I’d rather have King George III back.
He answered to Parliament.
We answered to it, too. It is true.
To those promised to hold his rule in check.
We now answer to Elon Musk,
A privateer, if not a pirate
selling his goods to the highest bidders.
Our enemies cheer him on
With promises of increased wealth.
And our new King Showman
Pretends he rules, taking his share.
Unchecked, unleashed, unaware
He has made war against us all.
The Cold War taught school kids to “duck-and-cover”
to save their lives, not from bullets fired by fellow Americans;
But from Russian bombs put in place
to put America in its place
in every available space
where bombs could reach our shores.
President Kennedy intervened to stop the ships
carrying missiles to fill silos built in Cuba.
School kids stopped to pray that day
before being sent home to “be with their families.”
I recall that day when annihilation of my nation
became too real to hide away.
Khruschev shouted “We will bury you” as he beat his shoe
where he sat at a desk in the UN.
He foretold our future there and then.
He said we will “destroy you from within.”
That is when the great pirates began to grow rich
in their race shore to shore running
arms, and drugs, and sex slaves galore;
depositing money passed hand-to-hand
into banks off-shore until it washed up and over
the World Bank, its monolith waves too big to ignore.
The dish on American tables ran away with the spoon
feeding the greed of a growing American oligarchy.
It has taken my lifetime to measure
the true loss of America’s treasure
amassed in stealth by pirates dressed as lobbyists,
and PACS funded by dark money
who claim the false goal to live free in our fragile democracy,
our greatest wealth.
The pirates stole into control of our country
with entertainment instead of news.
Encouraging citizens to sleep and not be woke to the tragedy
of pirates placed within a government grown too thin
by tax cuts for the pirates like Trump, Vance, Bannon, Musk, Ramaswamy,
Hegseth, Gabbard, Alito and so many others.
Leaders now promise to deregulate all guards against their pirate theft.
And a sleeping nation nods “yes,” ignoring the pleas of true patriots, left bereft.
The pirates have opened the gates and our Ship of State is un-moored.
They smile and smirk with strong-men and must not be ignored.
We cannot simply give up and give in
watching our country destroyed from within,
while Putin and America’s pirates count coins and grin.
If only I were a bird
Fluffing feathers to increase my girth
And insulate my true worth
Staying warm this way instead,
Despite the bitter cold and dread.
But I am no bird. I am but a girl
Old enough to know better
On such bitterly cold days,
Watching my freedoms iced over,
Under Nazi salutes
And executive dis-orders.
Instead of fluffing feathers
I reach for carbs to increase warmth
And fill a need birds too feel
When cold grips the air we breathe
And hot words blow smokily
To cover the lies and foolery
Meant to limit our ability to fly.
We have a lot in common, the birds and I.
We are both on endangered species lists,
Fearing our days of flying free are numbered.
We both try to increase in size
That we may create warmth and strength inside,
And fool bullies not so wise,
Who would block our way
On freedom’s journey to better days.
If I were a bird, could I simply fly away?
Instead, I wait and fuel my body.
I wait in trust for better days.
Like lichen I cling
to foundational rocks, loose.
Democracy lost.
Filed under POETRY
The tongue becomes numb
to raw truth’s reality
in America.
Filed under POETRY
Duty.
Honor.
Country.
Fear.
Cowardice.
Submission.
The first three I claim
The last three I disdain.
No more need be said.
A national honor now dead.
Killed by those who fled
their duty to country,
a brilliant democracy.
I cannot shake the hand
of one unwilling to stand
by my side and claim
a nation fighting shame.
Pretense has no place
in a nation ruled by truth and grace.
Ignorance is no excuse for surprise
by those who choose to close their eyes
to crimes and fraud and hate
until it becomes too late
to grasp and seize and save
Duty,
Honor,
Country.
Parting ways.
Recently, readers outside the United States seem to have discovered posts I wrote on my other, earlier blog “Worthington for Obama 2012”. This prompted me to re-read them myself. They explain why I am not keen to listen to the shock and surprise at the current political climate. Anyone could have seen it coming, even I.
Since long before 2012 it was clear that a long-term strategy to destroy what the Republican Party could not compete with, what white supremacists (who started a civil war) and Christian nationalists who stole Native American lands and formed the KKK) have long abhorred, was thoughtfully and carefully organized through groups such as ALEC ( American Legislative Exchange Council formed in 1973 to create model bills across state legislatures),Tea Party (movement within the Republican Party to oppose Policies of President Barack Obama formed in 2009), The Heritage Foundation (Conservative Republican think tank formed in 1973 to popularize and enable President Reagan’s policies, and which developed and now leads Project 2025).
These groups were welcomed and happily utilized by the Republican Party. The changing demographics of the United States (think immigration no longer western-Europe dominant), enforcement of civil rights through the court decisions upholding constitutional rights following the Civil Rights Movement. The Republican Party either had to embrace diversity (accept the equality of people color, women and LGBQTQIA+ individuals) or change the rules by undermining the courts, gerrymandering districts, and suppressing the vote. They are nothing if not thorough. Over the past 30 years they stoped sneaking in the dark and spoke out loud as they convinced Americans that Democrats were the corruptors via their disinformation campaigns. Were you not paying attention? How could you when they kept you so entertained. Now their head honcho is an ex-“reality” TV star. Entertainment has been used as a distraction for those worn out by laboring long hours and just needing a break from reality. It is time to get off the couch and start paying attention.
