May Day 

You let him off easy
If you just say he's bad
Just a very bad person
Just another cad

The fate of our nation
He will rip away
Take away our freedoms
We should be shouting May Day

 

See No Evil

The news broke
But the people wouldn't listen 

He was impeached for his conduct
He was indicted for his crimes
Not just once, but 91 times

He was found guilty of sexual assault
But the people refused to believe him at fault

They closed their eyes
And their ears became heavy

He praised foreign dictators
While Washington and Lincoln he mocked
And our judicial system, he daily knocked

But the people turned and looked away
See no evil, hear no evil, was all they'd say

 
All This Talk of Trump

I'm not in to that
All this talk of Trump
I'm not into that at all
Said a guy sitting on a stump

It wasn't that he liked Trump
He just didn't care
It was just that the continous stream of news
Was something he couldn't bear

I tapped him on the soldier
As he sat on that stump
I said, if you would, please read this
And tell me if Trump is not a chump

I gave him all my poetry
And read it to him out loud
And while I was reading it
There gathered quite a crowd

Some of them clapped
Some of them booed
Some of them stomped their feet
Some of them praised him
As a man who could not be beat

I held my hand out to quiet the crowd
And pointed to my friend sitting on the stump
This man is sick of all the talk, I said
He's sick of all this chatter about Donald Trump

But as I spoke, the little man rose to his feet
Saying he wouldn't vote for Trump
Now, I thought that was awfully neat

 

They Who March for Freedom

They who march for freedom
They who march for right
The soldiers in this army
Carry freedom's light

The 2024 election
Is a battle they must win
Or liberty will be lost
Much to our chagrin

 

Hateriots

They wrap themselves in the American flag
And call themselves patriots
I wonder if we could coin a new name for them
And call them all hateriots
They hate the immigrant
Hate the poor
They hate a little
And then they hate some more

Make America Great Again
They say as they wrap the flag a little tighter around them

America remains a very great land
Always has been, and is to this day
But as much as that's true
And as much as it's nice
If these "patriots" take over
We'll be giving it all away

 
Fifty Poems I've Penned

Fifty states in the Union
And now 50 poems I've penned
I just wish I could publish them
So they wouldn't be lost in the wind

Fifty poems I've written
Fifty poems, I say
And now I want to publish them
So they'll never go away

 
Poem 51

I've now written 50 poems about Donald Trump
And as I come to 51
I reflect on all that I've done
The poems -- as poetry -- a few of them are good
But most are just adequate
But they've given me a chance to oppose him
And in that, I've been most adamant

Some are just rallying poems
And try to touch your emotions
Others appeal to reason
Saying there's enough to fill the oceans

Call them all anti- poems
For, yes, I guess they are
Because if Trump gets elected
Our nation will be a fallen star

So Good at Golf

Our president is so good at golf
He wins even when he's a state away
At least that's what we learn
From Rick Reilly's expose

Reilly is a sportwriting legend
SI and ESPN are where he gained his fame
And he casts some light on Donald Trump
And he casts on him some shame

"Golf is like bicycle shorts," Reilly says
"It reveals a lot about a guy"
And what does it say about Donald Trump
Well, there a lot of tricks he might try

"He has to win," Reilly says
"And he will do anything to cheat”
If he misses a shot, he gets a mulligan
Which is in golf terms is a repeat

"I know because I played golf with him and he took seven"
Reilly says
Speaking to how this Trump guy is really driven

Trump will tell you he's won 23 championships
Reilly counters he's won none
At least not without golfing's version of an end run

On his own courses he might "win"
But remember what we said about a mulligan

He runs ahead to move his ball
Moving it out of the water
Have you ever seen a golfer
with that kind of gall?

