Recent Political Poems
Here are some of my political poems from the last couple of months. I don’t expect everyone to agree, but I welcome feedback and comments as long as it is civil. I have given up on Quora, Facebook, and Twitter where the extremists have hijacked the site drowning out civil discourse in the process.
The mid-terms were a victory for common sense as most of the MAGA extremists were defeated, and the Senate remains in Democratic hands, meaning that they can continue to act as a check on the right-wing dominated house. The red wave never materialized. Most of the extremists were defeated.
My prediction is that the Senate would remain democrat and that the house would under by the Republicans albeit with a narrow minority, largely due to gerrymandering and voter suppression efforts,,
Cosmos’s 2022 and 2024 US Elections Predictions
poetry24 Publishes my Current Event Rants
Querencia Publishes Madmen with Guns
Letter to Ted Cruz Regarding Guns
Index
Slime Oozing Out of a TV
Patriot Games
Watching the news
Morning Blues
Naani Morning Blues
In the Year 2022, Madness Took Over
America
Con Artists
Truth and Lies Diamante
water
America divided into tribal divisions
Arrested for feeding the homeless
Elections Bringing Back the People
Election Cinquin
Dark Money Tiger
Democracy on Trial Acrostic
Democracy Kyrielle
Democracy Minute
First and Last Dark Money
The Rot Starts at the Top
Cancel Culture Run Am
Senator Johnson Banned on YouTube for Spreading Lies Found Poem
Enough of Your Useless Prayers
Driving our Politics is Fear
No Mas Excuses, America
Ode to our Firefighter Heroes
Global Emergency
Please America Get Vaccinated
Political ghosts haunt my dreams –
Letter to Republican leaders, to be sent will update if I get any responses
Dear Republican leaders
WTF is wrong with you?
The mid-terms were all about
Rejecting extremism
And demanding that politicians
Just do their job
And get stuff done
For the American people
So, what are your plans?
Addressing climate change?
Addressing crime?
Banning assault weapons?
Protecting gay rights?
Protecting abortion rights?
Addressing extreme inequality?
Making college more affordable?
All of which are very popular
With the American public
Nope
Your number one goal
Investigate Hunter Biden’s crimes
While ignoring the nepotism
And the crimes of the Trump clan?
Yes, the Hunter Biden laptop
That somehow magically was delivered
To a Delaware repair shop
Run by a blind man
Rather than fixing the laptop
Called Ruddy G and delivered it to him
He kept it and then gave it to the FBI
Three years later
Have found zip nada nothing
The most one can say
Is there some possibility
Incriminating e-mails
But given the breakdown
In the chain of custody
And the deep fake technology
Nothing on that Laptop
Proves anything
Oh, and impeaching President Biden
For the crime of being a democrat
And threatening to shut down the government,
and threatening to default on the United States government’s sovereign debt
Unless social security, Medicare and Obama care
Is cut to the bone, throwing millions of people
especially senior citizens into poverty.
Go ahead
And make my day
For if you do all of this
And do nothing at all
To address the country’s problems
There will be a blue wave
In 2024
The voters are sick and tired
Of the Republican Chaos brand.
The rest follows:
Slime Oozing Out of a TV
I drink coffee
Every morning
Watching the news
Until my eyeballs hurt
And I can’t stand it
Anymore
Wanting to shoot the TV
To put it out of its misery
As I think about that
The old Zappa
the song comes to mind
“I am the slime
Oozing out of the TV set
Can’t look away
Don’t change the dial
Folks look at me go
I am the slime
Oozing out of the TV Set.”
Patriot Games
The right-wing spin masters are at it again
Turning the greatest assault on American democracy
The storming of the capital on January 6
By an angry mob into a patriotic uprising
Against a communist dictatorship In the making
Fighting to restore traditional Judeo-Christian values
Led by false Christian prophets celebrating
The rise of Christian fascism in America
Calling the angry mob Patriots Is an affront
To the real patriots
Our grandparents fought world war
Against the Nazis and were the original Antifa
Fox News is now hosting Tucker’s ‘broadcast
Siding with neo-fascist autocrats
In Hungary, their newfound best friend
Who is proudly instigating a neo-fascist
Illiberal democratic state
Shades of other right-wing autocrats
That the right love to support
Even celebrating the military coup
Myanmar saying there is no reason
That could not happen here
The twice impeached former president
Siding with the enemies of democracy
Doing Putin’s bidding killing Democracy to save it.
As our democracy lies dying as we speak
The mobs are braying to take our country back.
Make America great and white again
Soon we will have the proud boys,
oath keepers, Bugaloo bois, and others
Marching in the streets under Nazi and confederate banners
Cheering their great leader as he storms back into power.
God save America
If he/she still cares?
Watching the news
while watching the news
gloom and doom gives the blues
not a good morning
soon I will blow my fuse
Just a bad morning
filled with forewarning
soon I must drink wine
ending with warnings
drinking my red wine
makes everything seem fine
looking at my lovely wife
I sit and admire what is mine
Morning Blues
Watching the morning news
Nothing but gloom and doom
Just no more rules
Gives me the blues
Naani Morning Blues
My day starts with coffee
watching the idiot box
soon it is too much to bear
it gives me the blues
In the Year 2022, Madness Took Over
I often thought back
In the Trumpian years
As an aberration
That Americans would wake up
And realize that they had been conned
That Conman Don
Was not their friend
That the republicans
If they could turn
Social security and Medicare
To the private sector
Enriching wall street
While screwing everyone else
Laughing at the fools
Who believed that they care
About them at all.
Then 2022 midterms approached
And the airwaves and internet
Were filled with the vilest conspiracy theories
So many people believed the Q nonsense
That there was a secret cabal
Of cannibals child molesting pedophiles
Drinking children’s blood in Satanic rituals
Led by shape-shifting aliens.
Believing that Donald Trump
Was anointed by God
To battle the satanic democrats
And that someday soon
storm would erupt
And all the evil ones
Will be rounded up
And Donald Trump
Would once again be president
The latest crazed theory
That there are schools
Where children are told
To do their business
In litter boxes
Because the children
Identify as cats.
And so, it goes
More madness everywhere
More madness, more drugs
And more guns everywhere
Not just in the US
But overseas too
Everywhere leaders are unhinged
Conspiracy theories run amok
Pundits pontificating
Guns proliferating
Hard to see how
This ends well.
America
America faces a choice
A choice of embracing democracy
At last a choice of standing up
Against the forces of Neo-fascism
As the election season comes to an end.
Although it is too close to tell
Americans will make the right choice
Con Artists
These days
It seems that there are
So many crafty people
Con artists everywhere
Rampant crime on the rise
Fear abounds everywhere
Upsetting our tidy plans
Leaving us so confused.
Vote Diatelle
vote
Today
what the hey
democracy
itself may be at play
will we be a plutocracy?
or even become just a theocracy?
run by an unelected bureaucracy?
or turn into a meritocracy?
or a corporatocracy?
keep fascism at bay
aristocracy
le5 us pray
we may
note
Truth and Lies Diamante
Right thoughts
Telling, speaking, Screaming
Facts, News, Pundits, Politicians
Lying, Scheming, Plotting
Lies
Water
The world is faced
With a huge water shortage problem
Throughout the world
We are running out of fresh clean water
Climate change leading to massive droughts
And massive storms and massive floods
Nigeria, Pakistan, and Kentucky underwater
Mississippi water supply compromised
Everywhere we are running out of water
Yet there are solutions
Mandatory water harvesting
In the southwest replacing lawns
With desert plants
Energy-efficient watering systems
Shifting to less water-intensive agriculture
Setting up urban vertical gardening
Massive desalination plants
Using solar, wind, and tidal power
It will cost a lot
But solutions are possible
If we have the political will
To implement them.
