A Monster Story (Part 1)

The MAGA-monster reared his head

To see how far his venom would spread.

"How dare they defy me!" he loudly exclaimed.

His hatred and anger could never be tamed.

Whether he told the truth or lied,

Whatever he said could not be defied.

If you chose to disagree,

His enemy was what you would be.

Loyalty was a major concern;

Those who withheld it were those he would spurn.

 

"I will show 'em!" he loudly roared.

His face turned orange as he brandished his sword.

His sycophantic subjects drew near,

Obsequiously kowtowing in fear.

He didn't care if someone should suffer.

His other concern: to take care of his fluffer--

One of the slimiest toadies around,

Who made the country his new battleground.

The two of them, salaciously smiling,

Had looks on their faces, oddly beguiling.

 

The monster's coffers were filled to the brim.

EVERYTHING was all about HIM.

He gave the semblance of caring, but no,

His woeful act was all bluster and show.

In other lands, to get more support,

He looked for other monsters to court.

Urged on by callous and heartless trolls

Who helped him achieve his nefarious goals,

The monster displayed an ego that grew

Taller than buildings on Fifth Avenue.

 

Where are the heroes who are not afraid

To challenge the monster and come to our aid.

Where are the champions, so brave and so deft,

To fight him from both his right and his left.

The MAGA-monster wields his power

To make all the people around him cower.

A nation once full of hope and freedom

Has turned into an all-about-me-dom.

The selfish, contemptible, carrot-topped,

And cruel monster has got to be stopped.

 

(End of Part 1)

-by Bob B (11-19-24)

Thanks

Thanks to people who didn't vote

For putting us all in the mess we're in.

Thanks to those who were uninformed

For making sure that Trump would win.

 

A number of voters who took to the polls

Did us all a disservice because,

For one thing, a lot of them didn't

Even know what a tariff was.

 

For some, the word "autocrat"

Was not in their vocabulary.

A lot of those people voted for Trump.

Frankly, that is downright scary.

And even though in history classes

We have studied the past, it seems

That many people have forgotten

Or still don't know what "fascism" means.

 

There were voters who said they'd never

Vote for a woman, and so they chose

To cast their vote for Donald Trump

To be a part of the party of bros.

 

To voters who cast a protest vote,

Now are you satisfied?

Do you see what happens when

Common sense and anger collide?

 

Of course, some just like the man.

They like Trump for his tough guy stance.

Watch as he and Elon Musk

Carry out their bro-romance.

 

A lot of people were clueless about

How the Biden administration

Played a substantial role in helping

Americans across our nation.

 

And so, we are stuck with a man

Who'll do his best to cater to

Extremists and wackos everywhere.

The damage will be hard to undo.

-by Bob B (11-18-24)

Disastrous Picks

Trump's picks for his Cabinet

Are in-your-face kinds of picks.

It's obvious from what he's doing

That he is up to his old tricks.

 

He doesn't want the FBI

To be involved in the nominees' vetting,

Which Democrats and conscientious

Republicans find very upsetting.

 

For Secretary of Defense,

Pete Hegseth, a veteran who

Displays as part of his body art

A white supremacist tattoo?

 

Tulsi Gabbard as DNI°

Who couldn't pass a background check

Because she's compromised by Russia?

Trump's feelings: What the heck?

Matt Gaetz as Attorney General--

A grifter and a trouble-maker

Accused of sex-trafficking?

For Trump that's NOT a deal breaker.

Hegseth, Gabbard, and Gaetz are all

Deeply unfit for such positions.

A competent president wouldn't

Select them under any conditions.

It's almost as if in making his choices

Trump is trying to deride

All of us by asking himself,

"Who is the most unqualified?"

 

Will Republicans cave in

To pressure from Trump or show some spine

And tell him no when he attempts

To sidestep rules and cross the line?

 

-by Bob B (11-16-24)

°Director of National Intelligence

Unfortunate Decision

Americans have made a decision.

Why did they decide

To put someone into office who

Will take them for a ride?

 

They elected a man so full

Of vengeance and desperation

That his campaign was principally

Lies and misinformation.

 

He pandered to the people's worries--

Worries that he created

By turning people against the folks

That he has deprecated.