He kicks his opponents' balls into the bunkers
Making them look like lousy chunkers

Does Trump get away with cheating in golf and life the same?
Don't know about politics, but in golf
Reilly says, cheating is not allowed
"It's just not in the game"

Beat a Dead Horse

Beat a dead horse
Some of you say
Too many poems about Trump

Quit all of your talk
Quit bad-mouthing him
Get off of this political stump

But I shan't be shut up
From my dangers and fears
I shan't be shut up from my tears
My heart cries for my nation
And it won't go where Donald Trump steers

A poem, a rhyme against him
What humble words I have
I'll beat that dead horse deader
Now, don't you have a calf

 
Two Sides in this Great Battle

There are two sides in this great battle
Two sides in our great land
On one side are the Loyalists
Those who say Trump is grand

The other side is the Resistance
Those who resist the purge
They like the government we already have
They resist our nation's funeral dirge

There are two sides in this great battle
Two sides in our great land
You decide which side you're on
And which will be your band

 

A Way to Vent

I pour my heart out in poetry
Expressing my fears and concerns
I fear we'll lose our democracy
I fear where the future turns

A president once wants to rule again
And a warning is what I shout
But nobody listens, nobody worries
They don't know what this is about

So what of my awfully fine poetry
Is it even doing any good
It's fun to write
But it's not making the difference it should

It's a way to vent
But it won't make a dent

 
Cult of Trump

Turn, if you will to a list of the signs
Signs of being a cult
I want to know if the Trump faithful are that
Will you discuss this with me like an adult?
I'm told the leader is very authoritarian
And that he doesn't tolerate criticism
Would you agree he's that
If we insist on your objectivism?
He's not quick to financial disclosure
Now, that's Trump to a T
And he's always right in all he does
Now that's Trump, you'll have to agree
He speaks of evil conspiracies and persecution
Now doesn't that define those of his persuasion?
He's the exclusive source of truth
Even so, Trump's followers are taught not to listen to the media
And they're taught that from their youth
A cult? 
Do we call it the Cult of Trump?
I think so
It isn't much of a jump

 
Rise Up, People

Rise up, people
The day is at hand
Rise up and take a stand

Your freedom is challenged
It soon will be lost
And great and heavy will be the cost

Rise up, people
And face the foe
Do not let your liberty go

A tyrant is running
To be president again
Do not, do not let him back in

 

The Book of Trump

The Book of Trump
Or the Trump Manifesto
Whichever name you want to use

But, for those of us who love our freedom
It's a book that does not amuse

It's a book with all the guidelines
For destroying one form of government
And replacing it with another

A kind of how-to-do-it
for replacing democracy
with something not even close enough
 to being its brother

Buy it if you like it
For the cost of your vote
You can get a signed copy

But you're signing something too
Signing away your freedom
Tell me, how could you be so sloppy

 
The Narrative

The narrative spreads and the people shout
Both of these candidates are bad
"In all my life, this is probably the most horrible choice I've had"
a news story quotes one person as saying
They want a way out, the voters do
They don't want to vote red
and they don't want to vote blue

Stop, stop, stop
if you would
The narrative itself
is not at all good

It's an easy out, though
an easy way to escape
There's no doubt if we elect Trump
we'll be in the worst of shape

But, Biden?
He's a democrat
You can't expect me to vote for one of those
It makes me shiver and shake
from my head right down to my toes

So those who spread the narrative
have an easy lie to sell
And the damage they are doing
is greater than you can tell

If Trump is elected
that's all that they want
And Biden is the only foe in the way
So, if they can remove Biden
then Trump will yet rule the day

"The American people should demand better"
the news article eggs them on
And the people buy the narrative
And the people join in the song

 
No More Hooray

The political parade today
The one that goes right down main street
Is lead by Donald Trump
And it seems every float and band
Has someone giving him a fist pump

But parades are celebrations
That only last a day
And I hope that come tomorrow
There will be no more hooray

The Loophole

Would the founding fathers put a loophole in the Constitution
Well, did they
Just by accident

This would
You know
Ruin our government

But what if they left a loophole
One letting kings and thieves slip in?
What if it let people steal our government
Who were flat-out criminals, or something there akin?

Immunity, you say
Or, perhaps more crucially
The ability to pardon yourself
These are the loopholes
Waiting on the shelf

Is this the same Constitution
That says you can be impeached
Because, if it is
Donald Trump should be in reach

Time to Unite Against Trump

We need patriotism more than politics
At this moment in our land
We need those on both sides
To join together in one band

When a nation's freedom
Is jeopardized by a foe
It's time to unite against it
And that should have meant backing Joe

Is this a Sun that Sets?

