Twas the time (12/11/2007)

Twas the night before Christmas. With rising good cheer, Americans prayed for a better new year. Only one year to go with the awful Bush team. At last we can end his horrific regime. The voters had loudly and often beseeched But Congress had failed to get W impeached.

For years Bush had charted a terrible course; Now even supporters were filled with remorse. Once they’d believed that he cared for their need; Now they angrily knew he was all about greed. The rank and file folk had lost financial ground As his friends’ wealth just grew with a leap and a bound.

Workers’ pay fell behind as their living costs grew And medical care costs climbed far out of view. Poor people were scam-mortgaged out of their homes. Nowhere could they turn; there’s no help for us drones. Yet big CEOs and those other Bush friends Kept toasting his tenure, the means to their ends.

On raged the Iraq war with no end in sight. The hawks kept on screaming that they had been right. But their own sons and daughters avoided the fight, While they all made more money, while ignoring the blight. They slimed their opponents to stifle dissent No room for debate in their gold-plated tent.

Bush ignored all the laws that he chose to dislike. He used signing statements to serve as his dike To stop all enforcement, to do as he pleased, So more and more power he blatantly seized. I’m the decider, he boldly declared, No matter how poorly the rest of us fared.

Democracy really was only a joke To all his highly-paid, sycophant folk. While the critical science and health kinds of work Were handed to any loyal toe-the-line jerk. American children got poisonous toys While bad food got approved by the FDA boys.

Bush’s very close pals were a secretive lot, Expanding their reach with another new plot. Cheney and Rove, once they’d outed Ms. Plame, Left I. Scooter Libby to take all the blame. Libby’s justice obstruction, though not quite refuted, Got his silence bought with sentence commuted.

Alberto Gonzales, with his almighty clout, Decreed torture was in; civil rights were stamped out. We all could be spied on in illegal ways. And lawbreakers immune? What a horrible maze! Using fear as a weapon to keep us in line, The president’s power grew far from benign.

First he lied about reasons for Middle East war. Now Bush brazenly tells us to widen it more. Despite all reports that Iran has no nukes, He continues to blunder, keeps raising his dukes. He now claims a need to use force on Iran One questions the sanity of this brash man.

But hope is renewed in this holiday season Surely next year will return us to reason. Surely we’ll choose those officials who care For the good of us all, not just for the rare, Who’ll value diplomacy, peace over war Not Bush’s fake stance of “we’ll settle the score.”

The intent of this season is truly quite clear For the great prince of peace holds each one of us dear. If we would all follow His precious advice, We could set an example, not once but, yes, twice. First to strive to live justly, yes, as we profess, Then help all of the people who have so much less.

So best wishes to you in this one special time, Please, poets, forgive my political rhyme.

- Judith Kohler

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