Attack of the Bots

Caution! Watch out for Russian bots.

They're out there to deceive you.

Share if you will the messages,

But who do you think will believe you?

Bots show up on the screen of your phone,

Your tablet, or your computer,

And if you're on to their tactics, they

Resemble a pesky suitor.

Suitor? No, more like a stalker--

Disruptive and insidious--

Whose sly, deceitful game plan is

Destructive and invidious.

Recognizing the bots in social

Media isn't so hard.

But many a Twitter or Facebook fan

Is frequently caught off guard.

The bots are extremely useful for

Encouraging disconnections.

They've also proved to be handy for

Influencing elections.

Putin will say, "Bots? What bots?"

Ah, but he's a sly one!

If he can strengthen a road to disruption,

He will fortify one.

Hazards of our computer age:

Troll farms and bots,

Causing frustration and trying to

Manipulate our thoughts.

-by Bob B (2-28-18)

Remembering Wilma

When we think of heroes or heroines,

Role models, mentors, or all of these combined,

The name WILMA RANDOLPH is one

That definitely should come to mind.

Wilma was born in 1940,

In Tennessee, the Volunteer State.

As a child she had polio and wore

A brace on her leg until she was eight.

They had to travel a distance to seek

Medical help because of a lack

Of services for folks in their town
If the color of their skin was black.

But Wilma was able to beat the odds

With inner strength and determination,

Along with physical therapy,

Hard work and dedication.

While still in high school in '56,

Winning became her newly found theme

As she won a bronze medal

On the US Olympic team.

Later, back in school holding

Her medal in the air for classmates to behold,

"Skeeter" (which was her nickname back then)

Said that her goal was to go for the gold.

In 1960, at the summer games

In Rome, Italy, the world would see

Wilma win not only ONE gold medal,

But the "fastest woman in the world" won THREE!

The first American woman to win

Three gold medals in track and field

At a single Olympiad, Wilma

Let her expertise be revealed.

One of the most popular

Athletes at the games in Rome,

Wilma became a superstar--

A status which followed her back home.

She then decided to teach and coach

And run a community center. Her name

Would shine along with the others in

The US Olympic Hall of Fame.

To Wilma, reaching your goal meant

You had to work hard--to persevere.

Her stamina guided her to become

A civil and women's rights pioneer.

Wilma succumbed to cancer in the year

1994, but she

And her inspiring life continue

To live on in our memory.

-by Bob B (2-27-18)

Fighting Goliath

Goliath tormented the Israelites.

Accepting his challenge for most was an error,

For many lost their lives, while the giant

Continued to boast and spread his terror.

Fearing the Champion of the Philistines,

Saul was baffled and at this wits' end.

Knowingly sending men to their death

Was not an easy task to defend.

David, a lad in his teens perhaps--

Confident that he could win--

Offered to take on the giant himself.

Reluctantly, Saul gave in.

"Take my armor and sword," said Saul,

"Which you'll need if you want to succeed."

"I have my sling and my rocks," said David.

"My will is the only weapon I need."

The towering giant gazed down on the youth.

"A curse on you!" was all that he said.

David brought him down with some stones

Slung from his sling; then chopped off his head.

For the Philistines, the table had turned,

For now--ha!--it was their turn to fret.

Without their giant, they'd lost their power.

No longer did they serve as a threat.

Goliaths out there, watch out for Davids.

Don't think that you have unlimited power

To spread your threats, control, and fear.

Our Davids will show you your final hour. 

-by Bob B (2-25-18)

Never Again!

Never again! Chant with us:

Never again! No more!

Let your urgent demands echo

From north to south, from shore to shore.

Never again must we suffer

From bloody massacres at our schools.

Whoever thinks that thoughts and prayers

Suffice only takes us for fools.

We are tired of candlelight vigils

Held at our schools to honor the dead.

We refuse to tolerate

Living in fear of another code red.

When we're offered a bill of goods

That shootings come with the territory--

That stricter laws have no effect--

We are out to change that story.

We refuse to accept a world

Where shootings have become the norm.

We will support lawmakers who

Advocate gun-law reform.

Doing nothing leads to nothing.

Despite our loss, hope survives.

Put an end to living in fear.

Join us as we march for our lives!

Another school massacre here

Must NOT be a question of when.

The only response that we accept

Is Never again! Never again!

-by Bob B (2-22-18)

The Biggest Threat

Ignore for a moment talk of obstruction

Of justice, conspiracy, or collusion,

And focus on one inexplicable

Fact from which to draw a conclusion.

Despite the proof that Russians meddled

To a great extent in our last election--

Despite the indictment of thirteen Russian

Nationals--Trump's undying affection

For Putin and Russia never wanes.

Knowledge of troll factories and bots,

Hacking into voting machines,

And voter disruption and other plots,

Keeps expanding day by day.