America divided into tribal divisions
America divided into tribal divisions
Red states, Blue Cities
The mass media playing games
So many people believe
That the world is out of control
Spreading calls for civil war
Election workers fear for their life.
Guns everywhere
And the former guy who lost
Gleefully throwing gas on the fire.
Arrested for feeding the homeless
Sam Jones, a 70-year-old man
Walking down the street
In a Florida City
Thinking that too many people
Ignore the homeless.
He thought,
But what would happen
If we began to act
Towards others as we should.
Sam began a campaign
Treating homeless people
To coffee and sandwiches.
Buying them tents,
Buying them clothing,
Asking their names
Telling their stories.
The city authorities
Were not amused
They arrested him
For violating a local law
Forbidding handing out food
Water and drinks
To people on the street
Without a proper city-issued permit.
As a food vendor.
The case went to trial
They found him guilty
Sentenced to five years in prison.
For helping the homeless,
Without the proper food vendor permits,
And for contempt of court when he asked the judge,
To act according to his professed Christian principles.
Elections Bringing Back the People
The election showed the world
That the power of the people
Will eventually prevail
That sanity might slowly
Becoming back to the land
As MAGA extremists lost
Despite the former guy’s attempts
At an unlikely comeback.
Election Cinquin
Election
Powerful, Profound
Meaningful, moving, provoking
Power to the people
Decisions
Dark Money Tigerjade
Dark money
so funny
So much corruption in the USA
American political world filled with dark black dollars
Democracy is a state, according to scholars
We know how
End it now
Democracy on Trial Acrostic
Democracy on trial
Everywhere it seems
More in Europe perhaps
Only in America though
Crazy Q anon theories
Right-Wing MAGA nut cases
Although they lost in the mid-terms
Crazy conspiracies have not died out
Yet more craziness to come soon.
Democracy Kyrielle
Democracy itself at the state
People voted in the election
The mass media is filled with hate
determining what direction
It is up to America
To the people who voted
That is what it is, Erika
Determining what direction
To those who chose not to vote
Do not complain about the results
The winners of the vote should not gloat
Determining what direction
Democracy Minute
American democracy
Is it just plutocracy?
Does your vote count?
Endless recount.
Do elections even matter?
Endless chatter,
No one cares now.
Do we know how?
Do we even know what to do?
This much is true.
All must save it.
Must do your bit.
First and Last Dark Money
There is just too much dark money.
It is no longer so funny.
Our politics are so Lunny.
Democracy is at stake.
Politicians are on the take.
Does your vote even matter?
Amid pundits’ non-stop chatter.
Everyone is mad as a hatter.
No one seems to be awake.
Politicians are all on the make.
the media is filled with liars.
Our politics are endless quagmires.
Out west endless wildfires.
No one cares but smart money.
There is just too much dark money.
h3 style=”text-align: center;”>Donald Trump Runs a Full White Supremacist campaign White Supremacist
Folks,
Our opponents denounce us as racists. I say we should be proud to be white people. White people built this country. They say we stole the land from the Indians. I say the Indians were simply in the way and should have been removed because the white people needed the land. There was nothing wrong with that. White people built this country. They say slavery was wrong. I say Black people were better off as slaves because they were unable to handle freedom. I say the civil war should never have been fought. The US would have been much better off if we had split up into two nations. I say that the US was better off when white men ruled the country. Women should not be in a position of leadership. Immigration should be restricted to white people as it was during much of our history. Immigration should be restricted to white people who are Christian and speak English and should be limited. Too many immigrants. Too many non-white people. The replacement campaign is continuing and the democrats are the party of niggers, spics, chinks, gooks, Muslims, pagans, atheists, and coastal elites who hate you and hate white people and hate our movement because we are pro-white, pro-male, and pro-America! They say that we are heading to a civil war. I say bring it on. If the South were to secede and Texas leads the way, I will gladly serve as president of a new confederacy.
Regarding foreign policy, it is time to bring the troops back and station them along the southern border. We need to seal the borders to keep the minorities from flooding the country and keep out the drugs and chaos. We need to make marijuana illegal again. We should set up special drug courts where drug dealers will be tried and executed the next day.
We need to pull out of NATO. Bring our troops from Asia. Let them defend themselves. We should stop sending aid to Ukraine. Let Russia and Ukraine work it out. Russia has serious and viable security claims in Eastern Europe. Putin is the friend of the white Christian race.
Around the world white people are rising and taking back power. We need to do the same.
Gay rights should be left to states to decide. If Texas wants to ban same-gender attraction, Heyy should be allowed to do so.
Civil rights laws should be abolished. If a landlord does not want to rent to minorities, they should be allowed to do so.
Let’s stand up and proclaim
We are white and we are proud.
30 percent of the public supported his campaign. The more critics denounced it as a racist campaign, the stronger his campaign became.
Five endings – his wins and ushers in Fascism
He is indicted and sent to prison. Desantis takes over his campaign and continues the anti-minority campaign.
DeSantis wins and ushers in fascism
A national convention is called and the U.S. splits apart into ten new countries
A civil war ensues.
The democrats win big in 2024 and restore sanity.
Confronted by Racists in Oregon Nightmare
We go to Oregon and sell our property. While there we run into racists everywhere. It is very unpleasant. In Costco, several white guys confront us in the parking lot yelling racist slurs telling her to go home to China, and calling me a race traitor. I just look at them and say,
“Mighty Christian behavior. Thanks for sharing your opinion. Now leave.”
They asked me “what did you say?’
I said,
“You are a good Christian. Now leave us alone.”
“Are you mocking us?”
“Nope. Not at all. Just leave us alone.”
One guy pulls out a gun and points it at us.
I look at him and say
“really? Do you want to shoot us in broad day light? What would Jesus do?’
Angela tries to intervene, and they slap her. I call for help and security comes outside.
We decide to press charges of assault.
Someone filmed it and the video went viral. We are interviewed. I tell them that I am not a Christian, but just thought that perhaps if I appealed to their faith, they might reconsider what they were doing and unfortunately that did not work.
Something wicked this way comes
Something wicked this way comes
With the Republicans taking over the house
About to launch endless investigations about Hunter Biden,
And the “ January 6th political prisoners “
And the former president running
Back on Twitter that is imploding
And climate change running amuck
Gunmen still rampaging across the land.
Dear God Make, It All Go Away
Dear God
Watching the news unfold
The non-ending problems
Inflation, crime, climate change
The world unhinged
And our new house leaders’ response
Their number one priority
Investigate Hunter Biden
Number two
Have Margo Taylor Green lead
The investigation
of the January 6 committee
For doing their jobs
Their other priorities include
Insisting the solution to climate change
Drill more oil and coal
And stop subsiding on renewable energy
The solution to gun violence
Useless prayers and thoughts
And more guns for everyone
Insisting that the government cut
Social security and Medicaid
Or else they will let the government default
And the former president
Is running for reelection
And is now back on Twitter
Which is going bankrupt.
As the advertisers flee
And hate fills the twitter
And FB social media.
Dear God,
I say to you
If you have the power
To intervene in our lives.
Please Dear God
Make it all go away
Restore sanity and civility,
Have the former President
Get the justice he deserves
And our leaders put aside
Their games
And start solving problems
That is my prayer today.
Bugs Bunny Q
One day Bugs Bunny came to life
Went on national TV
To launch his crusade
Wearing a red MAGA hat
He endorsed the former President
Who he called his good friend
The best president ever.