Is this the sun that sets?
Those words are not adequate
For they suggest a quiet demise

And what faces our nation now
Will not be soft winds
But a storm that does arise

It will shake the windows of democracy
It will blow the roof from off of us
Hurricane Donald
Will shake this building's very truss

This is not just a setting sun
It's the sun being blown from the skies
Freedom is not just going down
It's being blasted right before our eyes

 
Certain Curse

A regime is coming
It will be America's first
The land that's always been blessed
Faces this certain curse

The land that's always been free
And never known a king
Faces this certain curse
If it gives Trump its ring

 
'Transition' or our Submission?

Money is pouring in
Big money
And not just for Trump's campaign
But for the "transition"
In other words
For when he will reign

They are referring to it as
Well
a "government-in-waiting"
I just wonder
Though
What it is they think they are creating

More than $55 million  
Coming from Leonard Leo and the Koch complex
Does a change in presidents need that much
I ask, with all due respects

You're just changing administrations
No more
You don't have to create an entirely new entity
I just wonder what you have in store

Every Crime Needs a Tool

The thief uses a pick 
To enter the bank at night
He uses a key pick
When nobody else is in sight

The thief is a clever fellow
And he knows he needs some help
An apparatus, a device
So, he pulls the key pick from off his shelf

So here we have the rule:
Every crime needs a tool

And now comes Donald Trump
A conniving, scheming man
And back in 2020
He claimed the election was a sham

Now, must I remind you of the rule?
Every crime needs a tool

Well, this Mr. Trump seeks the White House
You know he wants to break in
But he knows he needs some help
So, he says overturning the election is no sin

Now, must I remind you of the rule?
Every crime needs a tool

 

Election was Fair

The election was fair
And you need to know
If someone says otherwise
They give freedom a blow

A monarch will come
If he has his way
A monarch will rule
If we let him have sway

 
From the Lips of Truth

Truth had just given its witness
Truth had been on the stand
And all the people stood up
And gave truth a hand

Rather than just another person to testify
Truth, itself, was called
And with such a witness on the stand
The people were enthralled

I wish it were that easy
As we consider Joe Biden and Mr. Trump
I wish we could just ask the truth
Which one is good and which one, the chump

I've got my opinion and its certain
That Biden's the good guy here
But I wish we had truth to speak out
And tell us what we need to hear

His Forces not Few

His minions are many
His forces not few
He calls on them daily
To battle against you

He's the foe of our future
The tyrant to come
We must rally against him
For freedom to be won

The Donald, they call him
And our king, he would be
He has everyone in his pocket
Except you and me

 
Resizing the Trump Tree

A shout and cry
To face the forces of Trump
The axe to the tree
May we resize it to a stump

 

 
We Certify

The country I live in, I was born in
The country I live in, I love
Born and raised in America
Of all the places in the world
it's the best of

I have a neighbor from Africa
Another from Mexico
And they believe the same thing
America's the place to go

America, America, I say
America, they reply
The best place in the world
we both certify

More Reason to Adore

I've never known America
At least not like you
It's just the place I was born in
Just the place where I grew

But for you, there is this contrast
Mexico is not the same
Venezuela has its drawbacks
And Columbia has its blame

So, you come and appreciate
America a little more
You have more reason to love it
You have more reason to adore 

Bugle Brother

Bugle brother
Bangle boy
Boy that beats the drum
Freedom's beat
Is awfully neat
And you love its hum

Bring your music
Sing it here
Spread it across our land
Sing the songs and anthems
Proclaiming America so grand

Patriot's Dream

The patriot's dream remembers its fathers
And it dreams for its children to come
It waves the flag
And gets ragtag
Whenever it hears freedom's drum

We live in a land of patriots
I count them on every hand
They come by ones
They come by twos
They come to join our band

When you hear the call of freedom
Answer with a patriot's march
Step lightly and lively
Step quickly and precisely
Step under liberty's arch

Heart that Beats for Freedom

The heart that beats for freedom
Hears it like a drum
It likes the sound
It likes the beat
It likes the rumba-bum

The heart that beats for freedom
Keeps its ear to the ground
It hears the hoof steps
Of freedom coming
And loves to hear their sound

If the Messengers Bail

Better to be a voice that's not heard
Than a voice that's not offered
Better to have them turn a deaf ear
Than to fail to say what needs to be authored

The ears of the land grow weary of Trump talk
It's all that they ever hear
The ears of our nation want to move on
Away from this topic they want to steer

