Monday, June 11, 2012

Politics and Poetry 3: Across the spectrum

Hey Revolutionaries, feeling a bit splintered today. Could be the zen yoga countered with the running of the retards on the local Metro. Regardless, here's some headlines from all across the news spectrum, finished up of course, with some poetic license. Enjoy!

Doctors without borders: First of all, watch this video: Syrian mobile hospital.  Even as a lover of words, I fall short, grasping at suddenly weak verbal descriptions of the images in this video. Dr. Kasem is a doctor in the city of Al Qusayr, couched in a torrential province under constant attack by Syrian government forces. It is against the law to treat the wounded civilians. Dr. Kasem holds his oath to save lives above any oath to his violently corrupt government. He works in kinetically make-shift conditions, noting that the hospital is now used by snipers to rain down artillery shells on everyone and anyone, including a 6 year old in Dr. Kasem's care who was badly wounded - his liver, kidney and stomach all hemorrhaging. "You see this boy - is he terrorist?" he asks pointing to the boy, wrapped in blood stained gauze. "They are terrorists," he says motioning out towards the streets where gun fire can be heard in a never-ending sweep of mind-splitting ambiance. "After the revolution, before the revolution, during the revolution, I will help" he says, resolutely looking into the camera of photo journalist Robert King.
Sitting back and letting his words and actions cascade over me, I can't help but think...we aren't bold enough to challenge this regime, but we happily challenged Afghanistan and Iraq...there must be no pot of gold at the bottom of the Syrian rainbow...

Squeaky clean racists: The KKK has put in a bid to adopt a stretch of highway in Union County (is this irony hitting anyone else?) Georgia. The request was filed on May 21 and would give the KKK state recognition for its efforts. According to the white cloaked crusaders they're doing it "to keep the mountains beautiful." State officials have agreed to discuss this rather controversial bid. In my opinion, let 'em clean it up - I didn't realize they were environmentally inclined, but hey, I don't think the trash cares if white trash shuffles them along, might be a happily symbiotic relationship. I would simply state that any credit will be given to the individuals and not the organization, which is probably fair since I don't see the Grand Dragon out shoveling shit on highway 515 very often.

A politician's promise: No really, he promises tax reform. Senator Max Baucus (Democrat), the top Democratic senate tax writer, has promised a comprehensive tax reform bill that will please and gain support from both sides of the aisle. Yeah, and when I was little, I was promised a castle by some fat powder puff in the mall. I have to say, he makes good and valid points, but talk is cheap - our ever growing deficit is not. "Tax breaks have doubled since 1986. They now cost as much in revenue as the entire income tax brings in." And since 1986, there have been about 15,000 changes made to the tax code, one of which brought the number of "temporary" tax breaks from 14 to over 132, with seemingly never ending extensions. Although Baucus is confident, I'm not the only one who's skeptical. According to Howard Gleckman, editor of the blog TaxVox, there's no set foundation to discuss tax reform, like for example, how much taxes should be brought in. With such a fluid and ethereal tax paradigm, how can people with deep rooted and steadfast ideologies grasp this airy musing? And that's not even talking about the cave dwelling, blood sucking lobbyists who will descend on the capital like the walking dead in a Rob Zombie movie, groaning and demanding tax breaks for their thick walleted keepers. I appreciate your fervor Max, but I think it'll be more effective if we raze this bitch and build her up from the ground. A broken system can't fix itself.

Interrogation Room



Close these doors and 
let’s go
Caged room
tense -
to the bone

Break
or you’ll burn
if you stay
mark my words
Our world
Can’t be saved
Mark my words!

There’s no need to fight
they say, cutting the lights
You know life would be grand 
if you just took my hand
There’s no need to fight
they say, cutting the lights
and if I die in this cave,
I just wanna know

Who’s slave am I?

Have you made up your mind?
Give up,
Shut Up!
It’s time...

Break
or you’ll burn
if you stay
mark my words
Our world
Can’t be saved
Mark my words!

There’s no need to fight
they say, cutting the lights
You know life would be grand 
if you just took my hand
There’s no need to fight
they say, cutting the lights
and if I die in this cave,
I just wanna know

Who’s slave am I?

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