He wants to quote Q
And talk about the dangerous
Dark conspiracy
Of Satan worshiping
child cannibals
Led by the evil Elmer Fudd.
American Democracy Momento
American democracy
We must choose to save it
Fill with hate
American
plutocracy
We must all do our bit
Make it great
We must all do our given part
Together find our way
Go forward
Let’s come together as a start
Keep the hate at bay
Straightforward
Having their Cake and Eat It Too Writers’ Cramp
Politicians often try
To have their cake
And eat it too
Running around
Throwing gasoline
On the political fires.
ture wars
Then acting “shocked.”
that anyone ould carry out
Acts of political violence
Based on their overheated rhetoric
Shedding copious crocodile tears
The dead don’t care, they are merely ghosts.
Democratic Constanza
Democracy is still at risk
In my American homeland,
Must do our part, and take a stand.
The election showed there is still a high risk.
Voters have to make a decision,
Just turn off the television.
Wired in our news hard disk
What will be our country’s future
Will it be with Trump, the moocher?
Like a political slipped disk
We must do our part, pick a side
And save our country’s future pride.
Just filled with political zisk
Democratic chimerica ?
Or a fascist Amerika?
The World After
The future is not yet written
The world can still be saved
But the end of humanity
Could be at hand
The world is burning up
Fires out of control
Ice caps melting
Temperatures rising
Hatred spreading
Neofascism on the right
Democracy threatened
End of the world fears
Filling the world
Yet to come
the Rot Starts at the Top
Watching the news unfold
About the massive spying operation
Targeted against Democratic opponents
Of the former guy
The old Chinese Confucian adage
Pops to mind
The rot starts at the head
Meaning rotten fish of course
But also applies
To rotten political actors
This scandal is probably
Just the tip
Of a very large rotten iceberg
Where it will lead
Is anyone’s guess
But will the former guy
Be held accountable
For this crime?
Probably not
Just add it to the list
Of all his other crimes
And wait until hell freezes over
For justice to be done
Cancel Culture Run Amuck
I am so sick
And tired
Of the so-called “Cancel Culture”
Nonsense
That has spread out
Along the right-wing media verse
Infecting the public
With their hatred and disdain
I don’t know what it all means
Something about political speech
social conservatives
Being canceled
By left-wing woke mobs
In the mainstream media
“Libtard “Coastal elites
And tech giants
Seems that they don’t like
Being held to account
For minimal standards
Of decent behavior
For example, not spreading lies
About COVID vaccinations
I mean you Senator Johnson
Banned by YouTube for a week
Or inciting a riot
I mean you
Former guy
And his minions
Used to be
That we were all
Held to account
For decent behavior
By a sense of public shame
So, we did not go there
We knew where the lines were
And respected them
But in the era
Of the former guy
All civilized restraints
Have gone out the window
I say to my republican friends
If you don’t want to be canceled
Don’t say or do disgusting things
Don’t spread hate and misinformation
Then we would not have to
Cancel your nonsense
Until then I need to shut
Off the damn media noise box
Senator Johnson Banned on YouTube for Spreading Lies Found Poem
YouTube suspended
Sen. Ron Johnson’s account
to spread medical misinformation.
The company specifically
prohibits content
that contradicts public-health guidance.
The Republican
routinely holds Senate hearings
where he promotes
baseless conspiracy theories.
“Big Tech and mainstream media
believe they are smarter
than medical doctors
who have devoted their lives to science?
and use their skills to save lives,”
“They have decided
there is only one medical viewpoint allowed
and it is the viewpoint dictated
by government agencies.”
Johnson, who promoted the “Big Lie”
that led to the assault
on the US Capitol in January,
Johnson has used his position
as a senator to promote
baseless conspiracy theories
and undermine trust in public institutions
Johnson’s “continuing assault on the truth,
often under the guise
of simply ‘asking questions
about facts,
is helping to diminish confidence
in American institutions
at a perilous moment,
when the health and economic well-being
of the nation relies heavily on
on mass vaccinations,
and when faith in democracy
is shaken by right-wing falsehoods
about voting,”
Comment: It is for that act
Those comments went too far
led YouTube
To “cancel” Senator Johnson
Now if only we can get
He to just shut up
And go away
Perhaps the voters
Will finally be moved
To cancel him for good.
Driving our Politics is Fear
What is driving our politics
More than anything else
Is the fear of the other
Fear of the enemy
Fear of the end
The American experiment
With democracy
The Day After 9-11 U.S Visa Officer’s Perspective
9-11 2021 was the classic black swan event. A low-probability event that changed almost everything. The world can be divided into a pre-9-11 world and a Post 9-11 world. 9-11 led to the Afghanistan war, which recently concluded, the Iraq war, the Syria war, the Libyan civil war, countless wars in Africa, the war on terror, the Muslim travel ban, the war on domestic dissent in so many parts of the world, all justified as a reaction against the events of that September day. Here are some of my reflections on the events of 9-11 including a prose poem about where I was that terrible day. It affected me deeply because at the time I was a US immigration officer in the State Department serving in Mumbai, (Bombay) India.
9-11 Fridge
Based on fridge magnet poems daily prompt https://frij.io/?mc_cid=892a002a18&mc_eid=7c5e331aa2
Following 9/11
Patriots Blunder
Whack
Worry Frequently
About terrorists and Muslims
Whomever, wherever they are
Reflections on 911 Where I was Prose Poem
On 9-11
When the planes struck the World Trade Center
Unleashing evil on the world
I was working
at the deputy consular chief at the US Consulate
in Mumbai
I was at a Polish national day event
chatting with the Polish Ambassador
and his charming wife.
Someone told me
I needed to check out the news,
saw the CNN news feed,
rushed back to the consulate
to prepare our response.
I put together a task force
focused on helping American citizens
in our district.
I worked almost 15-20 hours
for almost three days
before finally getting a night off.
We continued to process visas
during this time
but our priority
was to reach out to the Americans
who lived in our district
and to monitor the reactions of Indians
especially Muslims living in our district.
I tracked down my wife
who had gone into emergency action
in her position in Korea as a MI officer.
We both reflected
that if she had not taken the job in Korea
she might have died that day
as she had been working in the ops center
at the pentagon which was destroyed.
Since it was shift work
if she had been on the early morning shift
it might have been game over for her.
Reflections on 9-11
9-11
The event that launched
The war on terror
That led to Afghanistan
Led to Iraq
Led to Syria
And so many other wars
Secret and not so secret
War on dissent at home
All because of 911
A true black swan event
That almost destroyed our country
And still has ramifications
All over the world
911
A day that truly
Will live
In infamy
9-11 unleashed Evil
world lurks in the deadliest places.
Evil came to town on 911
the day that evil swept over the world
a true Black Swan event
That transformed everything
splitting the world into a pre-9-11 world
and a post 9-11 world
unleashing the War on Terror, the wars in Afghanistan, the wars in Iraq, the war in Libya, the war in Syria, the wars in Africa, the horrors of ISIS, the horrors of the Taliban resurgent, the horrors of Al Qaeda and all the rest of the Muslim terrorists, the war in the streets of any big city, the war on Muslims, the war on Christians, the war on Jews, the apartheid in Palestine, the wars on dissent at home, the Arab Spring
many things can be traced
to the impact of 9/11
one of the most unlikely events
of recent history that transformed
everything
yes there was a pre-9-11 world
hard to imagine now
and a post 9-11 worldwide police state
on steroids
lost democracy at home
and abroad
We are still coping
with the damages unleashed
by the evil plane bombers
fulfilling their mad desires
their dictates from their mad god
transforming the world
unleashing evil
in the once-innocent world.
