Halloween 2018: The Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue

The cauldron bubbles and sputters and pops.

Odors from a foul witches' brew

Fill the mansion. It's called the Nightmare

On Pennsylvania Avenue.

A ghoulish warlock babbles gibberish,

Spreading deceit, anger, and fear.

He summons his lackey ghouls to his chamber.

They bow to the ghastly profiteer.

Their incantations reverberate

Through the rooms and down the halls.

The din stifles the voices of reason

And bounces off the windows and walls.

Witches assisting the grisly assembly

Grovel and spew nonsensical chatter,

While friendly ghosts, horrified,

Grab all their belongings and scatter.

The leading warlock raises his staff

To silence all the ear-piercing shrieking.

"Our work here has barely begun,"

He shouts, "in a manner of speaking.

"We have a lot more poison to spread

To circulate anxiety and doubt.

All we must do is stir the pot

To give them something to worry about.

"Fan the flames of division and discord.

My techniques are tried and true.

Keep 'em guessing; then you've got 'em.

And then you cater to the chosen few.

"We have more rivers to poison,

Coastlines to alter, lands to sell,

Coffers to fill, coffers to rob,

And voices to quiet. Welcome to hell!"

The glowering sycophants dance and cheer--

Thirsty for blood, eyes agleam.

"Dishonesty is the best

Policy," they fervently scream.

Oh, it's a frightening Halloween night

When one's worst nightmare comes true:

The gruesome, macabre, spine-chilling Nightmare

On Pennsylvania Avenue.

-by Bob B (10-31-18)

Insensitivity

Insensitivity reigns supreme

At the White House. No, this isn't a dream.

You'd think that one would have more sense.

I guess we can't expect that from Pence.

Two days after eleven died

At a synagogue, shot inside

By an angry extremist--completely hate filled--

Who stated that ALL Jews should be killed,

The vice president, with little regard

For others' beliefs--why's that so hard?--

Introduced a "rabbi" whose views

Aren't respected by practicing Jews

At Lena Epstein's election campaign

In Michigan. Completely insane!

Is Pence defiant, or is he naïve?

Does he not care what others believe?

"Rabbi" Loren has been involved

With Jews for Jesus. They are resolved

To carry out their major ambition:

Converting Jews. Yes, that's their mission.

Many are outraged by the lack

Of sensitivity. Doesn't it smack

Of disrespect, brashness, and cheek--

A real kick in the pants, so to speak?

Do not tell me that reasons abound

Why there were no other rabbis around--

Rabbis whose messages wouldn't collide

With many beliefs of the people who died.

"Rabbi" Loren was there to address

The carnage in Pittsburgh, but also to bless

Republicans wanting a victory nod

From their pro-Republican God.

-by Bob B (10-30-18)

Words Really Matter a Lot!

Being nasty can rile your critics,

Stir up your fans, and incite your base.

That nastiness can leave an ugly

Mark that's difficult to erase.

Being narcissistic might make

Your fans think you have inner strength,

Though others can see how catty and petty

You are when rambling on at length.

Saying you're a nationalist

Might make you think you sound patriotic,

Although you embolden neo-Nazis

And others who find your words hypnotic.

Dehumanizing people

Is cruel and has a disastrous effect.

It shows your carelessness, your lack

Of sympathy, and lack of respect.

Calling asylum seekers "invaders,"

Enemies who are infesting our land,

Spreads a political fiction--a hoax--

That dangerously gets out of hand.

Perverse culprits devour your words.

Unstable extremists can hear

A message no matter how you meant it,

Thinking you've put a bug in their ear.

Then the killers--equipped to the max

With all the deadly weapons they need--

Go on a violent shooting spree:

Death and injury guaranteed.

Rhetoric has consequences.

Words really matter a lot.

Violence breeds violence

When hatred is so carefully taught.

-by Bob B (10-30-18)

Vote!

If you think Congress is out of step

With what the people desire today,

Let the candidates hear your voice;

It's time to send them on their way.

Vote!

If the past two years have been

A nightmare from which you want to awake,

And much of what you valued has been

Shot to hell, for goodness' sake,

Vote!

If honesty and integrity

Of a leader are important to you,

And you believe in checks and balances,

Then you know the right thing to do:

Vote!