But the threat remains
And its depth retains
All the urgency it's ever had
And the message will continue fail
If the messengers continue to bail
From reporting how Trump is bad

 


I Give You My Regard

Is it expecting too much from one of us,
even from all of us? 
Oh, you know the expectation -- 
or do you?
We must study the candidates
Know them through and through

A little much for me
A little much for you
There's just so much to unload
about Trump and Biden, too

Trump -- four criminal cases,
ninety-one charges
Toss in civil cases
Just so much to know
you could haul it in on barges

Now, tell me,
do you know the status of each case
and what it 's all about?
Do you know enough to judge
whether he's a hero or a lout?

Now, bring in Joe Biden
Let him take the stand
Let him defend himself
from accusations throughout the land

Being a knowledgeable voter
has never been so hard
So if you are succeeding,
I give you my regard

 
Sensory Overload

Sensory overload:
Too much Trump --
It's all we ever hear

And yet there's so much more
we need to know
About this man we ought to fear

You Choose
 
You choose your freedom by your strength
It's not for those who are weak
The weak person soon succumbs
Gives in to what rulers seek

The weak person never sees tyranny coming
For his friends assure him things are safe
And like a yes-man, he follows Donald Trump
Believing him a hero in a hero's cape

 

Lead a Horse to Water

The old phrase, Looking at the sun and denying that it's there
Yes, that comes to mind
The sun is up there, but sometimes it's almost as if we are blind

Or there's the thought, You can lead a horse to water,
but you cannot make it drink
Oh, I wish we could entice Americans to really think

Bless them all, the millions of Americans
But cannot they see Donald Trump's shenanigans?

What of the ninety-one criminal counts?
Well then the courts must be corrupt, they announce

What of the two times he was impeached?
They respond that those were decisions politically reached

What of the conviction for sexual assault?
Not the truth -- he has no such fault

What then of the insurrection? Surely you see that
No, it wasn't an insurrection they say and their eyes barely bat

But didn't he say immigrants are polluting the blood of America?
Don't worry, they reply, that is just so much hysteria 

Yes, you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink
And you cannot convince them Trump is bad,
though you try till you're pink

The Midday Ride of Donald Trump

Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midday ride of Donald Trump
On the sixth of January, in Twenty-One
He wanted to go just a hop-skip-and-jump
From where he gave his speech
To the Capitol
To fulfill his dreams, most tyrannical

Hardly a person is now alive
Who doesn't remember that day
It hangs over America's history
So dark, so ominous and gray

He said to his friends, today, we march
Two miles from here to the halls of Congress
To overturn the vote count
And so, they marched against America's fortress

Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry-arch?
You don't need to do that, but join in our march
One if by land, and two if by sea?
You need no such signal, the signal's from me

And Trump on the opposite shore would stand?
He watched the attack, as leader of their band

You know the rest; in the books, you have read
How America's finest fired and fled
How the Proud Boys matched the Capitol Police
How they broke through the fences and destroyed the peace

The Republican redcoats chased down the lane
Then crossed the barriers, to emerge again

The words of Trump's speech shall echo forevermore
Borne of the winds that tore our nation apart
Through all of our history, no day like this
An hour of darkness and peril, a day of disheart 

He Took a Swipe

It does not mean Joe is stupid
It doesn't mean his mind is old
But special counsel found him lacking
On that theory, Robert Hur was sold

Can't remember the year that happened?
Then you are quite the fool
He was your eldest son
So, forgetting the year of death seems quite cruel

Forbid that any of us should forget
The year something happened in our lives
For that would be all the proof needed
That it's time for us to say our goodbyes

Hur simply lacked the evidence
To prosecute the case
So, he took a swipe at Biden anyway
But that was hardly in good taste

Imitate

A nation without manners
One of which Trump would be proud
They mock and scoff, and scorn
They're rough and they're tough and they're loud

Maybe just notice how his followers
Are sometimes like chips off the old block
They imitate the ill manners
Of this leader to whom they flock

 

When You Trust

When your justices are politicians
When your courts are made up of them
When you think they will search for justice
Your chances sure are slim

When you let them run your investigation
When you expect they will find the truth
When you rely on politicians
Then you've hired the wrong sleuth