Cosmos’s 2022 and 2024 Predictions
Dear Nancy, Time to Go Dear
Joe, Go Bold or Go Home – revised
URL: https://wp.me/p7NAzO-29ONancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi
Executive Summary
I predict the House and Senate will remain in the hands of the Democrats in 2022 and 2024, but a lot depends on who the Republicans run, if they run right-wing darlings like Trump, or DeSantis they lose, if they run sane moderate Republican governors like Hogan, they will win.
if the Democrats nominate someone other than Biden or Harris they will probably win, if Biden runs again, a narrow victory, if Harris runs, they lose (again depending upon the Republican candidate), if Trump runs the third party, the Democrats will win. The Democratic donor class should be encouraging Trump to run the Third-party! calling his party, the Christian Patriot Party.
What Do I Know? Why listen to Me?
I am a lifelong Democrat, having grown up in Berkeley in the late 60s and 70s. I served in the Peace Corps and became a foreign service officer retiring in 2016. I live in South Korea, as I have my wife’s family living here. I hope to return to the Bay Area in another year. I grew up in a politically active family. I served as President of my high school and a student senator at college.
My father, Curtis Cosmos Aller, was the President of the Berkeley Co-Op and the Peralta community college district, served as undersecretary of Labor for Johnson , and was a professor and Dean at SF State. and ran for Congress against Ron Dellums winning 40 percent in the primary election in 1974.
I have voted for president since 1974 when I voted against Nixon. I voted for Carter twice, and for the Democrats for president in every election. But I also correctly forecast the election returns in every election since 1974.
Here are my predictions for 2022 and 2024, which I will share with the Democratic leadership and post any responses I may receive.
Comments welcomed.
2202 Predictions
2022 is shaping up to be the most consequential mid-term in recent history. The future of America and our democracy are at stake. So far if I had to bet, I would bet on the Senate being held by the Democrats, maybe even a pickup as the math favors the democrats this time around, including several open seats due to retirements in Ohio and elsewhere.
The house is more of a toss-up.
Note: I correctly saw that the red wave was an illusion, the house barely flipped sides, and the Democrats hold onto the Senate.
If the Democrats are smart, they would announce that Nancy P and the aging leadership are all retiring to open the field to a new generation of leaders.
This opens up the democratic leadership to a challenge along generational lines = as the Republicans continue to paint them as coastal elites out of touch with real Americans, which will resonate because there is an element of truth to that.
Fortunately, after the election the house leadership changed hands ushering in a new generation of leaders, long overdue in my opinion.
A lot depends on the following:
Factors Favoring the Dems
If the Democrats can paint Marjorie Taylor Green and her ilk as the face of the Republican party, they can pull off a win.
Majorie Taylor Green et al play along acting crazy.
Make them the face of the Republican Party –
The impact of the January 6h commission – clearly shows how despicable and dangerous Republicans are, and how complicit they were in plotting a coup.
Trump continues hinting he is running in 2024.
Trump endorses candidates who win the primaries and lose the general.
Trump is indicted and or is sent to prison = could cut either way = making him a martyr or turning off the average American to the MAGA crowd.
Republican in-fighting continues positive for Dems.
Much better unified messaging showing how democratic policies are helping average Americans.
The state of COVID by August - if it is over the democrats get a bump.
State of the economy by August – if inflation slows up, the jobless numbers remain good, and the democrats get a bump.
Impact of the big infrastructure bill – will people see it is working?
Democrats get unified positive for Dems.
Democratic turnout is higher than normal despite voter suppression efforts.
Gerrymandering is not as bad as expected mixed signals so far,
Biden’s approval rating is above 50 percent by September,
The war in Ukraine ended with a victory Ukraine gives a bump to Biden
Spreading of rank choice voting systems, as these systems tend to produce more politically centrist candidates, and slightly favor the Democratic party candidates.
The spread of jungle primary systems, as these systems tend to produce more politically centrist candidates, slightly favors the Democratic party candidates. California is the biggest state to embrace both of these more democratic voting systems, but the idea is spreading. Most recently, NYC adopted a rank voting system, which led to the election of Eric Adams, who was everyone’s second choice, and not the first choice for most voters. He is a moderate Democrat in a blue progressive-dominated city.
Factors Favoring the Republicans
The Republicans will make Nancy the symbol of a “coastal elite old political hack leadership out of touch with American voters and values ” which will resonate as there is a kernel of truth to that charge. In short, they will hear, and so-called “socialist left woke SF Values” the face of the Democratic party, not Biden so much or Harris.
Nancy Pelosi
Trump announces he is retiring, is imprisoned, or dies – removing the biggest obstacle to the resurgence of the Republican party.
The economy stumbles and favors Republicans.
Republicans nominate centrists moderates resisting the MAGA crusade.
Gerrymandering and voter suppression works as advertised – News out of Texas is not good, 25% of absentee ballots were rejected!
Democrats continue their fratricidal infighting – can’t get a unified message.
Republicans are successful in painting the democratic leadership as “old coastal elitist political hacks out of touch with Americans and not dealing with the nation’s problems due to being too weak internationally and domestically, and beholden to a socialist left-wing woke social warrior culture run amuck.”
The culture wars ignite the Republican base, leading to a higher turnout among the base.
Neutral factors:
Retirements = could be cut either way.
The deaths of aging leaders could go either way,
What is the Average Age of Congress?
The average age of the 117th Congress is 59 years old and the median is 60 years old. This is much higher than the median age of 38 years in the United States in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Of its 435 members, the House has 38 members born in the 1980s and one born in the 1990s, while the Senate welcomed its first millennial. But the age groups with the biggest gains, compared to the 116th Congress, were those born in the 1930s and 1960s. Members in the 80+ and 50-59 age groups saw gains, while the 30-39 age group saw the biggest losses. Members of Congress are, overall, getting older.
AGE OF THE SENATE
The average age of the Senate is 63 years. The most popular years of birth are 1952 and 1954, with seven members each.
Who are the Oldest Members of Congress?
From Alaska, all the way to
Alabama, the oldest members of the 117th Congress were all born in the early 1930s. Most of them are members of the Senate.
Specifically, the five oldest members of Congress are:
(four Republicans and one Democrat)
- Don Young, age 87, is the RepublicanS. Representative for Alaska’s at-large congressional district. He has served for 25 terms since 1973 and is the current longest-serving member in Congress. (JUST PASSED AWAY AS OF March 19, 2022).
- Dianne Feinstein, age 87, is a Democratic Senator from California running for re-election.
- Chuck Grassley, age 87, is a Republican Senator from Iowa -running for re-election.
- Richard Shelby, age 86, is a Republican Senator from Alabama running for re-election.
- Jim Inhofe, age 86, is a Republican Senator from Oklahoma running for re-election.
- Mitch Mc Connel 83
- Dick Schumer 75
Who are the Youngest Members?
As for the youngest members of the 117th Congress, they are all part of the House of Representatives. Most were born in the 1980s except the youngest member of them all.
Here are the five youngest members of Congress:
- (three Democrats, two republicans)
- Madison Cawthorn, age 25, is the RepublicanS. Representative for North Carolina’s 11th congressional district. He is the first member of Congress born in the 1990s. -Note: defeated in his re-election bid.
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, age 31, is the Democratic Representative for New York’s 14th congressional district
- Sara Jacobs, age 31, is the democratic Representative for California’s 53rd congressional district
- Ritchie Torres, age 32, is the democratic. Representative for New York’s 15th congressional district
- Jake LaTurner, age 32, is the Democratic. Representative for Kansas’s 2nd congressional district
How Does Age Relate to Party?
