Greenland’s People Probably Wouldn’t Meet Trump’s Criteria

If Greenland is taken over by the United States, don’t expect it to become the 51st state. No — it isn’t going to happen. Now, you might notice that when Trump spoke of taking over Canada, he suggested they could become the 51st state. We are told he was just joking, but he made the suggestion just the same. Well, when it came time to discuss Greenland, such a suggestion was not made, not even jokingly.

Greenland just doesn’t fit the mold Trump wants. Correction: not Greenland itself, but the people. Remember, this is the Trump who once spoke of Haiti and African countries as being “s---hole countries.”

And also remember that this is the Trump who has explicitly questioned why the U.S. receives immigrants from poorer nations rather than wealthier ones.

The Inuit of Greenland are hardly well‑to‑do people. Some might even call them a downtrodden people. Trump wants people who will be “assets” to America. I hardly think the fishermen of Greenland would meet his criteria.

Of course, when the U.S. has acquired new territory, it has always taken time before those territories became states. And it is Congress that grants statehood anyhow. I’m just saying: if the decision were left to Trump, I doubt he would throw his arms around them and make the people citizens.

 

 

 When you give a ship over to pirates, it sails under a different flag. I suppose I feel that way about giving the country over to Donald Trump.

 

The Land Just Wants to Be Free

Greenland could use a brother —

yes, a big brother.

Someone to help it,

not someone to smother.

The land just wants to be free.

It could use a friend,

even a friend to the end.

Someone to guide it,

and all its sorrows to mend.

The land just wants to be free.

It doesn't need someone to rule it,

to laugh and to fool it.

It just needs someone beside it —

someone next to it.

Yes, the land just wants to be free.

It's not ready for freedom;

it knows it's not yet.

It knows there are steps yet ahead.

But it needs an arm around it

before its troubles can be shed.

So just help the land to be free.

Yes — please help the land to be free.

 

The Devil Shot the Devil

The Devil shot the Devil

in that gunfight in the street.

He said the other devil

was the evilest you could meet.

He said some folks aren't worth living—

so he would gladly take their lives,

leave their children fatherless,

and make widows of their wives.

Too often, guns are raised—

they are fired by those who think

the other person's a devil,

so they kill in just a blink.

But for every devil killed like that,

there's a devil who shoots him down.

And those who pass such judgment

are the evilest around.

 

 The List Grows Longer

Are you watching the list grow longer,

the list of foes of Donald Trump—

people whom he hates,

wants to kick them in the rump?

ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN—

all “enemies of the people.”

If you’re listening to Donald Trump,

they don’t belong under a church steeple.

How about the “Seditious Six,”

lawmakers who Trump says are seditious?

They said you don’t need to obey illegal orders,

and that went against Trump’s wishes.

And then there were those who investigated him—

a terrible, awful crime.

Trump has no use for them;

they are the worst of slime.

Gov. Gavin Newsom,

Bill and Hillary Clinton—

those are folks he won’t treat nice,

won’t treat them like a kitten.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris—

he’s sought jail for both of them.

And if he catches up with them,

their lives will be so very grim.

Throw your opponents in jail;

quiet the free press.

If you’re going to be a dictator,

we expect of you no less.

 

Shoot

Is there a training manual for police,

one that just says, “Shoot?”

Shoot if they get too close,

shoot if they get cute.

Police Training 101

is where you find these rules.

It says, “Shoot, shoot, shoot —

shoot the crazy fools.”

Shoot them if they run,

shoot them if they mouth off,

shoot them if they sneeze,

and shoot them if they cough.

Shoot them and don’t be nice;

aim and shoot to kill.

Shoot them if you want to,

shoot them if you will.

But with all this talk of shooting

and the manual saying it’s okay,

don’t forget that murder’s wrong —
and in heaven, there’s a price to pay.

Where Is the Arrest, or the Suspension of Officer Ross?

Days and days later, where is the arrest? Suspects are often arrested at the scene or shortly afterward. Yes, they are often arrested before the investigation is complete. Not so, though, with Officer Jonathan Ross — or, if he has been arrested, it has not been reported.