So here we have congressional committees
Packed with those who lie
We have those who color truth
With their party dye

Yes, there may be times they are honest
Indeed, some are honorable
But we should always be wary
Of the corruptible

 
 
Can't Think of Anything Worse

I can't think of anything worse
Yes, it would be a curse
If our nation became a nation of Trumps
If our nation became a nation of grumps

Little Trumps and big Trumps
Fat ones and thin
You could never count them
You couldn't even begin

But, actually, I think we are already there
We already have Trump clones everywhere

When you follow your leader
Sometimes that means
You mimic his actions
And join in his schemes

If the leader is rude
Disrespectful and all
You become like him
And from goodness you fall

 
 
Can't Think of Anything Worse

I can't think of anything worse
Yes, it would be a curse
If our nation became a nation of Trumps
If our nation became a nation of grumps

Little Trumps and big Trumps
Fat ones and thin
What if we acted
Just like him?

But, actually, I think we are already there
We already have Trump clones everywhere

When you follow your leader
Sometimes that means
You mimic his actions
And join in his schemes

If the leader is rude
Disrespectful and all
You become like him
And from goodness you fall

 

Not of Walls

Freedom is not made of walls, and not made of wires
It's not a gate that locks you out, but one that lets you in
Freedom does not deny peace, nor refuse those who should seek it
And it does not deny you because of origin, or color of skin

If freedom were animate, if it were brought to life
If it were given a voice to speak
I wonder if it would whisper, whisper in the ears of man
I wonder if it would really say, Don't let them enter my land

Freedom stands with virtue, and it stands against all pride
It's neither foe to the poor, nor to those who pour in
And if it came to life on the eastern shore
It would lift a lamp to all those it stood before

It would take up the torch for those who monarchs reject
Yes, it would welcome the refuse, as well as the elect
And the words from its lips would say, Give me your poor
They would say, I'm not a wall -- I'm a golden door

 

Warrior

I'm a warrior with a pen
Instead of with a gun
I'd like to think my poetry
Could make them turn and run

I aim at Donald Trump
I wish I could shoot him down
I wish I were the greatest warrior
Ever to be found

Pirate Went a Fishing

A pirate went a fishing
He cast his nets on every side
He gathered in loyalty pledges
As easy as stealing fish from the ocean wide

Yes, the pirate went a fishing
And netted most all of the GOP
They all endorsed the pirate leader
Seizing America's ship while at sea 

 

Winds of Wrong

You can't catch the wind
Nor capture all that's in it
The dust and leaves and litter
Scatter far in just a minute

Nothing good is blowing
In the wind across our land
Seeds of tyranny
Are scattered by the MAGA band

You can't calm this wind
Nor stop the sand it blows 
And it will do no good to hide your head
Somewhere beneath your toes

Is our fate so hopeless
Is the wind so strong
That it will destroy our liberty
Replacing right with all that's wrong

Go out and face the storm
Shout against the wind
Do not let this great nation
Be blown to such an end

What Good Are

What good are laws
When people have no laws?
What good are rules
When you let him break all of them?

Now that he's elected
Will he destroy our nation grand?
Donald Trump is making 
A mockery of our land

 

 
First Three Letters

He is the first three letters in a lot of words
Con-torted
Con-ceited
Con-troller
And tell me whether he has any standards

He is the first three letters in a lot of words
Con-desending
Con-trary
Con-tentious
He won't take the nation forward; he'll take it backwards

He's the first three letters in a lot of words
Con-cerning
Con-spiring
Con-vict
As America's worst, Donald Trump holds all the records

The first three letters in a lot of words?
Donald Trump is conning this land
Don't vote for him
Donald Trump is for the birds

Gather the Net

Gather the net
Catch every fish in the sea
Make sure they all love you
Make sure they'll agree

Don't let them swim wild
Don't let them swim free
Get them all on board
And out of the sea

You are the captain
And they are your claim
You, the pirate
Donald Trump, by name

 

Heresy

He shouts the word freedom
While acting in treason
He hails liberty
While threatening tyranny

Will the president from the past
Be president again?
I pray he won't
For that would be heresy

