Twas the week (12/19/2006)

Twas the week before Christmas and all through the nation
Good folks made their plans for a grand celebration.
But grinch greedy guys had their own special plans
To grab all they could before congress changed hands.
They had weakened the laws and had rigged all the rules
To help just themselves, thinking voters were fools.

But sick of corruption and unneeded war
The voters had said, “ we will settle the score.”
So we’d tossed out the liars and most of the crooks.
And election ’06 became one for the books.
But the president’s pals and their highly placed friends
Still greedily scrambled to get to their ends.

Hypocrisy, smears had worked so well before
No reason to think that they couldn’t do more.
They had used 9/11 as a shield to enact
Laws eroding our liberties, disdaining fact.
All their critics they’d labeled as unpatriotic
Or helping the terrorists—so idiotic.

The rich had grown richer; the middle class waned
Fury and threats battered all who complained.
But enough is enough, came the nationwide scream
The prez and his buddies are wrecking our dream.
Bush’s nation building at point of a gun
Fed only his ego, but helped no one.

The pandering congress had danced to his tunes
But no more could we tolerate all these buffoons.
There were Cunningham, Foley and Haggard and Nye
They had claimed family values, but lived a big lie.
Rumsfeld and Bolton just got the big gong.
They had all played a part in so much that was wrong.

CEOs got huge bucks; workers fell to their knees;
China bought up our debt; our jobs went overseas.
Homeland insecurity, deficit spending,
The scorn of the world, global warming—all pending.
These true moral issues the new congress faces
Let’s hope they can lead us to new, better places.

We voters just gave our new congress consent,
With approval as high as 57 percent,
To govern with justice and fairness for all
Let’s pray they all heed this very loud call.
We’ll give them our trust, then we’ll hope for the best
But we’ll carefully watch how they handle this test.

Suppress all those egos, consider this season
We must work as one for a positive reason:
Peace, good health and justice for all humankind.
If we try hard enough, I am sure we can find
The pathways to build towards a much better earth
With hope and commitment to each person’s worth.

So my wish for us all at the end of this year
Is that 2007 will bring you good cheer,
That the new politicians will govern with care
So that all may have peace in a world that is fair.
Your example will show us the truth of this season
Charity, hope, peace—these are the real reason.

- Judith Kohler

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