If pre-existing conditions are

Important to you, and lawmakers dare

To weaken programs such as Social

Security and Medicare,

Vote!

If you care about equal access,

That citizens shouldn't have to fight

Restrictive laws preventing them

From voting, then please do what's right:

Vote!

If you think our leaders have been

Leading us down the rabbit hole,

And conflicts of interest and also major

Corruption have gotten out of control,

Vote!

If far-right extremism

Has no place in the White House, and when

The president praises autocrats

And scorns our loyal allies, then

Vote!

If you want an America

That has BOTH jobs and heart,

Where the leader's rhetoric

Doesn't tear the country apart,

Vote!

-by Bob B (10-29-18)

Shootings at a Synagogue

Eleven dead; six injured.

How does a person try to explain

The enormity of such a crime--

The inexplicable loss, the pain?

All were shot at a place of worship--

At a synagogue in Pittsburgh, P-A,

On what began as a peaceful morning

On a late October Sabbath day.

Early that morning no one could have

Imagined the horror the day would bring,

Even though we live in a time

When hatred seems to be in full swing.

It takes only ONE hater

To change the course of many lives

In a country where underneath

The peaceful appearance, violence thrives.

The president says that armed guards

Are what we need and not tougher laws.

He bows before the gun lobby,

Addressing the symptoms, but not the cause.

Helping refugees get settled:

For that the synagogue is known.

That was an issue that irked the killer,

Who was from here. Yes, homegrown!

Do we ignore red flag warnings

And turn our heads when someone spews

Hatred of groups such as Muslims,

Asylum seekers, gays, or Jews?

Do we ignore the poisonous words

That constantly drip down from the top?

At what point do the majority

Of people say: This must stop!

Give praise to those who strive for positive

Change with every heartfelt endeavor.

And hold in your heart the many people

Whose lives have now been changed forever.

_____________________

May the victims' lives inspire us all by showing us the power of love,

and may they rest in peace.

Joyce Fienberg

Richard Gottfried

Rose Mallinger

Jerry Rabinowitz

Cecil Rosenthal

Bernice Simon

Sylvan Simon

David Rosenthal

Daniel Stein

Melvin Wax

Irving Younger

And may thoughts of love and healing embrace the injured.

-by Bob B (10-28-18)

They Can't Take My iPhone

"They say I shouldn't use my phone

Because it's unsecure.

Anyone who tells me that

Is full of cow manure.

This talk about encryption--

That's a lot of bunk.

The thought of them taking my phone

Puts me in a funk.

"Some in my administration

Say that they foresee

Trouble if foreign spies are really

Listening to me.

Advisers fear that I might share

Secrets, but I say,

That's not easy 'cause I don't under-

Stand them anyway.

"How I love my cell phone

Because I love to tweet!

If they confiscated my phone,

I'd feel incomplete.

Having all my contacts in my

Cell phone really rocks.

I can get advice from all my

People down at Fox.

"I don't want my calls logged.

It really takes some balls

For my Chief of Staff to want to

Monitor my calls.

That's why I prefer to use

My private phone instead.

Who would even want to try

To get inside my head?

"Oh, Hillary's private server?

That's a different story.

Everything she does is in

A different category.

From rules that govern others

I feel I'm exempt.

That has never made my fans

Regard me with contempt.

"So they can't take my iPhone.

That would not be nice.

They say, 'Donald, it's a perfect

Location tracking device.

Spies collect your data

And know each confidant.'

I say, I'm the president,

And I'll do what I want!"

-by Bob B (10-26-18)

Some Take the High Road While Some Take the Low Road

When there's a crisis, we'd like to think

The president would certainly know

How to unify the country--

To take the high road and NOT the low.

But, alas, Trump just can't

Seem to manage to set aside

His grievances and obtusely delivers

A message filled with cyanide.

An act of domestic terrorism--

Pipe bombs being sent through the mail

To Obama, the Clintons, Holder, and others--

A heinous act that's not small scale--

Is an attack on democratic

Values--a dangerous threat to peace.

But when Trump blames the victims, such

Acts of violence will not cease.

Yes, he said the deed was despicable,

But then he blamed CNN

For negative news reportage and lies.

And so here we go again!