The Danger of Supposing You have to Choose the Lesser of Two Evils

   There is danger in the prevailing thought that you have to choose between two evils. Choose the lesser of the two evils promotes the thinking that both sides are severly flawed, even wicked. If you said, Choose the one that has fewer flaws, you would certainly be correct. Everyone has flaws. No political race offers a candidate without flaws.
  But, we do justice no service by being too quick saying it is a choice between competing evils. That assumes both are evil -- wicked. Actually, there are honorable politicians. Yes, some races might not have an honorable candidate, but many do. Have faith in your country.
   The lesser of two evils fallacy provokes us to assume evil. We judge when we shouldn't. We take the rumors without testing them, without proving them.
   Hold your nose and vote for the one who stinks the least? America is not served well when the people are too quick to assume they have no good choice. They come to vote less. They come to hold in disgust a nation that still has many strong values.
   

I Still have Problems With Joe's Abortion Views

   Abortion? An old quote from our president: "My position is that I am personally opposed to abortion, but I don't think I have a right to impose my view on the rest of society. I've thought a lot about it, and my position probably doesn't please anyone. I think the government should stay out completely. I will not vote to overturn the Court's decision. I will not vote to curtail a woman's right to choose abortion. But I will also not vote to use federal funds to fund abortion." 
  Despite this, I still have problems with his position. It is great that he opposes abortion in principle, but the abortion question is whether we should allow it. He believes in a woman's right to choose abortion. I do not. That violates the unborn's right to life. It's the old "Your right ends where my nose begins" argument. I believe in that argument.

I Still Support Joe Biden

 
   President Biden is making it difficult for me to argue for him. Oh, I like him -- much. But what about abortion? He favors it, you know. Now, I have been arguing that since that the High Court has ruled against it, we don't need to worry about abortion.
   But, then there is this little quote from tonight's State of the Union speech: If you, the American people, send me a Congress that supports the right to choose, I promise you, I will restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land again."
   Alas, he will overthrow the Supreme Court's outlawing much of abortion if he can.
   Now, what do I do?
   I like Biden. Let me give you just two of the reasons. 1.) The guy offers the immigrant hope while at the same time wanting to rein in the trouble of too many crossing the border. 2.) He appears to be doing more to oppose climate change than any president ever.
   But, abortion? Am I left to choose between a candidate who favors abortion and one who seems intent of becoming, well, a dictator? The downfall of our nation is not something I can bear to see happen. Biden is a good, honorable man, though flawed by his support of abortion.
   I still support this Joe Biden guy. And, even if I didn't like the guy, we have no choice. If we go with Trump, we lose our democracy. 

 

The Trump-Lee-Lake Faction

They become a trio:
Donald Trump, Mike Lee, and Kari Lake
A threesome we must oppose for our nation's sake

News is breaking, just today
Lee is endorsing Lake, I fear to say

All are election deniers
Lake once called for those who believe the election legitimate
To be tossed in jail
Honor Trump
Trump, all hail

Coronate the king
Or do hard time
Opposing the Donald 
Was their only crime

Lee once worked around the clock
To cancel the people's duly elected electors
And replace them with America's defectors

Can we not see what's wrong with this?
Can we not read the writing on the wall?
We must stand up to Trump, Lee, and Lake
We must
We must, or our nation is soon to fall

Catch the Spark

Catch the spark
As it spreads across our land
The spark of freedom
The spark that says we will not let that freedom go
Not so long as we can match them blow for blow

Let freedom burn within you
Let its spark burn in your heart
Let the flame of liberty
Rage from this, it's start

Take up the torch that we must bear
Take up the torch that we must share
Take up the battle, face the foe
Oppose the tyranny of Donald Trump
By joining in with Uncle Joe 

 

Only Joe Biden

And now Joe Biden is the only thing
That stands between Trump and tyranny
The only thing left
The only hope
Nikki bowed out
We're at the end of our rope

Super Tuesday ravaged our land
Trump romped through the states -- most all
Only Vermont didn't fall

It's already down to November
Down to the end
And one man alone can deliver us
Only Joe Biden stands in the way
Unless there's something miraculous

Only Joe Biden
Only Joe Biden
Only Joe Biden can save this land
It's time to rally behind him
It's time to strike up the band

 
It Will Take

It will take patriots to defend the nation
It will take those who say, "Don't tread on me"
It will take the hearts of men and women
Across the land from sea to sea

It will take those who long have spoken
Of eternal vigilance
Who knew from long ago
It would take their diligence