Has Officer Ross even been placed on administrative leave? The FBI has not disclosed as much. It would be an appropriate action — but it apparently hasn’t happened with Officer Jonathan Ross.

These two facts should sharpen the criticism that the FBI may not be impartial. They should serve as tell‑tale signs that the FBI might conceivably spin the investigation to protect Officer Ross.

To begin with, there is a conflict of interest when a federal officer is being investigated by a federal agency.

And secondly, the boss above both agencies (that would be Donald) has provided verbal comments that could influence the investigation — as has Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Can we expect a fair investigation? You judge.

 

Did the FBI Doctor the Video?

 Laura Ingraham, I simply disagree. I watched the officer's video you presented during your newscast and ... well ... It seems clear the ICE officer was aside the SUV -- not in front of it -- when the shots were fired. Worse, it appears the video was doctored, perhaps not with the intent of hiding the truth, but with the same effect, the same. Try the freeze frame approach. Stop the video right before the shooting. Look at the angle of the cellphone. Judge where the officer would need to be for the angle to be as it is. He would probably be beside the SUV, not in front. But wait! Notice how narrow the video image is! On each side, the picture appears to have been cropped! If it weren't for that cropping, you would be better able to determine if he was indeed to the side of the SUV. If the FBI did doctor the video before releasing it, can we trust it to impartially investigate the case? Another thing, time after time we are hearing that Renee Good tried to run over Officer Jonathan Ross. That argument fails to recognize that Good was turning sharply to get to the right of Ross. Since when, if you are trying to hit someone, do you turn sharply away from them?

 

President of the Flies

I've never seen Lord of the Flies —

I've not.

But I've heard of this comparison:

An essay titled President of the Flies

puts Donald Trump in embarrassment.

Jennifer Finney Boylan —

that's the author —

speaks of being cast into

"some cruel and hostile strand,"

a place hard to get through —

do you understand?

People with disabilities were mocked,

immigrants reviled,

and grabbing women by their private parts

was not considered being defiled

Lord of the Flies, President of the Flies —

there's a lot they have in common:

"Shut up, Piggy," "Quiet, Piggy" —

and we'd have to say a person who speaks like that

is fallen, fallen, fallen.

We live in a society in which democratic norms are lost,

cruelty is accepted,

moral decay is everywhere.

But a president who acts like this

should surely be rejected.

 The Shot Was in the Day

The shot was in the day,

not the dead of night.

Everyone saw it —

and could see it wasn't right.

ICE agents killed her,

cameras rolling to show their crime.

Sometimes it seems these shootings

are happening all the time.

Shots were fired, shots were fired —

and a woman's life was lost.

It happened in broad daylight,

as ICE tried to show they were boss.

There will be an investigation,

as you know there always is —

but only by the FBI,

for they say it's not the local police's biz.

Investigate, investigate —

do it a million times.

But it won't change what the videos show:

another of police's violent crimes.

 

 

A Stir of Silence

A stir of silence in the night;

something moved, but was only felt.

I searched the blackened sky for movement,

then resolved to face what I was dealt.

Shadows blossomed —

they grew and grew,

charcoal‑colored;

they shared their dew.

Nothing that night was in my view,

nothing in my sight.

And the whispers were inaudible,

but they moved through me with fright.

No moonlight, no starlight,

and not even owls with haunting hoots.

But I think I felt the soldiers coming,

though I couldn’t even hear their boots.

I peered through the willows,

hoping to gain a glance,

but saw nothing but darkness —

though in my mind they danced.

I say hello to nights such as this;

I know they will come again.

And though I will not see it,

I’ll feel their laughing grin.

The Unelectable Common Man

The common man is often locked out—

I mean, it's hard for him to be elected.

It takes money, and money he hasn't got;

what I'm saying is, he's simply disrespected.

Sometimes he is hopelessly underfunded,

so he can't even file to run.

When the fee is over $800,

all his hopes are undone.

