Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Who Would Do These Things?


Which child would jesus collaterally blow the legs off in a campaign of shock and awe
          Where would George Washington have evened a personal score
Which bloody African crisis is far more profitable to simply ignore

Where have Jay and Madison and Tom Paine gotten off to
          What faceless corporate figureheads stand tall in their places
Which agency slickly packages the promotion of their short-sighted agendas

Why is it unpatriotic and practically a terrorist act
          If one does not press Yes in every vote for more defense spending
Why does the illiterate enemy lives in caves wearing dirty bathrobes and sandals

Why is it called defense when we are the ones attacking
          How is it that all the major lands are wrong, and just we are right
And who are we really, standing alone and righteous, behind our one true god

Why do the rag-tag enemies rejoice in our invasion
          And stream on in with new recruits and plenty of fresh money -
to places they were never allowed to go to before

how does draining wetlands, cutting forests, relaxing emissions
          preserving the sanctity of marriage and stopping abortion -
add to our so-called precious national heritage and traditional family valuesÔ

who would Moses leave in tears amid the rubble of what was at best a shack 
who hides behind the bullshit line ‘My country right or wrong’
why would we think that those who so blindly got us in, could safely lead us out

why does it cost billions a month to keep me safe here in the heartland
          and why can’t my children read
where are those awful WMDs that were such an immediate threat to my family

who would take such huge bonuses while sending research jobs overseas
          how much gall does it require to tell us that it is good for the country
how long until their compounds are breached and we stone them outside, in the sun

who believes that sales and marketing will innovate when R & D is in India
          who thinks everybody here will be able to use their college education
who says unemployment figures should not count those who have given up looking

where does the constitution say corporations control the executive branch
          would Eisenhower have negated an anti-missile treaty
did Kennedy ridicule government scientists if it helped out a conglomerate donator

who would provide a semi-conquered people free universal healthcare
          who would allow 50 million citizens to work without health insurance
who would smirkingly declare “Bring ‘em on” beneath a “Mission Accomplished” banner

where did the trillion dollar debts come from in those short, greedy years
          why have giant tax cuts for the rich not trickled down to stem the increase in poverty
Who would profit on packaging worthless loans and then blackmail society for a bailout

why do our wonderful young people torture prisoners while snapping cellphone pictures
          upon what unstable high ground do we stand and preach with moral authority
how can those who led us in with their blind hubris lead us out with our honor

when did our freedom of the press succumb to for-profit entertainment
          it appears that if no child is to be left behind, then all must finish last
when did simultaneous shouting replace reasoned public debate

did Lincoln choke on a corporate snack watching football on the couch
          why wont the arabs pump more oil after seeing our soldiers every day
where would the Crusaders have defecated just to anger local residents

how is the Middle East better with us dropping drones and outsiders killing everywhere
          why cant ‘old europe’ understand our need to prostelyze with arms
just how are we safer despite our vast spending in a global war on terror

how do our ADT-affected children spend hours raptly playing video games, yet cannot study
      why cant all production, engineering and R&D be done cheaper far away
by what inalienable right should your offspring have the opportunity to live just as well as you

who would censor the reality of death and war to maintain popular political support
          why is it unpatriotic to decry a foolish decision acted upon ineptly
where are these bogeymen who cost us half a trillion for defense each year

how can these children compete for the good careers of tomorrow -
with mercury in their brains and diesel truck fumes in their tubercular lungs
what new skilled jobs await the 70% who do not understand simple interest

who would let corporate timber clearcut just the large trees that they crave
          and smirkingly give it a fanciful name like ‘Healthy Forests’
who would relax pollution standards and label it their ‘Clear Skies Initiative’

why would the government unfairly relax fuel and pollution standards for fat SUVs & pickups
          who has the gall to label job exportation a patriotic expression of free trade
who, meanwhile, votes agricultural subsidies to protect their donor’s corporate farms

who would ridicule, silence and ignore scientists who present unfavorable findings
        who gives money to the groups whose prejudice is blessed by their god
how does spending millions on attack ads enhance the electoral process

how, you ask, are we safer at home with our boys dying every day far away
          who, then, has actually cut off the oil supply and forced us into fracking
where are the good new jobs to replace those farmed out forever overseas

how is it then that evangelical christians actually differ from muslim fundamentalists
who would dare ask: where it is still morning in this land that we demand that god bless

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