Even though his words ring hollow

When he tries to stay on script,

We can see his true feelings

Come out whenever his mouth is unzipped.

Accepting no responsibility

For negative things he says or does,

He stirs up his crowds against other people.

Such behavior gives him a buzz.

Regarding the telling of lies, we know

That no politician ever

Has lied to the people as often as he.

But will he admit that he does it? Never!

Both fans and critics know that for him

The strategy is always the same:

Berate your critics, denounce the truth,

Incite your fans, and pass the blame.

Hopefully, the future will bring

A president we can respect again--

An honest one with integrity.

We have to put up with this one till then.

-by Bob B (10-25-18)

Milking the Midterms

The 2018 election approaches.

Trump is carrying forth his plan

To stoke the fears of his base by talking

About a threatening caravan.

A caravan, he says, is coming,

Bringing bad people to the States.

It won't be long, he says, before

They'll be knocking on our gates.

Trump's M.O. is fearmongering.

He's always been so good at that!

When the "wrong" people show up,

You quickly remove the welcome mat.

This election's about Justice

Kavanaugh, he also says--

Kavanaugh who happens to have

Something in common with the pres.

Ironically, that which they have

In common is--without a doubt--

Something a decent person would

Certainly not be bragging about.

Trump also says this election

Is all about common sense,

Of which he has very little.

One thing we know: his ego's immense.

He's NOT talking about how he

Is chipping away at our health care,

Or how he gave tax breaks to

The wealthy. No, he wouldn't dare.

Or how he put us deeper in debt,

So the Republicans now will say,

We have to go after benefits.

To help the rich, someone must pay.

He isn't wrong when he maintains

That this election is all about him.

The GOP is the Party of Trump.

If they win, the future looks grim.

-by Bob B (10-23-18)

But What About Poor Palestine?

As life in Israel flourishes

For Israelis, it's not so fine--

As many conditions deteriorate--

For the poor people of Palestine.

Chances of a two-state solution

Dwindle, which is not a good sign

As settlement expansions increase,

Affecting the people of Palestine.

For Palestinians imprisoned in Gaza,

The infrastructure is in a decline.

Will Gaza be uninhabitable for

The poor people of Palestine?

Defining what is their land, Israeli

Lawmakers draw a hard line:

This land belongs to the Jews, they say,

Forgetting the people of Palestine.

Cuts in economic aid

And hospital care will undermine

The health and quality of life

Of the poor people of Palestine?

Will an Israeli apartheid regime

Be the ultimate design,

Or will there be hope for the poor

Struggling people of Palestine?

-by Bob B (10-22-18)

A Likely Story!

After two full weeks of denial

And obfuscation, the Saudis have shed

Their previous stories, admitting that now

Jamal Khashoggi indeed is dead.

The last minutes of the journalist's life

Had to be excruciating.

He entered the Saudi consulate

Where fifteen or so men were waiting.

The Saudis say a fight broke out--

A fistfight during attempted "rendition."

It's more likely the fifteen thugs

Were there in Istanbul on a mission.

It's hard to hear the Saudis' account

And NOT notice a major flaw:

A guy would take on fifteen others,

One of whom had a saw?

If the death was an accident,

Where's the body? Out with the story!

The Turks say that evidence

Shows an outcome rather gory.

Denying any involvement in

Jamal Khashoggi's gruesome demise,

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

Hopes the world believes their lies.

That's a "big first step," says Trump,

Sitting with some of our weapons makers.

Sanctions can't in any shape

Or form be weapons deal breakers.

Speaking about a congressman

Who had assaulted a journalist--Why?

Just because!--at a rally, Trump

Said THAT'S his kind of guy.

"The Trump Effect" is what it's called,

Encouraging other leaders to dare

To threaten the lives of journalists

And stifle free speech everywhere.

-by Bob B (10-20-18)

Democracy in Crisis

All is NOT well in the grasslands.

The animals are fit to be tied.

The actions of the crafty wolves

Have left the rest of them horrified.

"How will we EVER be able

To keep democracy afloat,"

The antelope asked, "if the wolves

Don't allow us all to vote?

"In many sections of these grasslands,

Shameless wolves are doing their best

To hold voter registration

Hostage, keeping voters suppressed."

"They aim to control voter turnout,"

The deer added. "That's their hope.

