All About Freedom

Americans will very soon

Be heading back to the voting booth.

This election is all about freedom;

Ignoring THAT is denying the truth.

 

Freedom--that is--to live in a place

Where shooting deaths are minimized--

Where commonsense gun control

Measures can be exercised;

 

Freedom to live in a country where

The rule of law is held supreme

And isn't flouted and trampled on

By an administrative team;

 

Freedom for women to make decisions

Regarding their reproductive rights,

Which have been attacked by those

Who whet extremist appetites;

 

Freedom to access IVF

Treatment, which should be guaranteed

For anyone who's able to

Afford it and when there is a need;

 

Freedom to follow any religion

Or even to follow none at all,

And NOT have religion thrust on others,

For that's not anyone else's call;

 

Freedom to be the person you are

And not what others say you must be

Because they do not understand

Your natural trans identity;

 

Freedom to live in a country where

The right to vote is not suppressed,

And unscrupulous people don't make

Denying election results their quest;

 

Freedom to live without the worry

Of having your marriage rights denied

By folks who feel that anti-gay

Discrimination is justified.

 

Freedoms should NOT be taken lightly.

They're HARD to come by; EASY to lose.

Do we want to maintain our freedoms,

Or see them threatened? We must choose.

-by Bob B (7-30-24)

The Prosecutor Versus the Felon

The prosecutor versus the felon:

The felon had better be wary.

THIS prosecutor will be

A powerful adversary.

 

Both are running for president.

The felon thinks that he

Can disconcert the prosecutor,

Who happens to be a she.

 

She can see directly through

The tactics that he uses

To boost his power and also to flout

The laws that he abuses.

 

Perceptive, undaunted, astute, and wise,

She knows a con when she sees one.

And anyone who pays attention

Certainly knows that he's one.

 

Judging from past experience,

We know that he'll resort

To unabashedly accepting

His Russian buddy's support.

 

Come November, voters should

Remember the following quote:

"This is a fight for freedom," she says.

She will get my vote.

-by Bob B (7-26-24)

What an Abomination!

Look around and pay attention.

A scary movement is on the rise,

Which ultimately could turn this country

Into a fascist's paradise.

 

Christian nationalism is what

The movement is called, and what it's about

Is a merging of church and state

And turning this country inside out.

 

Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus,

And everybody else beware.

You might like you current freedoms.

Christian nationalists don't care.

 

Infiltrating local, state,

And national government positions,

They're pushing their religious agenda

And pressuring other politicians.

 

Christianity's not the problem.

It's Christian fanatics who want to thrive.

They love the extreme ideas expressed

In Project 2025.

 

They want to quash the rights of gays,

Deny women the right to choose,

And reshape the federal government

With loyalists who share their views.

 

They're also weary of immigrants,

And climate change to them is fiction.

They claim to love this nation, but that's

A hypocritical contradiction.

 

Some even think that violence

Is justified to help them prevail.

It's almost as though they'd like to live

In Gilead of THE HANDMAID'S TALE.

 

If being agnostic can develop

By degrees, then I must say

That these religious extremists make me

More agnostic every day.

-by Bob B (7-8-24)

One More Nail in the Coffin

Supreme Court justices,

Smiling at autocracy,

Have pounded one more nail into

The coffin of democracy.

 

Immunity! That is what

They decided Trump should get.

Of course, Trump and his Court lackeys

Are in one another's debt.

 

Receiving immunity for actions

While serving a term as president

Is dangerous for a person like Trump

Who has an egomaniacal bent.

 

Giving so much power to him

While he's in office unfairly slights

The rest of us, for such a move

Diminishes the people's rights.

 

Yes, the rights of the rest of us,

For we have seen how he abuses

The power of the executive branch

To do whatsoever he chooses.

Our founding fathers emphasized

That no one is above the law.

The Court regards our Constitution

With a deprecatory "Pshaw!"

 

There were dissenters--only three--

Who criticized the Court's decision.

But sadly it is not enough

For three to have a clearer vision.

 

Treating the president of the country

As though he were a powerful king

Makes me sick, especially when

People sing "let freedom ring."

-by Bob B (7-4-24)

That's Called a Debate?

