbie;

Just Barbie.

The thinking

About  Her

Evokes

New ideas

About old

Notions

OF Femininity.

But she’s still

Just Barbie

Until 

Out of the box

Thinking

About  Her

As a reflection

Of All Hers

And His

Concepts

Of Us. 

Out of the box

Thinking

Created

This new conversation

And embrace

Of Barbie

As a movie

of Us

and  them

and merch.

Is if for fun?

Is it for profit?

is it an example?

All  of the above

Can be true

When Barbie

Is brought

Out of the box.

Meanwhile,

Next door,

Oppie,

Poor guy,

Who relished

Out of the box

Thinking,

Envisioning

An end to war

Itself,

With a profound

Passion for

Theoretical  Physics

And Humanity,

His Genius

and  Out of the Box

Thinking

Was not enough.

Stripped of his security

Clearance

Despite  beating

The existential

Threats to Democracy 

Around the world,

Oppie was cast

As a Commie—

A faux greater threat

That was really

Conjured

For political 

Gain  

By the cynical

And vindictive

Opposition

To Oppie

In the Government

He gave 

His life

To defend.

And we live

With that weapon

Of mass destruction—

That violent

Energy

Released upon

The innocent;

The threat of abuse

And obliteration

Remains

Constant

As the political

Abuse continues

And mounts.

The box 

In which

We think

Is opening 

For Artificial

Intelligence—

A real

Scary

Thought

That may not 

Transform without

Destroying

Us.

The Bombshell

And The Bomb

Have provided

Security

And threats

For generations

Once out of the Box.