Their sneaky ways to manipulate

Elections push the envelope!

“They stall and seek petty reasons

To take names off voting lists.

Fair and honest elections are

In jeopardy if this persists.”

"It's so close to election day,

Our courts are reluctant to raise objections,"

The buffalo said. "Some of the wolves

Are even running in the elections!

"Humph! They stole a Supreme Court justice.

Then they rammed another one through.

Now they're still suppressing voters.

What more damage will they do?"

"Winnowing down voter rolls!

Their strategies should be illegal!"

The fox chimed in. Looking around,

He asked, "Where is our dear friend Eagle?"

The absent eagle wanted no

Responsibility tied to her name.

She couldn't stop the out-of-control

Wolves, and hid her head in shame.

-by Bob B (10-19-18)

The King of Cover-up

The king of cover-up is at it again,

Downplaying financial ties

And close connections with other countries,

Especially when questions arise.

First it was with Putin and Russia.

How much collusion remains to be seen.

Conspiracy in election meddling?

Whitewashing is now routine.

And then there was the hush-money

To cover-up some hanky-panky.

Dissimulation's easy when

You've got money in the banky.

It looks as though you must deny

And try to hide actions you rue,

But calling your fling "horse face," is that

A gentlemanly thing to do?

Now the cover-up deals with the Saudis--

With the crown prince and the Saudi king.

Denial…admittance…rogue players…

It has such a familiar ring.

After bragging over and over

About the millions of dollars he's made

From wealthy Saudis, his words are now

Exploding like a hand grenade.

When the leader has conflicts of interest,

Critics, pundits, and others who know

Where his interests really lie,

Shrug and say, "We told you so!"

He says he has a "natural instinct

For science." Isn't THAT a joke!

I wish his "natural instinct" was for

Telling the truth whenever he spoke.

-by Bob B (10-18-18)

Death in Yemen

As the wind blows across the fiery desert,

The desperate people of Yemen sigh.

How many more will suffer today?

How many more children will cry?

A Saudi-led coalition

Strikes with a heartless disregard,

Leaving behind misery--

Death and destruction its calling card.

Choking the poor country, the Saudis

Organized a major blockade,

Cutting off vital medicine,

Food, and water, and stopping all trade.

Cluster bombs have fallen on cities.

Thousands of innocent people have died.

Hospitals and schools have been hit.

How can such horror be justified?

Millions of people risk starvation

If all the bombing does not end.

The Saudis hunger for more and more weapons,

And they have billions of dollars to spend.

A bomb made by Lockheed Martin

Hit a Yemeni school bus

Killing fifty-one people, and hurting

Many more, thanks to us.

A U.S. bomb hit funeral mourners;

One destroyed a marketplace.

That our support causes such

Atrocities is a disgrace.

The people suffer from cholera--

Something that is hard to avoid

When a country's sanitation

Facilities are being destroyed.

A massive humanitarian crisis

Plagues the country despite appeals

To end the conflict by caring nations,

While major players dig in their heels.

Sunni-Shiite conflicts continue

With innocent citizens caught in between.

Callous leaders turn their heads,

Afraid to speak up or intervene.

-by Bob B (10-17-18)

Just Deny It!

Despite multiple accusations

Of sexual impropriety,

Trump still demonstrates

A false display of piety.

He knows his loyal fans out there

Would never, ever truly deceive him.

He denies whatever he wants

And knows that they will all believe him.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh

Aspires for both fame and glory.

Somehow he got people to

Give credence to his manicured story.

Following Trump's slick advice,

He thought, "Hey, why not try it?

Whatever they accuse me of,

I will out-and-out deny it."

Putin said he hadn't meddled

In our twenty sixteen elections.

Although we know that Internet trolls

Were following his cunning directions.

Putin merely had to say,

"Mr. Trump, I did not do it."

That is all that Trump needed

To say to the world, "You see: I knew it."

Trump asked the Saudi king

If he had had a journalist killed

In Istanbul. That is where

Jamal Khashoggi's blood had been spilled.

The king and prince denied it. Trump,

Satisfied, said, "You see:

The king said they didn't do it.

His denial's enough for me."

Just deny whatever you've done.
That's the message we are getting.
Having to pay consequences
Can stifle your plans and be upsetting.
Just deny it, and you will have

All of your fans believing your tale.