And yet there's NO condemnation

Or mention of punishment as a response

To widespread election manipulation.

Is Trump so compromised by the Russians--

A critic asks--is HE one who'll

Easily fall for blackmail, or is

The man merely a "towering fool"?

Trump can criticize everyone else

In senseless, ungrammatical tweets--

Immigrants, athletes, women, the justice

Department, critics, and DC elites--

And yet Russia is fully off-limits.

Apparently, Putin can do no wrong,

Despite the fact that evidence

Of ongoing election meddling is strong.

It's serious when our elected officials

Cater to our adversary

And the biggest threat to democracy

Sits in the Oval Office. Scary!

-by Bob B (2-20-18)

Politicians, Don't Ask Me to Pray!

Please don't ask me to pray for victims

Of shootings. IF you do I'll refuse.

You THINK you mean well, but praying is merely

A politician's sham, a ruse,

A strategy or way to skirt

The issue that's sadly become a disgrace:

The problem of gun violence here--

Something that’s staring us in the face.

Don't ignore the matter and then

When there's a shooting ask me to pray,

While you accept money from gun

Lobbyists and the NRA.

Do not mouth obsequious chants,

Pretending your interest is on the level,

And then act shocked and horrified

After you've made your pact with the devil.

Do not quote the Constitution,

Insisting you know the writers' intentions,

When it's clear that our failed system

Is badly in need of interventions.

Don't make it easy for people to get

Assault-style weapons and bump stock devices,

Supporting the gun industry at

The cost of human sacrifices.

Action--not prayers--is what we need.

Commonsense solutions. Again:

Action. But if praying's your thing,

Ask to become AWARE. Amen!

-by Bob B (2-18-18)

2006 Can Come Back to Bite You

Twenty-oh-six was a good year for Trump--

A fifth child, some love affairs.

We could go into greater detail

But maybe that would be splitting hairs.

Did we say that the little flings

Both took place during his marriage?

I guess certain institutions

Are fair game to flout or disparage.

Two ladies--a porno star

And an ex-playboy bunny--have stories,

Both of which put them in

Slightly different categories.

Both ladies received hush money

During the presidential campaign

In different ways, but nonetheless,

Silence is sometimes hard to maintain.

Despite substantial payoffs, Trump

Denies the affairs even occurred.

But people wonder how many more

Times he's said, "Mum's the word."

How the president wants to define

His marriage--we must reiterate--

Is up to him. Hopefully it's

Appropriate for a chief of state.

We also think that a president

Should be sincere in matters political

And not live a double standard

And act in a manner that's hypocritical.

For white evangelicals

Trump's behavior undermines

Nothing, for didn't Solomon

Have three hundred concubines?

-by Bob B (2-17-18)

Stormy Weather Again

Stormy is back in the news,

Looking for better reviews.

It wouldn't be keen

Not to come clean

On something she couldn't refuse.

People say Trump's a bit harried;

It all happened after he married.

'Twas just a short fling;

No promise, no ring.

But big plans for silence miscarried.

Trump's fine attorney then later,

Serving as negotiator,

Paid Stormy a sum

To make her stay mum

And said, "Good-by, alligator."

As porn star, Stormy might brag

About any man she might snag.

Her story and pix

From twenty-oh-six

Came out this year in a mag.

Attorney and Trump both deny

That anything happened. Then why

Did both of them feel

That Stormy would squeal,

And give her the dough on the sly?

We hear now that Stormy is saying

Their pact to stay silent is fraying.

She blurted out, “Halt!

The lawyer’s at fault.

No longer will I be obeying.”

Stormy is sly, people say.

To some she's a Morgan le Fay.

She said to the press

That she'll take her dress

And test it for Trump's DNA.

It seems as though only Trump's base

Completely ignores his disgrace.

When he is errant

And so darn transparent,

How can he keep a straight face?

Perhaps we will find that no doubt there

Will be more to scribble about. There

IS one suggestion:

Bring up the question

Of how many "Stormys" are out there?

-by Bob B (2-16-18)

Valentine's Day, 2018

A day of love, a day of hearts:

Valentine's Day, twenty eighteen.

The day started out like any other

But ended in a horrific scene.

Students in Parkland, Florida,

Shared their valentines today.

A former student entered the school

To celebrate in a different way.

An AR-15 assault-style rifle

Was that student's valentine.

Killing and hurting students and teachers

Was his version of "Please be mine."

All it takes is a single person

To drag a special day through the mud.

Roses and hearts with Cupid's arrow

Lie on the ground, splattered with blood.

Are we failing our people here?

When shootings occur, we ask for prayers

Instead of taking appropriate measures.

What a sad state of affairs!

Most of us enjoy our day;

Our lives return to normal tomorrow.

Valentine's Day for people in Parkland

Forever will be suffused with sorrow.