It will take a nation rising
Against the insurrection
It will take a people who love liberty
And rise to its protection

Lawyers and Judges cannot Change the Truth

 

Yes, I read through the Supreme Court's opinion placing Trump back on the ballot, and it was entirely based on saying the states have no right to make the determination. Only the federal government can do that, the justices said. But the justices based that largely, if not entirely, on that portion of the 14th Amendment that says: "But Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability." They interpreted that statement as saying only the federal government can remove someone from the ballot. But, to the contrary, the rules of English and sentence agreement suggest the statement is saying the person can only get back on the ballot if a two-thirds vote of Congress puts them back on the ballot. The word "disability" refers back to what? What is the disability being referred to? It is that the person has been disqualified from the office; that is the disability.   I wasn't shocked with the decision. But I was shocked by the reasoning behind it. And I was shocked that it was a 9-0 vote. The fact they all agreed is being used to reinforce the thinking that there really shouldn't be any question but what Trump belongs on the ballot. I disagree. You can vote truth down, you can oppose it unanimously, you can say truth isn't truth, but truth remains what it is. Lawyers and judges cannot change the truth.

Simple, Simple

 
   If you read the Constitution, you, too, will probably conclude the Supreme Court made a clear misjudgment in ruling that Donald Trump should not be removed from the ballot.
   The 14th Amendment says no person having previously taken an oath shall hold any office if they have engaged in insurrection or rebellion or have comforted those who have done so.
   That means Trump doesn't qualify, right? Simple, simple.
   But then there is that key wording the court relied on to get Trump back on the ballot. Says our venerable document: "But Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability."
That says that if Congress votes to remove the disability of not being able to hold office, the person is thereby reinstated.  Simple, simple.
   The Court, though, argued that that phrase means the person cannot be denied the office unless Congress removes them. The Court is wrong; the word "remove" is not used to say the person will be removed from office, but that the disability to hold the office can be removed by the two-thirds vote.
 Simple, simple. 

 
You Don't Need to Teach Him

You don't need to persuade Satan to sin
I think he's done it enough
You don't need to teach a criminal crime
He already knows his stuff

But what about a president whose already been?
Does he know how to get his office back?
Yes, he knows how to cry foul when it's foul that he does
He knows how to counter attack

He knows how to count votes
And how to reduce that count
And how to overturn election results
He knows how to swindle voters
And swindle the nation
He knows all the nuts and bolts

He knows how to dupe the party and nation
He knows how to turn people to sheeple
He knows how to fool all of the masses
And how to trick all of the townspeople

When a con sweeps the land
With a diabolic plan
You don't need to teach him his trade
When it comes to overthrowing the nation
He's a sensation
He makes that grade in the shade

Putin Disrespected Navalny even in Death

 
That was last night that I was happy with Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and the rest of the Biden administration for condemning Vladimir Putin for killing Alexei Navalny. Oh, I'm still very pleased with how they responded.
   But.
   But, they didn't keep swinging when they should have. It was eight days from his death before his body was turned over to his mother. Navalny's wife, Yuli, expressed concern that the body was being held back until traces of Novichok (a deadly nerve agent) disappeared. Instead of turning the body over to family -- as Russian law required -- the government insisted Navalny be buried in secret or inside the prison grounds. They gave his mother, Lyudmila, hours to comply to signing a statement saying Navalny died of natural causes. Once the document was signed, it was still another two days before the body was released.
   All the while, Navalny's family struggled to find a funeral location that would allow a public memorial, but the venues were called and threatened, so none would take up the service. The service finally was scheduled and held at the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God.
   The outrage of the Biden administration should have continued through Putin's actions after the death. Navalny should have been accorded legal and more respectful treatment by Putin's people after his death. We can lament that not only the U.S., but that other Western nations did not remain adamant about allowing a proper and timely burial.
   And, we can wish the media would have kept the story front-and-center, thus pressuring Putin, the butcher of Moscow, to act humanely.
   Navalny's body was eventually covered up in burial, but not before Putin's henchmen made every effort to cover up the truth of how he died. 

The First Lady is Wrong on the Unborn; They are the Most Precious

  Bless the first lady. In that husband of hers, she's supporting a great candidate for president. But, oh, Jill Biden, I do not agree with you on abortion.

