They're at It Again!

Okay, now they're at it again!
Yep, and they aren't fooling.

Trump and some Republican friends

Are in support of a ruling

To take away the health care from

Twenty-one million souls.

Destroying the ACA° has been

One of their loathsome goals.

Do you have a pre-existing

Condition? If that's true,

Finding affordable health care is

Going to be hard to do.

Dependents under twenty-six

Who up to this point can

Be covered on your policy will

Be kicked off your plan.

Are you perhaps on Medicare?

Well, congratulations!

You are going to have to pay

More for medications!

To roll back Medicaid expansion

In thirty-seven states

Means that millions of people are going

To be in desperate straits.

Did you hear that Trump has said--

Such hypocrisy!--

The real party of health care is going

To be the GOP?

He claims he loves America!

It really seems as if

Republicans don't care that he

Is leading them over a cliff.

-by Bob B (3-27-19)

°Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)

"Vengeance Is Mine!"

"Vengeance is mine!" says Donald Trump.

When he strikes out, he thinks for sure he

Will make his critics cringe and cower,

For they'll be met with "fire and fury."

He expects apologies

From all who tried to "bring him down."

"No Obstruction" he says in a tweet--

Capitalizing a common noun.

"I have been exonerated!"

He says to the world, although it's not true.

But when has truth ever been

Essential from Trump's point of view?

Poor Trumpy just doesn't see

That when you lie, you raise suspicions.

Concerned people have looked for answers

Despite the president's admonitions.

When one lie after another is told,

People don't know what to believe.

It seems the Trumpian motto is

"To get ahead, lie and deceive."

If he were the only one lying then we

Could say, "Well, that's par for the course."

But when surrogates back up his stories,

Deception's become a tour de force.

Were there any apologies

For TEN Benghazi investigations,

None of which proved that there

Were any criminal violations?

If we weren’t constantly barraged

With lies and cover-ups, we could

Move ahead and find some ways

To benefit the common good.

Now watch how Trump behaves at rallies.

He'll find ways to weaponize

The Mueller Report. Ready, set,

Go! Ah, here come more lies!

-by Bob B (3-26-19)

Crackdown

Putin signed a bill into law--

Another bill that will surely curtail

Freedom of speech, for violators

Could very likely end up in jail.

This is the most recent attempt

To stifle the freedom of thought and expression.

For years, such autocratic

Control has been Putin's obsession.

They say that it's an effort to make

Fake news disappear,

Although "fake news" is anything that

The government doesn't want to hear.

This is what it basically means:

Russia will not tolerate

Criticism of Vladimir Putin

Or "disrespect" of the Russian state.

Of course, that's just attacks on Russia.

Everything else remains the same.

Russian attempts to tamper with

Elections here will be fair game.

So American democracy

And institutions remain under threat

While Russian troll farms and Russian bots

Keep on flooding the Internet.

Will Trump speak out, or will he stay silent?

We hear how often he defends

Autocrats, and to hear him speak,

Putin and he are the best of friends.

-by Bob B (3-20-19)

On the Rise

As Trump speaks from his bully pulpit,

Spreading more nonsense and lies,

White nationalist violence is

Definitely on the rise.

He may downplay atrocious behavior

And overlook figures and facts,

But other leaders feel that they're given

The right to commit egregious acts.

Listen to the president's words.

It isn't hard to see where he stands.

If fans don't get their way, he says,

They'll take matters into their own hands.

We know when Trump gives a command

In code or directly, some will jump.

He claims he has support from police,

The military, and Bikers for Trump.

Immigrants are "invading" our country;

Rough up hecklers. Those words are his.

He may claim he's not a racist,

But white nationalists THINK he is.

-by Bob B (3-18-19)

Is There a Last Straw?

America has no monopoly

On white nationalism and hate,

Which the recent shootings in

The mosques in New Zealand demonstrate.

Men, women, and children were slaughtered

While praying on a holy day

When a deranged hater decided

Their lives were his to take away.

It doesn't help when Trump comes off

Sounding like an Islamophobe.

To see evidence of that

Doesn't require a Mueller probe.

Calling for a Muslim ban

During his campaign, he sought

To gain support by stoking fears

And HE knows how to stir the pot.

His vitriol continues as he

Calls asylum seekers invaders

And stone-cold criminals, thereby

Inciting his abhorrent crusaders.

Use fear and what happens?

The consequences prove to be dire.

We see what kinds of maniacs

That vile and odious words inspire--

Maniacs filled with anger,

Malice, bitterness, and spite,

Who think it is a privilege

And special honor to be white.

We all have a duty: we must

Use our vote to shut off the spigots

Of extremism and hatefulness--

To stop electing hateful bigots.