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) was filed by a conservative non-profit the FEC had stopped from promoting and airing a film unjustly criticizing (disinformation- at- the- ready) presidential candidate Hilary Clinton; and, McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission(2014) weakened regulations reversing centuries of campaign finance regulations meant to eliminate/reduce corruption. We all know “money talks.” Citizens United and other groups are now free to use any amount by any person of wealth to influence an election during a time when 99% of the country’s wealth is held by 1% of the population. The result is inevitable. A very small minority controls the election through its unlimited political contributions. Super Pacs can include “dark money groups” who may act un-named “in the dark” so we never know about their direct coordination with candidates. McCutcheon v. FEC eliminated aggregate contributions limits. The sky is now the limit.
Corruption has never been easier. No wonder Americans have lost faith in elections and campaigns. No wonder they mistrust courts and politicians. And no, they are not “all the same.” These changes were fought by Democrats who opened what had been a Dixiecrat party to a tent large enough to embrace diverse populations, who advanced women’s rights, who worked to assure voting rights and Equal Opportunity using affirmative action to redress the denial of rights and opportunities for over a century, and restore the rights of labor unions and workers. Diversity and Inclusion (DEI) is not evil because of the good it does for all Americans. It is lambasted by Republicans because they want to keep the tent closed to all but white men and those willing to submit to white male dominance (which, unfortunately, includes too many white women).
Which brings us to today, not to what I wrote in 2012. Those who say they are “trying to understand how Vice-President Kamala lost have been ignoring the reality for decades. Those who are shocked by the outcome of the last election have not been paying attention. Donald trump is not the leader of a party. He is only the cheerleader for a corruption of the political process put in place by the Republican Party long ago. From the Reagan era on, Republicans have embraced these corrupt practices and strategies to secure their election and re-election despite the demographic changes and heightened awareness of constitutional rights. They have created a disinformation system bar none, even aligned themselves with Russian disinformation campaigns, feeding information to Russian operatives (remember Paul Manafort and Trump’s first campaign?).
But, now, the Republican Party which was a respected competitor, is dead. A fascist government will replace our democratic republic. Our constitution is up-ended by a corrupted Supreme Court put in place by the Heritage Foundation. Project 2025 is in process, replacing the transition process which we have long relied upon. National security secrets are at risk. Those securing our national security still in the field will soon be at risk of disclosure (Trump owes our enemies big time). Yet, we continue to ignore the reality set in place 30+ years ago and pretend this is a normal transition. We discuss the relative qualifications of unqualified sycophants (“Good “Nazis”). We elected a fascist whom we would not hire to babysit our children, entrusting our national survival to his care. We are the fools. we are getting what we deserve, for failing to pay attention and give a damn about our country. We have for too long put self-interest above national interest.
I have seen this day coming for a very long time. And here is what I know to be true:
No one can steal your joy.
No one can convince you to submit.
No one place you in fear.
No one can destroy your faith in freedom.
No one can compromise your hopes and dreams.
No one can take way your power.
No one can force you to give up.
No one can disinform a truth-seeker.
Keep fighting, friends of democracy.
Keep registering voters.
Keep educating our young people.
Keep cleaning the air, water and soil.
Keep reducing green-house emissions.
Keep supporting your community.
Keep telling the truth.
Good always overcomes evil.
Joy always overcomes grief.
Love always overcomes hate.
We are not done. Not by a long-shot!
Perhaps I am the greatest fool. I still believe in Americans. I still believe in you. Do not make me regret it.
Filed under COMMENTARY, POLITICS
Art seldom follows
where there is nothing new to see.
Art creates new eyes
new ears, new hearts to set us free.
Art imagines what minds can’t comprehend
forging new beginnings as old ways end.
Politics is an art form
tossing power to and fro
showing us what we really think
and where we might go.
Art is everywhere we look
showing us what we need to know.
Art has no end date;
its timeliness simply portends.
Vote! it is still not too late.
Art is our dearest friend.
annarino writes 
FIGHTING WORDS
Poetry has fled.
Art hides in plain sight
behind clouds of flame,
beyond winds of change,
before plutocrats take the stage,
no longer waiting behind the scenes
which hide their rage.
Words have lost all meaning
when facts go unchecked
flung too fast to sustain truth
and belief in its power to right wrongs
for the weak and the poor,
tossed aside by courts which cower
fearing loss of wealth and power.
Which words are safe when lies procure
the party in power’s silent vote to score
total control of each life, each thought,
each breath threatened by dirty schemes
to pollute the earth, water and air?
Words cannot be spoken, claimed by death
of the rule of law.
No words exist to describe the depravity
some of us saw
as our words lay dying
first inside
then outside
where meaning can be lost.
Words remain frozen in heavy frost,
weighed down by cold hearts
and dead souls
seeking total control.
Freedom resides in words
which too often remain unsaid.
Words too softly spoken to wake
those asleep, escaping, all hopes dead.
Too few words of truth must compete
with an onslaught of unchecked lies.
I listen and watch, lost in thought.
I write and I plead against what we have wrought.
Poetry, I fear, carries too-little weight.
Poetry, perhaps, has waited too late
to escape the threat when so many lies
have buried the truth for power and greed.
Money has always been the creed
clothed in religion and faith
which grants God’s grace
to those who deserve to see His face
on dollar bills and hung on towers.
False gods seek our praise as they devour
a country whose best citizens
refuse to use their power to remain free,
and would rather lose their democracy.
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Filed under COMMENTARY, POETRY, POLITICS
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