-by Bob B (2-14-18)

Time to Act

United States intelligence chiefs

Announced the need for further protections

To keep intrusive Russian hackers

From interfering in future elections.

During our previous election, U.S.

Agents uncovered meddling tracks

Involving multi-faceted

Russian-inspired cyber-attacks.

There's been NO decrease in activity

All this time. What does that mean?

It means to expect more tampering

In mid-term elections in twenty eighteen.

Some people's ears are deaf to the threat.

Instead of acting, they choose to doubt it.

President Trump and his team so far

Have chosen to do nothing about it.

When it comes to Putin and Russia,

Trump refuses to make a fuss.

Fool us once, shame on Russia,

Fool us twice, shame on us!

-by Bob B (2-14-18)

Fall from Grace

When John Kelly joined team Trump,

Becoming the president's Chief of Staff,

Many thought he'd be the one

To separate the wheat from the chaff--

To rein the frenzied president in

Or guide him when he's out of line.

If those were the expectations,

So far there has been no sign.

Instead, the man basically

Promotes Trump's nativist dreams;

Obnoxious tweets continue to flow

From Trump's phone in steady streams.

Lying to back the president's lies,

Kelly has lost all credibility.

Calling Rob Porter a man of honor,

Shows less strength and more servility.

A man of greatness, pride, and conviction

Needn't resort to subterfuge.

The once-honorable general

Has now become the president's stooge.

-by Bob B (2-13-18)

The Other Memo

Devin Nunes and fellow Republicans

Certainly had their hands full

When they composed a controversial

Memo that was basically bull.

Nunes' cherry-picked assertions

Were assembled to malign

The FBI and also to lay

The groundwork for firing Rosenstein.

Trump was advised not to release

The memo but did it anyway,

Nervous because the Mueller probe

Is closing in day by day.

Before Trump had even seen

The Nunes memo, he avowed

He would release it, which in turn

Would do his Republican lackeys proud.

The Democrats have sent to Trump

Another memo for release--

One that rebuts the Devin Nunes'

Attack-memo, piece by piece.

But what? Trump won't release it?

All of a sudden we all learn

That national security

Is the president's major concern.

So Russian meddling in our elections

Is not a serious issue, and yet

A memo rebutting misinformation

Is a major security threat?

"Release the memo!" messages

Won't be sent out by Russian bots

To help you, Dems. They are waiting

For Nunes to write more devious plots.

The more Trump has tried to resist--

The more he's covered up facts and lied--

The more it seems so obvious

That there is something he's trying to hide.

-by Bob B (2-10-18)

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far

Frederick Trump*--we know of him.

What about his son Fred--

The father of Donald J,

Whose reputation is now widespread?

Fred started out fairly young

Building houses and apartments in Queens.

Later forming a company,

He soon became a man of means.

In 1927 Fred

Attended a parade on Memorial Day--

One that just happened to have been

Organized by the KKK.

Police arrested Fred, for they

Had told him to leave; instead he stayed.

Was he an innocent bystander

Or a participant at the parade?

1954 proved

That controversies weren't disappearing.

Fred was investigated

For wartime profiteering.

Later tenant Woody Guthrie

Accused him of stirring up racial hate.

(The Trump family always seems

To have something to litigate.)

In 1973 Fred

And son Donald faced accusations

Of unfair treatment of blacks--in short,

Of civil rights violations.

So bad blood between the Trumps

And the DOJ has a history.

Thus, Donald J's attack

On the justice system is not a mystery.

Both sides claimed victory,

But father and son hated the fact

That they were told to acquaint themselves

With the current Fair Housing Act.

(Funny, but we can see a pattern

In watching the president's evolution.

He also has difficulty

Understanding the Constitution.)

Fred suffered from Alzheimer's

The final years of his life. What's scary

Is the possibility

That maybe it's hereditary!

When looking at grandpa, dad, and son,

Very few would disagree

How they bring to life the saying:

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

-by Bob B (2-6-18)

*born Friedrich

The Dud

Surrounded by hype, Devin Nunes

Scripted his daily reality show,

While flurries of words on right-wing TV

Gave the viewers vertigo.

The "memo" was the talk of the land.

"Release the memo!" was the rage.

Conspirators wanted to prove wrong-doing--

Biased treatment of Carter Page

And bias toward the president.

Creating a specious storyline

From FBI reports, Trump's

Lackeys attempted to undermine

An ongoing investigation.

All it did was fall with a thud.

Despite Sean Hannity's ranting and raving,

The memo proved to be a dud.

Combine conspiracy theory news,

A cherry-picked narrative filled with holes,

Eagerly manipulated

Believers and Russian bots and trolls,

And you have a farce of epic proportions--

A bucket of chaos, filled to the brim.

As John McCain so wisely put it,

"We're doing Putin's work for him."

-by Bob B (2-3-18)