Overall, the average age for Republicans in Congress is 58 and 60 for Democrats. Looking specifically at each party in each chamber, the averages are also very similar:
AVERAGE AGE OF THE 117TH CONGRESS LEADERSHIP
As mentioned before, Congress is getting older. When looking specifically at the leadership in each party, the averages are even higher with Democrats brushing close to 70.
bottom line: Senate to the Democrats due to the math more than anything else.
While I hope the Dems maintain the House, it is too close to call could be a two-vote margin by Democrats, or a two to three margin by the Republicans, but I don’t see a red wave coming nor do I see a blue wave coming. the gerrymandering in place slightly favors the Republicans perhaps giving them five additional seats, and demographic changes mean additional seats in red states and a loss in NY, California, and New Jersey of one seat each.
2024 Predictions
2024 is shaping up to be the most consequential election in recent history. The future of America and our democracy are at stake. So far if I had to bet, I would bet on the Democrats winning the presidency (but not Biden running again due to age and health concerns or Kamala Harris making it, and Trump not running due to age, or legal impediments, or death) on the Senate being held by the Democrats, maybe even a pickup as the math favors the Democrats this time around including several open seats due to retirements and deaths, and the House could go either way, lots depends on who wins the mid-terms, and the success of the voter suppression movement.
My advice/predictions to the Democratic leadership (I will share this with them) are the following:
Biden should retire at the end of his term but announce that he wants an open primary and not endorse any candidate until the dust settles and a clear leader emerges. The rest of the aging leadership should all retire as well, opening up political space for the next generation of leaders to organically emerge.
Kamala Harris stumbles and another candidate emerges. If the Democrats are smart, they would nominate a moderate problem-solving centrist who can win in red or purple states = the governor of Michigan fits the bill. Preferably a woman, as it is time for a woman president. The VP should be a Hispanic or perhaps Asian-American male. Again, a governor would be preferable but a Senator or big city major would be a good pick as well. I would avoid two women candidates as that might be a step too far for now.
The theme should be time for a renewed commitment to an America that works for everyone, that we are in it together and are united as Americans.
Other themes would be
Continuing rebuilding our failing physical infrastructure, including our public health systems,
Fighting climate change,
Investing in the next generation of technologies,
including robotics and AI systems,
Recommitting to the space program,
Enacting some version of the build-back better initiative,
Continuing to work on rebuilding our alliances,
Reforming our failed immigration system,
Fighting against voter suppression efforts,
Encouraging more democratic voting systems such as rank vote and jungle primaries,
And an old throwback, enacting term limits – this is a winning issue with the public and will disarm potential republican attacks
“on old, tired, political elitist coastal hacks running the Democratic party leadership.”
The Democrats should seize this issue as a sort of political jujutsu move. that would be brilliant!
Starting with the retirement of the oldest members of both parties to bring in a younger generation of leaders. if term limits are a good thing for the presidency they are a good thing for Congress to embrace and would be very popular. I’d suggest 12 years (six terms) in the house and three terms in the Senate for a total of 30 years of service with mandatory retirement at age 70.
Avoid getting sucked into the culture wars nonsense it is a waste of time, and resources and puts you on the defensive, just no upside to it at all. the less you say this the better, let them come off as unhinged and out-of-touch.
The focus should be on building on the solid accomplishments of the Biden era and looking forward with a positive, optimistic message.
I would also not get trapped into running an anti-Republican campaign. That was a losing message for Hilary, and also a bit for Biden. People need to hear a positive, powerful optimistic message but pointing out that the Republican candidate is a neo-fascist authoritarian wannabe is fine, but that cannot be the only message or the main message.
Keeping it positive, upbeat, and focused on solid accomplishments for the American people is the key. Remember, they have to want to vote for you, not just vote against them!
A winning slogan could be
“Democrats, the party that gets stuff done for the American people.”
I would also avoid getting too sucked into the progressive wish lists, and remember the adage to never let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Remember that people have to want to vote for you and just against the other guy. You could run through an anti-republican slogan such as
Republicans, tools of the 1 percent, the party of fascists, insurrectionists, deficit spending and ignoring the needs of the American people. and resucrect Harry’s Truman “Do Nothing congress” worked wonders for him and would be another winning slogan.
If the Republicans are smart, Trump will retire for the good of the party and the country, under the excuse of age, health, or legal impediments. Then they should have an open primary.
Predictions for the Republican Ticket
My prediction would be De Santis wins the nomination and picks perhaps Senator Cotton as his VP. This would unite the MAGA crows and the cultural wars crowds. But also provide a solid line of attack for the Democratic nominee.
I don’t see a pathway for Ted Cruz as he has too many enemies, everyone who knows him or has worked with him hates his guts.
I also don’t see a pathway for Josh Hawley either for similar reasons. I can see Marjorie Taylor Green running but flaming out during the primary.
Finally, I don’t see a Trump-Biden rematch but if that happens, I will bet that Biden would defeat Trump.
The other unlikely prospect is that the Republicans get smart and nominate either the governor of Ohio or Maryland and run a positive upbeat campaign as
“the party that gets stuff done for the American people”
Note; Great slogan, the Democrats should use it before the Republicans use it.
while painting the Democrats as old, political hacks who are out of touch, cultural justice warrior elitists from coastal blue states. That would be a powerful campaign theme because unfortunately, there is an element of truth to it!
and they would probably win the House, Senate, and Presidency, but fortunately, for the Democrats, they are far more likely to nominate a cultural warrior nut case like DeSantis, with either Cotton as VP or the Virginian Governor as VP.
if Biden runs, a toss-up. If Kamala runs a toss-up. If the governor of Michigan or another female governor runs, Democrats probably win.
If DeSantis runs, probably Republicans will fail, but if someone like Maryland Hogan runs, the Republicans will win. If Trump wins the nomination as a Republican, Republicans will probably fail as well.
If Trump runs third party, too close to call but he would not win as a third-party candidate. If he runs, he should name his party, the Christian Patriot Party, the CPP in short.
The Senate and House would both probably go to the Democrats despite voter suppression efforts as the math and demographics favor the Democratic party.
A personal note. I am married to a Korean-American woman whom I met in Korea and thus would love to see Hogan elected and have the first Asian-American (Korean) First lady.
My bottom-line prediction
Both Biden and Trump retire due to age and health concerns, and Trump’s legal woes become two insurmountable, not to mention the donor class is turning against him.
Kamala Harris does not win the primary contests, as the Democrats selected a more centrist problem-solving figure who defeats the likely republican nominee – De Santis.
Whoever loses, concedes as we restore the tradition of a peaceful transition of power.
Senate and House go to the Democrats, but with narrow majorities.
The rest of the country continues to be split into about 25 red states and 20 blue states, a blue DC, blue PR, blue VI, purple Guam and Samoa, purple military, and 5 purple states.
To my fellow Americans
I am writing this plead,
To my fellow Americans.
I am tired of the excuses
Tired of hearing
Your lame reasons,
For not getting a vaccination.
For not masking up,
For not taking covid seriously.
I am tired of hearing about
People dying
I am tired of hearing about gun violence,
I am tired of hearing about the west burning up,
The east flooding out,
The monster storms everywhere.
The politicians doing nothing at all
To solve any of these problems
Instead of playing games,
Acting as if all of these problems
Were beyond our control,
Like the weather
Can’t do anything about it
Nothing but lies.
Yes America
I am tired.
I say again
I am tired
Of your lame excuses.
But this is something
We can all do something about it,
We can choose to get a free vaccine,
We can choose to continue to wear a mask,
We can choose to not kill someone with a gun.
