The poem below came to me while watching the report (at the highlighted link) by Democracy Now of the latest anti-human atrocities committed by the Trump Administration at the southern border. It's difficult to imagine understanding this is the right way to treat people who need help. But it is the way the United States has decided to treat these people. As I think about the lack of response from the American People it almost seems as if a spell has been cast keeping them from demanding an end to this anti-human behavior in their name. We the American People are better than this, at least I think so...I hope so. This institutionalized inhumanity denies any claim to Christianity. I've written a number of poems on the topic. Here's a couple of them "The Oasis Is Off Limits"and "The Death Of Love". Enjoy the poem I wrote this morning. Pass it on if you so desire.
Merry Christmas
From Uncle Sam and Aunt Kirstjen
The lines of so
many people, a ragamuffin bunch,
rags are all they
have to their name except their faces,
fearful eyes, empty
stomachs, weary legs and their hope that tomorrow they will have food to eat
The summer of 1968 in the U.S. is a reminder that Americans also have a history of social protest and street demonstrations. Some wish to see the same kind of activity in American streets again. I'm not sure it is a good idea. The American Establishment has vast resources of tools to distribute violence against protesters and some are just itching to use them. Violence intimidation and force are go to tools for almost any situation the Establishment feels itself threatened in.
While Americans are surely feeling the fist of the economic oppressor at the hands of the Establishment, allowing themselves to become red paint on the street isn't going to solve the problems the people have. In fact it may make those in charge even more brazen, if indeed that is possible. I was thinking something should be done that will have an immediate, attention getting effect. How about a targeted, nationwide, as long as it takes mass boycotting of selected corporations and or products?
Boycotts have a history of working. Demonstrations even for good things have a history of demonstrators having their blood spilled at the hands of the Establishment. A targeted mass boycott if enough people, say 30 million people, would participate could be effective if the boycott only amounted to those 30 million reducing their consumption by half. That would have an impact on the producer of the product and it would be a sure fire non-violent attention grabber that gives the demonstrator a good vantage point to get their ideas across. It's the kind of protest that has the possibility of attracting people who might not take it to the streets. Imagine the impact if sales dropped by 30 percent or more! It could be done if enough people made a game of it and participated every time they went to the store and decided NOT to buy something that is usually purchased if it's on the target list. How would this work? Imagine the impact on a company accustomed to selling 100,000,000,000 of something that is the target of a mass targeted boycott and that boycott effectively reduces the sales by 30%. That's gonna hurt. I bet when the people see the effects of their non-violent protest they can have fun and make a game of the process. The purpose of this is to notify the Establishment that you are awake and are not taking it anymore. The way to show it is by not buying, or drastically reducing purchases of the crap they sell. That is really all these corporate people understand. Protesting in the streets is as American as the first Tea Party, and it's just as dangerous today as it was then. That's why I think targeted selected mass boycotts are an important way and safe effective way to protest civil injustices. It might become another way of voting.
It was dark, not very cold and while looking out the window I spied the moon and the clouds involved in a relationship with the wind. So I went out with my camera and tripod. I selected a couple screenshots (the photos included) from the results and you can see what the camera saw. I was happy with the way the video came out.
I came across this news report on RT news after making the image above. It's difficult to project a positive outcome from societies present trajectory. Peace and well being are not the result of wars and all our laws cannot bring about the love for our fellowman which will bring about peace. Unfortunately what we do have is a multitude of laws and wars and a paupers pouch of peace and love. If a good portion of us don't wise up soon this earth is not going to be worth living on. Then what are we going to do? Have you thought about what is being done right before our eyes? Can you come up with a good reason to do this to our children and the future?
Wall Street can come up with a reason, that reason is named 'profit'. It's not a good reason but it's the only reason that has been put forth that passes the 'bullshit' test. But that is not the story you're told.
A reasonable approach to this problem would include the recognition that 17 years of war have not brought peace and that continuing the wars we've started will not bring peace and that we must stop fighting these unjust and undeclared wars for profit. Why haven't the war-makers given a thought to making a living from peace rather than war? We might want to consider the idea of giving peace a chance.
The highlighted texts are links to articles about the topic mentioned.
"The Death Of Love" and "Faces" are two poems I wrote about what I saw happening. I was distraught over the program of exporting endless war and endless misery. The horror of this policy goes beyond reason. Years ago I wrote a poem titled "The Warlords" This video on the topic of the attempted coup against FDR appears to answer the question asked in the The Warlords. It may also explain the Trump Administrations fear of immigrants. I find myself thinking: "Can Trump's malicious, divisive nationalism cause the kind of behavior seen in the video"?