   "I've been so proud of how Joe has placed women at the center of his agenda. But Donald Trump? He spent a lifetime tearing us down and devaluing our existence. He mocks women's bodies, disrespects our accomplishments and brags about assault. Now he's bragging about killing Roe v. Wade."
   Jill then continued: "He took credit again for enabling states like Georgia to pass cruel abortion bands that are taking away the right of women to make their own health-care decisions. How far will he go? When will he stop? You know the answer: He won't. He won't."
   The first lady is right on Trump's ill-treatment of women. She is even right -- if this is what she is referring to -- that women should be able to step away from giving birth and have abortions when their health is jeopardized.
   But, let Trump brag about killing Roe v. Wade. It is one of the things he got right. 
   Abortion is a weakness in Biden's makeup -- if he feels the same as his wife does, and we have to assume that is the case.
   Bless the life of the child. Bless the beings yet unborn. They have no voice in the matter, but it is their bodies that are lost, disposed of in garbage cans. (Is that where some of them end up? I believe so.)
   Bless Jill Biden. But she is wrong on abortion. The rights of the unborn should not be violated. They are born into life as the most precious things on earth. Let the precious live. 

The Republicans were Wrong to Cancel the Presidential Primaries

 
   A party official explained to me the reason Republicans canceled the Utah presidential primary and replaced it with with caucuses was to attract more people to discuss the other races. I appreciate his taking time to explain this, but remain displeased with the canceling of the primary.
   My home state, Idaho, also canceled its primary in favor of caucuses, as did a number of other states. The number of people participating in the nominating process dropped off significantly. This almost assuredly will happen in Utah this week.
   There are advantages to caucusing. Among them, the sense of community that results from being together on caucus night. But, it also definitely discourages participation. Many do not want to sit through the long discussions. They just want to get in and vote and be on their way.
  Not always, but sometimes the caucus is but opportunity for party leaders to steer things to the candidates they want. Such meetings are sometimes dominated by participants loyal to party officials, and they use the moment to persuade people to vote the party line -- to support candidates who support the party line. Those who are not as deep into politics usually sit back and listen, afraid they lack the knowledge to participate in the discussion. We give the upper hand to political machines when we use caucuses.
   Democracy is better served with primaries. Let's not cancel them so political machines have more power. Political machines do not belong in Utah. 

It Wounds My Soul

 
A Facebook friend and Putin apologist suggests to me that Alexei Navalny's death was just a distraction from other things more important. I do not view Navalny's death that way. Any attention being given it is worthy. Not paying attention to it and suggesting there are more important matters doesn't sit well with me. I was pleased that the Biden administration gave it such attention. If it were me, I would probably have lowered the flags to half-mast. Navalny was one of the greatest fighters for freedom this world had. When a standard bearer of freedom dies, it wounds my soul.

 

Grim

A dictator came knocking on my door
I told them not to let him in
"But, he's such a nice man," the others replied
I sighed
But their hearts he'd won
And they went on
To tell me all the good he'd done

"The economy sure is better," said one
"There really is not a thing to dread"
said another
"He'll kick out the migrants"
said his brother

I sighed, again
"Please," they said, "let him in"

"Well, if it's a matter of a vote," I offered
"Then we must treat him a little softer
"We must let him in
"Regardless if he's so full of sin
"Regardless of everthing he's been"

So, the door flew open and in he came
And as the strongman entered 
he tore down the door frame
And there was nothing left to stop a dictatorship
And so this story ends most grim

Man Down

Man down, a police officer, by title
But on this day he was serving as an American soldier
An undercover police officer
On this day he was even bolder

Believing it his patriotic duty
He went to work early that day
He heard of the riot at the Capitol
And went to face those who our nation did betray

He was assaulted by the rioters
Beaten with pipes, stunned with a taser
Sprayed with chemical irritants
All by the Trump praisers

As he was dragged down the steps of the Capitol
His assailant yelled, "I got one! I got one!"
They mocked and bruised America's finest
They threatened him with his own gun

He suffered a heart attack, a concussion
Burns and a brain injury
He suffered post-traumatic stress disorder
He was an American casualty

Michael Fanone, by name
I thank him for being a true American
I thank him for standing up to Trump's followers
I thank him for defending our land