We can choose to take the bus,
We can choose to drive an electric vehicle,
We can choose to love one another,
We can choose to save the world.
Or you can choose
To be a narcissistic self-centered asshole,
A real scumbag,
Following your hero,
The orange man,
Following him straight to hell.
Where do you think this will end?
It will not be a good outcome,
For any of us,
Especially for you, my friend.
You could die, your parents could die,
Your children could die.
And you have the power
To do something about.
Each of us
Has the power
To change the world.
But the change must come
From all of us.
We are all connected.
We are all God’s children
We are all each
Other’s brothers and sisters.
f none of this convinces you
Think what Jesus would tell you
I don’t need to tell you,
You know in your heart,
What needs to be done?
I conclude with this
I don’t want to hear it.
No
mas
excuses
just
do
the
right
thing
The life you save
Maybe your own.
Page Break
Ode to our Firefighter Heroes
Watching the burning of the west
From my air-conditioned apartment
Halfway across the world in Korea,
I am filled with dismay
How the country has gotten
To this dark and dangerous place.
Where the world is burning up
Climate change is out of control
Gun violence epidemic raging everywhere
No one is safe anywhere from the rampaging gunmen.
The nation’s leaders
Refuse to do anything at all
As the world burns.
COVID spreads
And more people die from guns.
Yet there are American heroes
The firefighters, the first responders
The EMTs, the park rangers,
The doctors, the nurses
Truck drivers, bus drivers
The workers of America.
These American heroes
Including prisoners
Put their lives on the line
24/7.
Working in truly hellish conditions
In temperatures above 100 degrees
Breathing in deadly smoke.
Without enough supplies
Not enough water,
Not enough of anything.
But like all true heroes
They merely suit up
And go to work,
Doing whatever they can do
To save us all
From the burning of America.
From the COVID disaster
From the gun violence
The monster storms
The collapsing buildings.
I salute them
From the bottom of my heart
They are the true heroes
In our times,
Everyone should salute them
Everyone should applaud them
Everyone should thank them
For saving our lives.
Our nation’s and world leaders
Should get their act together
Declaring a state of planetary emergency
Everyone must get together
And address the problem
Facing our world.
Global Emergency
The world is facing a worldwide crisis
Everything is falling apart
The world is burning up.
Monster storms flooding Europe
Covid spreading everywhere
Inflation rearing its ugly head
Gun violence tearing us apart.
Politics fall apart
As politicians
Play the blame game,
Spreading toxic lies
And endless venom.
The sad reality
We are all to blame,
Every last one of us shares the blame.
We have known for decades
That we could not continue
Down this path.
The solutions are obvious
We have known this for years.
It is time for the world leaders
Both government and corporate
To declare a state of worldwide emergency.
Everyone must do their part
To save the world now.
The billionaire classes
Should rise up
And demonstrate real leadership
Rather than waste time
Flying into space.
And they should donate
Their vast fortunes
To save the world.
The time for games is over
The world is dying
Even the billionaires
May die as the world burns.
We are in this together
We are human brothers and sisters
Please do your part
To save the world.
Before the problems overwhelm us
Ending our world civilization
We must move to green energy now
Everyone must get vaccinated
Get the assault weapons off the street.
Institute real gun control measures.
Yet due to our political dysfunction
Nothing meaningful
Will be done.
As the politicians dither and dither
And nothing is done.
As the world burns
Civilization slowly dies
Democracy cannot survive.
The rise of the warlords
Is inevitable
The world ends
In fire, floods
And endless violence.
So many people
Will die.
Unless we all
Do our part
To save the world/
The hour is getting late
But we have not met our fate
Despite the late date.
If we do nothing
Soon we will all become ghosts
Joining the other ghosts
Of our recent past.
Joining the fire ghosts,
the corona ghosts,
the gun ghosts
the storm ghosts
And all the other ghosts.
Their voices
crying in the wind,
no one left alive
to mourn their death.
Page Break
please America get vaccinated against COVID
It is a sad state of affairs
That so many of our fellow citizens
Just can’t be bothered
To get a free vaccine
That may save their lives
And the lives of those around them
They simply don’t care
About the rest of us.
The anti-vax crusaders
Say that no one should be forced
To get a vaccine.
Yet we force people to wear seat belts
Force people to wear helmets
Force people to drive within the speed limit
Prohibit drunk driving.
All of these are an infringement
On our freedom
To be irresponsible and careless,
Yet we have decided
It is better to have people
Wear a seat belt,
To drive within the speed limit
And not drunk drive
Because these simple measures
Save lives.
The same thing applies to wearing a mask
And getting a vaccine
A small inconvenience to an induvial
Yet may save many lives.
In the end
I can only offer this plea
Many of you are Christians,
And you know what Jesus
Would say
Just shut up
Wear a mask
and get vaccinated
It is god’s will.
Just do it for me.
Please my fellow citizens
Please get a vaccine
To protect your life
To protect my life
And do the right thing.
Thanksgiving Poems
Thanksgiving
On Thanksgiving day
I am grateful
That I am still alive
And kicking
At age 67
Still married
To my one and only wife
Thankful that I have enough money
To retire comfortably
And live until I die
Without falling into poverty
I am thankful for my friends
Far and wide
That is what
I celebrate Thanksgiving
Letter to Republicans
Biden is not a communist, so shut up with that nonsense
Dear Republicans
Lately the airwaves
Of the Fox alternative universe
Has been filled with pernicious nonsense
Uttered by all the pundits
And Republican leaders.
The pernicious nonsense
Is that Joe Biden, and the entire
Democratic Party
Has been taken over
By Marxists
Determined to turn the US
Either into Cuba, Venezuela
Communist China or North Korea.
But oddly not Russia
Who some believe now
Is our friend
Anyone alive
For the last thirty years
Knows that communism died
A long time ago
There are no communists anywhere
Even in China, no one believes
In classic communism.
And Joe Biden may be many things
But a hard-core Marxist Communist
Working to turn the US into a communist country
Is not one of them.
The only people who believe this nonsense
Are aging John Birchers
Who still screams about the communist menace
And perhaps a few aging left-wing radicals
Who still believe in Marxism.
So please just shut up
About communism
And other imaginary bogymen.
The World After
The future is not yet written
The world can still be saved
But the end of humanity
Could be at hand
The world is burning up
Fires out of control
Ice caps melting
Temperatures rising
Hatred spreading
Neofascism on the right
Democracy threatened
End of the world fears
Filling the world
Yet to come
the Rot Starts at the Top
Watching the news unfold
About the massive spying operation
Targeted against Democratic opponents
Of the former guy
The old Chinese Confucian adage
Pops to mind
The rot starts at the head
Meaning rotten fish of course
But also applies
To rotten political actors
This scandal is probably
Just the tip
Of a very large rotten iceberg
Where it will lead
Is anyone’s guess
But will the former guy
Be held accountable
For this crime?
Probably not
Just add it to the list
Of all his other crimes
And wait until hell freezes over
For justice to be done
Cancel Culture Run Amuck
I am so sick
And tired
Of the so-called “Cancel Culture”
Nonsense
That has spread out
Along the rightwing media verse
Infecting the public
With their hatred and disdain
I don’t know what it all means
Something about political speech
social conservatives
Being canceled
By left-wing woke mobs
In the mainstream media
“Libtard “Coastal elites
And tech giants
Seems that they don’t like
Being held to account
For minimal standards
Of decent behavior
For example, not spreading lies
About COVID vaccinations
I mean you Senator Johnson
Banned by YouTube for a week
Or inciting a riot
I mean you
Former guy
And his minions
Used to be
That we were all
Held to account
For decent behavior
By a sense of public shame
So, we did not go there
We knew where the lines were
And respected them
But in the era
Of the former guy
All civilized restraints
Have gone out the window
I say to my republican friends
If you don’t want to be canceled
Don’t say or do disgusting things
Don’t spread hate and misinformation
Then we would not have to
Cancel your nonsense
Until then I need to shut
Off the damn media noise box
Senator Johnson Banned on YouTube for Spreading Lies Found Poem
YouTube suspended
Sen. Ron Johnson’s account
to spread medical misinformation.