And once on the ballot,

he's simply a lost cause.

Campaign spending is so high,

it gives him great pause.

So say hello to the unelectable man—

his wallet's too thin, and his bank account too.

As quick as he thinks about running,

his chances are through.

 

The Global President

The global president—

the one with thoughts of rule afar.

Maybe take these countries over,

to make himself their new czar.

Greenland, Venezuela, Cuba, and more—

there’s really no reason to stop.

When you are a global president,

you span the globe, setting up shop.

Call it the Monroe Doctrine;

say other presidents were not bold enough.

They lacked the courage to implement

plans for being rough.

A global president is decisive,

he strikes with great surprise.

He smiles and takes over,

and their sovereignty just dies.

 

Salt Lake City

A city set on a hill cannot be hid,

Nor a city such as this.

Come to Salt Lake City,

And join in all the bliss.

Come to it, say the magazines.

Come and play in the snow.

Come to eat in the restaurants—

It’s simply a great place to go.

Come to hike the mountains,

Come to wander the place.

Travel magazines are saying

The state is filled with grace.

Days ahead and years to come,

There’s a prophecy of this great city:

The Lord’s house shall be in the mountains—

It says that straight and pretty.

Isaiah 2, verses 3 and 4,

Are quoted often there.

And the people quote this scripture—

It’s one they often share.

 

City-Owned Grocery Stores

In Atlanta, if you go down there,

you'll find a store that will make you stare.

Azalea Fresh Market—have you heard of it?

It's a popular store; it's really a hit.

Now, the thing about Azalea is it's city‑owned.

I'm telling the truth—no, I'm not stoned.

Azalea, Azalea, for local food—

go in and try it, if you get in the mood.

Oh, there are a few of these stores, but really not many—

maybe three or four, but I doubt there are twenty.

In St. Paul, Kansas, there's a city‑run store,

and in Baldwin, Florida, you'll find one more.

What do you think of city‑run stores?

Are they messing with capitalism, and as good as eyesores?

Whatever you think, and whatever you say,

city‑owned grocery stores aren't going away.

Chicago considered having one, and Kansas City too.

Who knows but what someday there will be one near you?

The new mayor of New York City has suggested a few—

maybe someday they'll be an idea that grew.

Minnesota was Simply Negligent

The fraud case rumbling out of Minnesota? That state was completely negligent. And it is my personal experience that brings me to say this. A few years ago, I worked for a company that was community‑minded (C.R. England) and involved us in volunteer work. I was asked to monitor (“audit,” if you will) one school, visiting sometimes announced and other times unannounced to ensure that the food was actually being distributed.

In Minnesota, the perpetrators of the fraud simply created a supposed roll of children receiving meals. Many didn’t even have kitchens or facilities to prepare the food. In Utah, such fraud would not be possible. I would have caught it on my first unannounced visit. Checking with Copilot (AI), I learned that such monitoring also takes place in Utah’s childcare program. Note also that federal regulations require this kind of oversight. There was simply no good excuse for Minnesota not monitoring its programs.

And it wasn’t just one program being fraudulently used, but several. Minnesota had a systemic problem. Checks and balances were absent throughout various welfare programs. The state was simply and plainly negligent.

 

Michael, I Miss You

Michael, I miss you—

Michael, I love you—

Michael, I'm sorry.

New Year's rolled around,

Firecrackers exploding in the sky,

And I thought of my brother—

So much I wanted to cry.

I thought of him on the Fourth,

And his wonder of the displays.

I thought how he loved the stars

All through his days.

But I tried to reshape him—

From a man packed with fears.

I tried to reshape him—

From his mental frontiers.

Michael, I miss you—

Michael, I love you—

Michael, I'm sorry.

An aneurism, they call it—

That's what my brother had.

And I see my part in bringing it on,

And that makes me sad and mad.

Firecrackers will rocket through the heavens,

Stars will shine up in the sky,

And I will offer, again and again,

This—my remorseful goodbye.

Michael, I miss you—

Michael, I love you—
Michael, I'm sorry.