Trump has no idea as to

How to debate. That's NO surprise.

He merely bombards his opponent with

A litany of foolish lies.

 

Lie after lie shoots out of his mouth.

How does he do it with no chagrin?

Attempts to address his many untruths

Has one wondering where to begin.

 

January 6? He lied.

Immigration? He lied again.

Roe v Wade? Another lie.

Do your job, CNN.

 

For moderators of Trump's debates,

I'd like to offer a little suggestion:

Stop him when he rambles on

And say, "Mr. Trump, answer the question!"

 

Getting him to make any sense

Was difficult, to say the least.

His fans who eat up his lies with gusto

Were offered that night a real feast.

 

He blamed the failure to call the National

Guard on Nancy Pelosi! How rude!

How dare he cast the blame on her

For his own ineptitude!

 

That Democrats think women's choice

Should be determined by each state?

The truth for Trump is meaningless--

Only something to desecrate.

 

It's really hard to imagine how

American voters would desire

To have a president in office

Who's such a pathological liar.

-by Bob B (7-1-24)

"I's"? Say What?

I HAVE to admit that I'm baffled when I

Hear English usage that's gone quite awry.

I CANNOT stop thinking that things are amiss

When I hear English that's spoken like this:

 

"Tina and I's corporation is strong."

How can the speaker not see that that's wrong?

"Me and Tina's" before "corporation"

Likewise should bring about mortification.

 

"My" is possessive for "I," we should note.

In grade school we all should have learned that by rote.

And since the word "my" cannot stand alone,

It must precede something that we have or own.

 

"Tina's and MY corporation…" Now THAT

Is hitting a homer when you are at bat!

"Tina's and my…" placed in front of whatever

Does NOT make you sound high-and-mighty or clever,

 

It's merely the way to express what you mean

With no trepidation of sounding thirteen.

Of course, if you want, you can always say "I's,"

But frankly that's something I wouldn't advise.

-by Bob B (6-21-24)

Remembering Dad

My dad could be a character.

He often loved to get your goat,

But in a fun or teasing manner

And always keeping his wit afloat.

 

Very well read and articulate,

He used his humor to be quite punny.

However, when he teased my mom,

She didn't often find him funny.

 

He could be loquacious with his

Gargantuan vocabulary.

Since he could talk about anything,

The topics, of course, would always vary.

 

He possessed the enviable

Ability to think on his feet.

To hear him talk at events to me

Was an unforgettable treat.

 

My mom would listen attentively,

But after a while her ire would spike.

I could hear her softly mumbling,

"Dammit, Warne, put down the mic!"

 

The use of the word "dammit" here

I have to admit is rather tame,

For both of my folks could string together

Words that would put a sailor to shame.

 

No offense to sailors here,

But certainly you know what I mean.

After we left our family

Gatherings there'd be a scene.

 

"Stop talking politics

At family parties!" Mom would shout.

"And stay away from religion," she'd add.

Of course, I've left the cuss words out.

 

But Dad was truly a loving man--

Warm, affectionate, and kind.

His liberal outlook on life taught me

To open both my heart and mind.

 

Twenty-six years ago he died,

And yet so much of him survives:

The love that he had for his family

And the way that he touched so many lives.

-by Bob B (6-16-24)

How Many?

Recently, Israelis rescued

Four hostages. People are thrilled.

But during the rescue, how many innocent

Palestinian civilians were killed?

 

The attack by Hamas on October 7

Was indeed an abomination,

And when a life is saved, that

Should be a cause for celebration.

 

But let's not lose sight of the huge loss

Of innocent lives since all this started.

It's hard to see what's happening

In Gaza and not feel broken-hearted.

 

What a shame that so many people

Are caught in between two warring factions

And suffer because of Hamas's attacks

And Netanyahu's revengeful reactions.

 

Reports vary as to how many

Civilians have died, but numbers are high--

More civilians than combatants,

But numbers are hard to verify.°

 

We must put pressure on BOTH sides

In order to make these numbers drop.

They have to put an end to this conflict.

All this killing has got to stop!

-by Bob B (6-12-24)

°The U.N. estimates more than 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza and more than 1,200 people in Israel have died in the war.