The company specifically
prohibits content
that contradicts public-health guidance.
The Republican
routinely holds Senate hearings
where he promotes
baseless conspiracy theories.
“Big Tech and mainstream media
believe they are smarter
than medical doctors
who have devoted their lives to science?
and use their skills to save lives,”
“They have decided
there is only one medical viewpoint allowed
and it is the viewpoint dictated
by government agencies.”
Johnson, who promoted the “Big Lie”
that led to the assault
on the US Capitol in January,
has used his position
as a senator to promote baseless conspiracy theories
and undermine trust in public institutions
Johnson’s “continuing assault on the truth,
often under the guise of simply ‘asking questions
about facts,
is helping to diminish confidence in American institutions
at a perilous moment,
when the health and economic well-being
of the nation relies heavily on
on mass vaccinations,
and when faith in democracy
is shaken by right-wing falsehoods
about voting,”
Comment: It is for that act
Those comments went too far
led YouTube
To “cancel” Senator Johnson
Now if only we can get
He to just shut up
And go away
Perhaps the voters
Will finally be moved
To cancel him for good.
End Comment
Driving our Politics is Fear
What is driving our politics
More than anything else
Is the fear of the other
Fear of the enemy
Fear of the end
The American experiment
With democracy
9-11 Fridge Poem
Reflections on 9-11 where I was Prose Poem
Reflections on 9-11 where was I then?
Reflections on 9-11 9-11
9-11 Unleashed Evil
The Day After 9-11 U.S Visa Officer’s Perspective
9-11 Reflections
9-11 2021 was the classic black swan event. A low-probability event that changed almost everything. The world can be divided into a pre-9-11 world and a Post 9-11 world. 9-11 led to the Afghanistan war, which recently concluded, the Iraq war, the Syria war, the Libyan civil war, countless wars in Africa, the war on terror, the Muslim travel ban, the war on domestic dissent in so many parts of the world, all justified as a reaction against the events of that September day. Here are some of my reflections on the events of 9-11 including a prose poem about where I was that terrible day. It affected me deeply because at the time I was a US immigration officer in the State Department serving in Mumbai, (Bombay) India.
Page Break
9-11 Fridge
Based on fridge magnet poems daily prompt https://frij.io/?mc_cid=892a002a18&mc_eid=7c5e331aa2
Following 9/11
Patriots Blunder
Whack
Worry Frequently
About terrorists and Muslims
Whomever, wherever they are
Prompt words
Blunder
Whack
Tapered
9/11
Whomever
Possibly
Pedicure
Embezzle
Worry
Frequent
Scoop
Mu
Kacey Musgraves
🏄
Quickly
NFL
Marshal
They
Reign
Pineal
Matrix
Titanic
Excepting
Fabulous
Clement
Abbey
Hawaii
Rock
Uphill
Flame
Washy
Twin Towers
Patriots
Ox
Junket
Audit
Static
Commensurate
😟
Bye
Breed
Sharp
Numb
Spaceship
Cyborg
Unclog
Reflections on 911 Where I was Prose Poem
On 9-11
When the planes struck the World Trade Center
Unleashing evil on the world
I was working
at the deputy consular chief at the US Consulate
in Mumbai
I was at a Polish national day event
chatting with the Polish Ambassador
and his charming wife.
Someone told me
I needed to check out the news,
saw the CNN news feed,
rushed back to the consulate
to prepare our response.
I put together a task force
focused on helping American citizens
in our district.
I worked almost 15-20 hours
for almost three days
before finally getting a night off.
We continued to process visas
during this time
but our priority
was to reach out to the Americans
who lived in our district
and to monitor the reactions of Indians
especially Muslims living in our district.
I tracked down my wife
who had gone into emergency action
in her position in Korea as a MI officer.
We both reflected
that if she had not taken the job in Korea
she might have died that day
as she had been working in the ops center
at the pentagon which was destroyed.
Since it was shift work
if she had been on the early morning shift
it might have been game over for her.
Reflections on 9-11 9-11
9-11
The event that launched
The war on terror
That led to Afghanistan
Led to Iraq
Led to Syria
And so many other wars
Secret and not so secret
War on dissent at home
All because of 911
A true black swan event
That almost destroyed
Our country
And still has ramifications
All over the world
911
A day that truly
Will live
In infamy
9-11 unleashed Evil
world lurks in the deadliest places.
Evil came to town on 911
the day that evil swept over the world
a true Black Swan event
that transformed everything
splitting the world into a pre-9-11 world
and a post 9-11 world
unleashing the War on Terror, the wars in Afghanistan, the wars in Iraq, the war in Libya, the war in Syria, the wars in Africa, the horrors of ISIS, the horrors of the Taliban resurgent, the horrors of Al Qaeda and all the rest of the Muslim terrorists, the war in the streets of any big city, the war on Muslims, the war on Christians, the war on Jews, the apartheid in Palestine, the wars on dissent at home, the Arab Spring
so many things can be traced
to the impact of 9/11
one of the most unlikely events
of recent history
that transformed
everything
yes there was a pre-9-11 world
hard to imagine now
and a post 9-11 worldwide police state
on steroids
lost democracy at home
and abroad
we are still coping
with the damages unleashed
by the evil plane bombers
fulfilling their mad desires
their dictates from their mad god
transforming the world
unleashing evil
in the once-innocent world.
The Day After 9-11 U.S Visa Officer’s Perspective Poetic Blooming
9-11 changed everything
For the lowly visa officers
Around the world
Especially for American visa officers
Before 9-11
The emphasis was on efficiency
Issuing as many visas as possible
Refusing as few as possible
Looking the other way
At minor incidents of fraud
When in doubt
Just say yes
Terrorism was not a concern at all
No one anticipated
The horrible events of 9-11
All the hijackers
Had been issued visas
They were considered low-risk applicants
As most Saudi citizens were
Few overstayed
None wanted to work
Illegally in the U.S.
The students studied
Came back home
Saudi, the UAE, and Oman
Were about to be approved
For the visa waiver program
They met the criteria
Low refusal rates
Low overstay rates
Terrorism was not a concern
Although the CIA was blocking it
On 9-12 and afterward
Everything changed
Just say yes
Became just saying no
Fraud became a big concern
Terrorism is an overwhelming concern
Saudi, Oman, and UAE
Became overnight
Suspicious characters
Extreme vetting began
Years before Trump
Announced it
Interviewing everyone
Became the policy overnight
Biometrics were rushed to be deployed
Everyone including Kings
Must be enrolled
No exceptions
Zero tolerance of visa infractions
Became the norm
Both at State
and the new DHS
Airports became unfriendly nightmares
For foreign visitors
As did the embassies
Where visa officers
Were now free
To be mean, abrupt
Just say no
Became the motto
The officers had 2 minutes
To go through
the ever-expanding
Security checks etc
Anything at all
That took two more minutes
This led to a quit denial
Denials were seldom overcome
Even when it was obvious
That the visa
should have been an issue
The visa function almost moved
To the new neo-fascist
Department of Homeland Security
Nicknamed by its critics
As the Homeland Security Ministry
The homeland security department
Send visa security officers
Overseas to police the lax state department
Whose prior courtesy culture was mocked
The new meaning of everyone’s culture
Soon emerged
Everyone competed
To see who could be the meanest
Zero tolerance soon met zero common sense
Every applicant became a potential criminal
A potential security threat,
All Muslim applicants
Were seen as potential terrorists
All of this led
To the draconian visa policies
In the Trump era
The extreme vetting
The Muslim bans
The demonization of illegal immigrants
And legal immigration alike
The American first MAGA presidency
The chaotic unwinding of Afghanistan
The coming who lost Afghanistan debate
All of this is the culmination of years
Of the war on terror
All of this was the result of 9-11
The day that changed everything.