The world grieves as innocent people

Lose their lives while at prayer.

Terrorists want us to think

That we aren't safe anywhere.

Offering sympathy is fine,

But frankly, inaction has its flaws.

Instead of requesting thoughts and prayers,

New Zealanders will change gun laws.

-by Bob B (3-16-19)

Nancy's Smile: Remembering a Friend

When Nancy smiled, the world smiled.

There is naught that can erase

Her smile that's etched into my heart--

A smile that brightly lit up her face.

Think of a lustrous beam of light

That blissfully penetrates

A pitch-black night or darkest gloom--

That rapturously radiates.

Such a beam was Nancy's charm;

Such a beam was Nancy's smile.

How I envy her effortless laugh,

Her quick wit, her perky style!

Three daughters left behind

Inherited their mother's charming

Traits: her wit, her zest for life,

Her smile so radiant and disarming.

More than once Nancy faced

Close calls but vanquished death.

While paying one more visit, the thief

Absconded with her final breath.

I hope that when my end draws near,

I can be as calm, as brave.

I hope that I can take with me

Her beautiful smile to my grave.

-by Bob B (3-8-19)

The Big One

California--earthquake country--

Faces a threat that's true:

A massive quake we call the Big One

Is LONG overdue.

We must face the facts, and here

Is something to think about:

California's experiencing

A so-called "earthquake drought."

The southernmost stretch of the San Andreas

Fault--it appears--

Hasn't had a major rupture

For 340 years!

When it happens--man o man!--

We'll be rocking and rolling.

Even though we're better prepared,

That's not too consoling.

The ground will shake, overpasses

And bridges may collapse,

And houses can slide off their foundations

As the seconds elapse.

Walls will crack, chimneys will topple,

Dishes will crash on the floor.

We will see a mess such as

We've never seen before.

Knick-knacks will fly off the shelves.

What else? It's hard to tell,

But bookcases and curio cabinets

Will topple over as well.

Objects will fly across the room.

So, be sure to stand clear.

If the magnitude is high,

Damage will be severe.

Gas lines, sewage lines,

And water mains may break.

Widespread, destructive fires

May happen after the quake.

We may be without power

And water for many days.

Helpless, we will have to stand by

And watch the fires blaze.

The Big One could happen now,

Tomorrow, or years down the line.

To scorn its inevitability

Would be asinine.

Without warning, the quake will occur.

It's hard not to be scared.

I'm NOT looking forward to that day.

Tell me: are you prepared?

-by Bob B (3-5-19)

You're My Man

D.J.T. to world autocrats:

"If you can rule with an iron fist

And get your critics to cease and desist

By forceful means--get the gist?--

Then you're my man.

"If you have got the strength and power

To make the wondering masses cower,

And if you'll let me build my tower,

Then you're my man.

"If you know how to control elections

And put down those who raise objections

Because you've got the right connections,

Then you're my man.

"If you get people to misconstrue

Deceitful things you say or do

'Cause you've got people who'll lie for you,

Then you're my man.

"If you know how to ride roughshod

Over the rules to get the nod

For finance and insurance fraud,

Then you're my man.

"If you know how to blast and blame

To make divide and conquer your game,

And deception is your claim to fame,

Then you're my man.

"If you can win through populism,

Get away with nepotism,

And stoke the fires of nativism,

Then you're my man.

"If you know how to cleverly make

Your trusting fans give you a break,

Despite the fact that you're a fake,

Then you're my man.

"If you know how to work it right

And let yourself be full of fight

So you can gain more power and might,

Then you're my man."

-by Bob B (3-3-19)

Sing, Michael!

Sing, Michael! Sing your song.

Let your voice be loud and clear.

Yes, you might have done some wrong,

But now what have you got to fear?

Suborning perjury, tax evasion,

Bank fraud, insurance fraud…

And yet your previous boss continues

To hide behind his MAGA façade.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg,

For we can guess what else he's done.

We wait for more revealing details

On Individual Number One.

What ever possessed you to be

The fixer for a conman who

Lies to us--the American people?

Did you not know what would ensue?

Illegal campaign contributions

Don't upset his supporters at all.

Their main concern is that their man's

In office and that he'll build his wall.

You have seen how his Republican

Goon squad in Congress has his back,

And how the members will lie and cheat

To help the megalomaniac?

You must face the consequences

For what you've done, but pray tell,

Will he have to pay for all

The illegal things he's done as well?

So you've lied for the president.

Maybe the truth will set you free.

We are patiently waiting for

The results of Mueller's inquiry.

So sing, Michael! Sing your song.

Let your voice be loud and clear.

Yes, you might have done some wrong,

But now what have you got to fear?

-by Bob B (3-1-19)