The Warlords
After reading Du Fu, “Advent of Spring”
The warriors have ruled
from time immemorial.
They have come and gone and come again
time after time:
nations, princes, and kings one after another
building on the pile of corpses
stacked beneath their feet.
None have served the people honestly.
Who has given them control?
Where have they come from?
Will they ever leave us alone
to raise our families
and die in our own beds
with our children by our side?
Their grip is on our neck
and they force us
to our grave
in their search for
others to plunder.
They cannot live without war;
it is their meat and drink
as ours is the hearth
and the embrace of our lovers.
They declare those who cry for
peace and complain of war
‘enemies of the state’
and seek to silence them
while we the people are victims
of their lust
and made to pay for their
desires to be satisfied.
Will they ever leave us alone
to raise our families
and die in our own beds
with our children by our side?
Enjoy the poems in the videos below
It only takes a generation
for politicians with eyes for war
to bring forgetfulness upon the people
who wanted war no more.
I made the poster, below, yesterday about what I see happening presently. Denying immigration, especially, at this time a year is a slap in the face to American history by this Administration. Instead of sending troops, what should have been done was to have sent personnel to process the refugees and give then a Thanksgiving welcome. With that in mind it only makes sense that Thanksgiving be cancelled this year.
Rights are meant to be used the way you use muscles.
You need to use your rights everyday or run the risk of losing them.
Americans are 17 on the quality of life charts due to the way their politicians have structured American society. This will come as a surprise to most Americans who have been spoon fed the idea that America is the best of all possible places to live.
So I made the poster while thinking of all that the American lawmakers have done to impact the daily lives of the voters. (highlighted link to commentary by Farron Cousins at The Ring of Fire.)
If there are fair elections in the U.S. this year we may be able to vote the ones who have made life so hard on us out of office. It's up to you people, if you want more of what you have now vote Republican. More war, more poverty, more violence against minorities, more racial discontent, more of all of what we have now. If you want more of the same old same old vote for Republican and Democratic lawmakers who speak poorly about socialism. They will be more than willing to give you more of the same. Boy won't those who vote Republican be happy with more war, more homelessness, more racial animosity, more unemployment more low paying jobs, more expensive education, more expensive and more dangerous healthcare? No they won't. They'll blame someone else for what they have done to themselves.
(note the artist holds both Republican and Democratic lawmakers completely responsible for the condition Americans find themselves in. While working on this I came across this address byRobert Reich.)It's worth listening to.
Today I spied a spider repairing a web I saw him repairing yesterday. Today I took some pictures. Some came out pretty good.,, take a look. Tomorrow's another day.
The last two summers I grew sunflowers for fun. By accident I discovered that a dried sunflower stalk makes a nice walking stick. I used the first walking stick for most of this year. It's not nearly as strong as wood and should not be used by someone who needs a cane for support. It however is very light and the natural beauty of the stalk is enhanced in time, growing darker and the organic patterns of the plant have become more clearly defined. I've become fond of it and it shows very little wear.
I enjoy using it, just because I grew it and nurtured it and it is useful to maintain my balance. I may decorate it and put a protective coating on it. It will be interesting to see how long it remains useful.
This year, because of my experience last year, I grew more sunflowers and harvested many seed heads and a number of possible walking sticks.
For distinctiveness this year I planted morning glory seeds which grew and entwined themselves around the eight to nine feet tall sunflowers. I did this with the intention of making a natural decoration for another walking stick. That project is ongoing as the vines and stalks dry together.
Inquiry
a poem by David H. Roche
Seeds
the size of a fingernail buried in May
and
resurrected in June
with a glorious body
of
tiny green leaves
and flimsy,
translucent
stems
some
of which have grown to giants nine feet tall
with
golden crowns at the end of September…
now
hanging their heads
one by one.
This
afternoon they're like one legged dancers
swaying
back and forth in the wind
at
the last dance of the season
with
Scrub Jays, Ravens, Chickadees
and
whomever comes to sustain themselves from their flesh.
Almost as if there were a cooperative enterprise underway,
next
to the pond across the street
the
remains of once plump juicy blackberries
cling
to dried vines
among clusters of dry brittle leaves
and
bloodletting spines.
Their
wrinkled, desiccated flesh reminds me of rabbit turds.
Notwithstanding,
they are a larder
for
small birds and mice
who
will return throughout the winter
to
eat dinners provided by invisible hands.
All
this cooperation fascinates me,
this living of life in support of the lives of others,