No Mas No More Excuses America!
I am writing this plead,
To my fellow Americans.
I am tired of the excuses
Tired of hearing
Your lame reasons,
For not getting a vaccination.
For not masking up,
For not taking covid seriously.
I am tired of hearing about
People dying
I am tired of hearing about gun violence,
I am tired of hearing about the west burning up,
The east flooding out,
The monster storms everywhere.
The politicians doing nothing at all
To solve any of these problems
Instead of playing games,
Acting as if all of these problems
Were beyond our control,
Like the weather
Can’t do anything about it,
Nothing but lies.
Yes America
I am tired.
I say again
I am tired
Of your lame excuses.
But this is something
We can all do something about it,
We can choose to get a free vaccine,
We can choose to continue to wear a mask,
We can choose to not kill someone with a gun.
We can choose to take the bus,
We can choose to drive an electric vehicle,
We can choose to love one another,
We can choose to save the world.
Or you can choose
To be a narcissistic self-centered asshole,
A real scumbag,
Following your hero,
The orange man,
Following him straight to hell.
Where do you think this will end?
It will not be a good outcome,
For any of us,
Especially for you, my friend.
You could die, your parents could die,
Your children could die.
And you have the power
To do something about.
Each of us
Has the power
To change the world.
But the change must come
From all of us.
We are all connected.
We are all God’s children
We are all each
Other’s brothers and sisters.
If none of this convinces you
Think what Jesus would tell you
I don’t need to tell you,
You know in your heart,
What needs to be done?
I conclude with this
I don’t want to hear it.
No
mas
excuses
just
do
the
right
thing
The life you save
Maybe your own.
Ode to our Firefighter Heroes
Watching the burning of the west
From my air-conditioned apartment
Halfway across the world in Korea,
I am filled with dismay
How the country has gotten
To this dark and dangerous place.
Where the world is burning up
Climate change is out of control
Gun violence epidemic raging everywhere
No one is safe anywhere from the rampaging gunmen.
The nation’s leaders
Refuse to do anything at all
As the world burns.
COVID spreads
And more people die from guns.
Yet there are American heroes
The firefighters, the first responders
The EMTs, the park rangers,
The doctors, the nurses
Truck drivers, bus drivers
The workers of America.
These American heroes
Including prisoners
Put their lives on the line
24/7.
Working in truly hellish conditions
In temperatures above 100 degrees
Breathing in deadly smoke.
Without enough supplies
Not enough water,
Not enough of anything.
But like all true heroes
They merely suit up
And go to work,
Doing whatever they can do
To save us all
From the burning of America.
From the COVID disaster
From the gun violence
The monster storms
The collapsing buildings.
I salute them
From the bottom of my heart
They are the true heroes
In our times,
Everyone should salute them
Everyone should applaud them
Everyone should thank them
For saving our lives.
Global Emergency
Our nation’s and world leaders
Should get their act together
a state of planetary emergency
Everyone must get together
And address the problem
Facing our world.
The world is facing a worldwide crisis
Everything is falling apart
The world is burning up.
Monster storms flooding Europe
Covid spreading everywhere
Inflation rearing its ugly head
Gun violence tearing us apart.
Politics fall apart
As politicians
Play the blame game,
Spreading toxic lies
And endless venom.
The sad reality
We are all to blame,
Every last one of us
shares the blame.
We have known for decades
That we could not continue
Down this path.
The solutions are obvious
We have known this for years.
It is time for the world leaders
Both government and corporate
To declare a state
of worldwide emergency.
Everyone must do their part
To save the world now.
The billionaire classes
Should rise up
And demonstrate real leadership
Rather than waste time
Flying into space.
And they should donate
Their vast fortunes
To save the world.
The time for games is over
The world is dying
Even the billionaires
May die as the world burns.
We are in this together
We are human brothers and sisters
Please do your part
To save the world.
Before the problems overwhelm us
Ending our world civilization
We must move to green energy now
Everyone must get vaccinated
Get the assault weapons off the street.
Institute real gun control measures.
Yet due to our political dysfunction
Nothing meaningful
Will be done.
As the politicians dither and dither
And nothing is done.
As the world burns
Civilization slowly dies
Democracy cannot survive.
The rise of the warlords
Is inevitable
The world ends
In fire, floods
And endless violence.
So many people
Will die.
Unless we all
Do our part
To save the world
The hour is getting late
But we have not met our fate
Despite the late date.
If we do nothing
Soon we will all
become ghosts
Joining the other ghosts
Of our recent past.
Joining the fire ghosts,
the corona ghosts,
the gun ghosts
the storm ghosts
And all the other ghosts.
Their voices
crying in the wind,
no one left alive
to mourn their death.
VAX up AMerica
please America
get vaccinated against COVID
It is a sad state of affairs
That so many of our fellow citizens
Just can’t be bothered
To get a free vaccine
That may save their lives
And the lives
of those around them
They simply don’t care
About the rest of us.
The anti-vax crusaders
Say that no one should be forced
To get a vaccine.
Yet we force people to wear seat belts
Force people to wear helmets
Force people to drive
within the speed limit
force people to get a license
to drive
Prohibit drunk driving.
All of these are an infringement
On our freedom
To be irresponsible and careless,
Yet we have decided
It is better to have people
Wear a seat belt,
To drive within the speed limit
And not drunk drive
Because these simple measures
Save lives.
The same thing applies to wearing a mask
And getting a vaccine
A small inconvenience to an indidual
Yet may save many lives.
In the end
I can only offer this plea
Many of you are Christians,
And you know what Jesus
Would say
Just shut up
Wear a mask
and get vaccinated
It is god’s will.
Just do it for me.
Please my fellow citizens
Please get a vaccine
To protect your life
To protect my life
And do the right thing.
Political ghosts haunt my dreams –
Last Night as I slept
Political ghosts of the past
Began to appear all over the TV
To offer their advice
How to handle these dark
And dangerous times
Richard Nixon
Yelled we need law and order
George Mc Govern said
We need to end endless wars
And rebuild America
John F Kennedy said
We must recover
Our American spirit
LBJ recalled the Great Society
FDR recalled the new Deal, world war 11
Saying The only thing we need to fear
Is fear itself
Truman recalled the lessons of the cold war
George Washington Recalled the visions
To form a more perfect union
Martin Luther King Recalled his dream
Lincoln advises us
“We are not enemies, but friends.
We must not be enemies, though passion may have strained,
it must not break our bonds of affection.
The mystic chords of memory will swell
when again touched, as surely they will be,
by the better angels of our nature.”
As I woke up from my dark dreams
Of the end of the American dream
I saw the dawning light
The nightmares of the political ghosts
Of the past faded into my past
And I looked up
And realized that it is up to us all
We can recover We can overcome anything
And become the America
That we were meant to be
And overcome these dark times
And consign these dark political ghosts
And let them rest in peace
As we recover the American dream
United as one nation
That is my hope and dream
That we can once again be
Can do anything Americans!
The End