Turn them all against the victim

To save your ass and stay out of jail.

-by Bob B (10-16-18)

Kanye at the White House

Kanye West visited Trump

At the White House, and man, what a scene!

His words were bouncing off all the walls,

Just like a ball in a pinball machine.

His disjointed rantings and ravings

Made little if any sense.

He sucked up to the president

More than even Michael Pence.

Rambling about the 13th Amendment,

The Unabomber, and then trap doors,

He ended the strange concoction of thoughts

With a weird reference to thirteen floors.

To him, Trump is a father figure.

To prove how much he is fan,

Whenever he wears his MAGA cap,

It makes him feel like Superman.

Illegal guns, tasting fine wines,

And liberals controlling blacks

Through racism? You wanted to say,

Calm down, Kanye. Try to relax.

One thing is certain: We can see

From trying to follow his monologue threads,

That Kanye needs some serious help.

Kanye, please get back on your meds!

-by Bob B (10-14-18)

Murder at the Consulate

At the Saudi Arabian Consulate,

In Istanbul, Turkey, I hear

Something dreadful happened, although

Details are as yet unclear.

Saudi born Jamal Khashoggi,

Journalist for the Washington Post,

Entered the consulate knowing that

It might not be a welcoming host.

An Apple Watch might seem useless.

Khashoggi's Watch, nevertheless,

Recorded his brutal beating and murder,

According to the Turkish press.

But was it an Apple Watch, or had

Turkish authorities bugged the room?

Whatever the case, people are certain

That that’s where Khashoggi met his doom.

We know he entered the building whole.

We're waiting to hear more news releases,

For many fear that the journalist,

Exited the building in pieces.

When asked if he'd condemn the Saudis

If they had committed the ghastly deed,

Trump at first appeared reluctant

To criticize them or intercede.

The Saudis pay billions of dollars

For weapons, he said, to the USA.

And what's-his-name wasn't even

An American citizen anyway.

Later, Trump admitted that

We need a thorough investigation.

But sanctions involving money? No,

That would severely hurt our nation.

Meanwhile, the Saudis kill innocent

Yemenis with the weapons they buy,

And rectitude falls by the wayside

As bank accounts multiply.

-by Bob B (10-13-18)

The D.T. Playbook: Chapter 5 (Supreme Court Confirmations)

Promise to nominate a judge

Who will reverse previous decisions.

Relish the opportunity

To fan the flames of people's divisions.

Refuse to provide the senators

With all of the documents that they need

To allow for careful, researched judgment.

Your nominee will be guaranteed.

Be sure the person you nominate

Will have your back if things get hairy.

Agreeing that you're above the law

Is absolutely necessary.

Let ideology be

The key factor for stacking the Court.

Your starry-eyed supporters will

Give you their undying support.

Train your nominee to behave

Just like you when at a hearing.

Your base will consequently find

The person even more endearing.

If any dirt might come up,

Limit the background investigation

To make it essentially a sham.

And lie without reservation.

Persuade Republicans in Congress

To sycophantly do your bidding.

You scratch their backs; they'll scratch yours.

Works like a charm. I'm not kidding!

Belittle dissenters. People who don't

Support you, you humiliate.

Stick to this plan, for that's how you

Are going to make this country great.

-by Bob B (10-5-18)

A Self-Made Man

"When your daddy's filthy rich,

Take the opportunity

To use his wealth so you'll become

A SELF-MADE billionaire like me.

"Dubious tax schemes help a lot

When Daddy Trump's income waxes.

You and he can benefit from

Committing fraud and dodging taxes.

"A sham corporation allows

You to disguise millions in "gifts."

Improper tax deductions

Speed along these money shifts.

"Undervalue real estate holdings

By millions of dollars. We've deduced

That when the property's transferred, your

Tax bill will be greatly reduced.

"Be creative, explore loopholes--

Even deception and obfuscation.

If you're under scrutiny,

Feign utter indignation.

"Later, when your fortune increases,

Say that you have serious concerns

About the need for anyone

To see your personal tax returns.

"Seduce your fans by spinning your tale.

Lie, cheat, do what you can

To let them think their president

Is from the start a SELF-MADE man."

-by Bob B (10-3-18)