Obstinate Grit

I was sixteen; I’d dropped out of school

Just an immature know-it-all fool

Still, I showed up each day

Earning minimum pay

To a job where I worked like a mule

The foreman was from the Ukraine

So there’s something I need to explain

The man’s English was broke

So whenever he spoke

He would need to repeat it again

Then, one day I’m unloading a van

And it’s going according to plan

Till I look at the boss

And he seems really cross

He says “Carry as much as you can”

So I set down my load on the floor

Headed back where I picked up some more

But now under the strain

I’m bent over in pain

And the sweat’s really starting to pour

Of the job I’m no longer a fan

But, I want to behave like a man

Then the boss happens by

When he catches my eye

He says “Carry as much as you can”

Now, at this point I have to admit

I was tempted to tell him “I quit!”

But I didn’t explode

I just increased the load

Trudging onward with obstinate grit

When I made my way back to the van

There’s the boss and his lecture began

“For the third time today

You no hear what I say
ONLY carry as much as you can!”

The Putsch

To be clear, the Conservatives in Canada's parliament are every bit as batshit crazy as the Republicans in Washington. The difference is that Stephen Harper runs his government with the discipline of Benito Mussolini and Dick Cheney. Boehner and McConnell on the other hand act like a couple of inept thugs trying to establish  control over the Hole-In-The-Wall gang.

But, as different as these two governments appear, in both cases the result is the same.

The Putsch:

The Koch brothers must be admired

They're relentless, they never got tired

And they mounted a coup

Before anyone knew

That a Pinochet putsch had transpired

Doggerel

Inspired by this snippet from Yeats' Adam's Curse

"A line will take us hours maybe;

Yet if it does not seem a moment’s thought,   

Our stitching and unstitching has been naught."

Proper rhythm and rhyme are the key

To a limerick facile and free 

But my muse is aloof

And the pudding of proof

Is this doggerel now that you ... have before you

The Libertarian

This multi-verse limerick was inspired by a recent online 'exchange' over the growing number of U.S. states that are implementing so-called 'Right to Work' legislation. The intent is not to try to sway anyone's opinion about Right to Work or any of the other libertarian agenda items. Rather, it's intended to show that there's very little use debating these issues with someone driven by ideology and not conscience.

He’s a ‘nothing or all’ kind of guy

Gather ‘round and I’ll tell you all why

With each subject he checks

If it seems too complex

Understanding, he won’t even try

Every issue is treated the same

In his cold libertarian game

When he says “Let’s be free”

He means “Me! Me! Me! Me!”

And this selfishness authors his shame

If he thinks there’s a smidgeon of waste

He will act with remarkable haste

Weed it out branch and root

In a headlong pursuit

To have safety net programs erased

If a union appears to have power

He will over-react and he’ll glower

He’ll remove labor rights

Earned through decades of fights

Till the middle class plight becomes dour

  

Then there’s voter ID, oh my god!

Even though there’s no actual fraud

When restricting the vote

He can’t help but connote

His concern is a racist façade

Any governance stirs up his wrath

Despite science, good conscience or math

His approach, you can see

Will consistently be
Throw the baby away with the bath

Je ne suis pas Charlie

In the aftermath of the Paris terrorist attacks, I ‘liked’ a Facebook infographic that said “Je Suis Charlie”.  I now regret my impulsive action. The attack was abhorrent and I wanted to show my support for free speech.  But, I don’t identify with Charlie Hebdo any more than I identify with Fox News or the infamous Nazi march in Skokie.

Je suis Charlie Hebdo? I think not

Je suis more like the cop that got shot

Charlie’s satire was crude

Both offensive and rude

Ahmed died for their right to write rot

#JeSuisAhmed

Pride Goeth Before Destruction, and a Haughty Spirit Before a Fall

I've started reading Micheal Harris's wonderful book "Party of One". Here's my first reflection:

During Canada’s anachronistically named ‘Speech to the Throne’ on June 3, 2011, a young senate page rose in an act of civil disobedience. Brigette DePape stood up, quietly holding a makeshift sign that read “Stop Harper”. All of institutional Canada short-sightedly criticized her for disrespecting the Canadian system of government.

In the three and a half years since then, Stephen Harper’s scandals have made a mockery of the senate. He flips the bird to opposition parties at every opportunity. He’s muzzled his own back benchers and members of cabinet. As Prime Minister, he’s openly attacked the Supreme Court. He neutered Elections Canada after his party was convicted of election fraud. And, last but not least, Harper’s omnibus approach to legislation bypasses the basic principles of our parliamentary democracy.

It must be one of the greatest ironies in Canadian history that the people who criticized Brigette for her mis-behaviour have been so humiliatingly ‘bitch-slapped’ by the very subject of her warning.  With all that in mind, here's my latest limerick:

Harper’s hubris continues to grow

With contempt for us from the word ‘go’

And to stop being sacked

He relies on the fact

That we’re all so surprisingly slow

What's for Lunch?

This week, the US congress passed the devastating CRomnibus spending bill. This bill guts the Dodd-Frank financial regulations put in place to protect us from Wall Street's otherwise unchecked greed. It also lifts campaign contribution limits, allowing for even more corporate influence during elections. The bill weakens the EPA and effectively cancels the pro-pot initiative recently passed in Washington DC. Democrats voting for the CRomnibus defended their actions saying things would be worse if they delayed because the Republicans will soon control the senate.

A Democrat strategist said

"Though this CRomnibus bill we all dread

Wihen your choice is, to wit

Eat a sandwich of shit

Always go for the one with more bread"

But the logic he used is a trap

A canard that we all need to scrap

If you're living in fright 

Of a fight with the right

Then you'll always eat one percent crap