 

He won't focus on key issues;

No, those he ignores.

He would rather perpetuate

Hateful culture wars.

 

Islamo-, trans-, and homophobia

Will now be on the rise

As players in Trump's administration

Begin to mobilize

 

Racist stooges surrounding him

Will always be in his ear,

Chipping away at human rights

And constantly stoking fear.

 

The deportation of immigrants

He says is first on his list

Of things to do, for he is such

A heartless nativist.

 

Loyalty above all else

Is what he always demands.

With autocrats all over the world,

He'll be shaking hands.

 

We’ve all seen that Trump's whole world

Is strictly quid pro quo.

With Elon Musk so tight with him,

Will Musk be running the show?

 

With no more guardrails to keep Trump in line,

He'll FURTHER disunite

Americans, and that will be

Much to Putin's delight.

 

I'm glad I wasn't complicit in choosing

One of the vilest of men

To take a seat in the Oval Office

And wreck the country again.

-by Bob B (11-13-24)

Beware of Populist Demagogues*

Beware of populist demagogues.

Don't let them be misunderstood:

They build their popularity

Without promoting the public good.

 

They pander to passions and prejudice

And also hold reason and truth in contempt.

From all accountability

Demagogues want to remain exempt.

 

They are masters of the masses

And try to tear down norm after norm.

Using tricks to betray the people,

They are experts at how to perform.

 

Using their popular support,

They undermine our institutions.

Swindling us through sophistry,

They stand firm in their resolutions.

 

Wearing contempt that they invite

As a badge of honor, they hope

That no one scrutinizes them

Or puts them under a microscope.

 

Notice their quest for unrestrained power,

Their hunger for vengeance, their thirst for control.

Support for ideas that violate

The rights of others is often their goal.

 

Controlling the hearts and minds of the people,

They want you to think that they are friends.

Then they leverage your support

For their own political ends.

 

It's scary to think that Americans

Could eagerly cast their vote in a fog,

Electing a dangerous person who is

Clearly a populist demagogue.

-by Bob B (11-9-24)

*Inspired by the writings of Dani Rudrik, Eli Merritt, and Emily Pears

Cry, Beloved Country

Cry, beloved country,

For what we fear will come.

A bleak, uncertain future

Leaves us feeling numb.

 

Weep about the darkness

That's crept into our day

As fear and hate extinguish

The torch that guides our way.

 

Mourn the loss of judgment

At dark times such as this.

For far too many people,

Ignorance is bliss.

 

Grieve the loss of hope

That many of us had known.

Despair has now replaced it,

And hearts have turned to stone.

 

Lament the death of knowledge

That always has been needed

To help ensure that lessons

Of history are heeded.

 

Bewail the sad misfortune

That empathy's now gone,

While those who deeply suffer

Are treated with a yawn.

 

Cry, beloved country.

Was ALL of this our fate?

Can we turn the tide,

Or might it be too late?

-by Bob B (11-7-24)

Up to No Good

Listen to this: We all know

That Vladimir Putin is not our friend.

When you hear what he's doing right now,

Every hair should stand on end.

 

Iran and North Korea have both

Assisted in Putin's bombing campaign.

Now North Korean troops

Are helping Russia to fight in Ukraine!

 

Putin also asked the owner

Of Starlink Satellite if he'd

Not let it be activated

Over Taiwan. The owner agreed.

 

Who is the owner? Elon Musk,

Who we know has also had

Secret communications with Putin.

Are you upset? At least a tad?

 

Putin said that his request

Was a favor to China. Oh, well.

But there is more. It is going

To make you wonder, "What the hell?"

 

Putin asked Musk NOT to let

Ukraine access his satellite

Over the Black Sea area

Where Russia hoped to exert its might.

 

Musk has contracts with NASA and with

The DOD. Wouldn't you bet

That his close ties with Putin make him

A national security threat?

 

We've watched as he's turned Twitter into

A huge propaganda machine.

His connections with Trump and Putin

Show which way his loyalties lean.

 

We have a serious problem here.

Choose to agree or disagree,

But someone assisting our adversaries

Sounds a lot like a traitor to me.

-by Bob B (11-5-24)