The American Dream

The American dream,
It is just as it sounds,
Propped up by a very few who make it,
To keep the dream around,

I guess it's not bad living in a dream,
If you never awake,
If hunger doesn't annihilate sleep,
Or debt, your home and security take,

Or plug yourself into a computer,
That hides all of those things,
You are wasting away but don't know it,
Wait, that is happening,

The dream's here now,
What was I worried 'bout?
Better a short, blissful, and easy life,
Than one of struggle, unfairness, and doubt.

Something New!

That man who's stumbling by,
With no hope, just bad luck,
Only sees the world with eyes of the cursed,
For whom ev'rything sucks.

Can you imagine being someone else,
With different world views,
In exactly the same circumstances,
With exposure to the exact same news?

Imagining that's a revolution,
Of mind, now bring action,
That's one possible system overide,
To usurp a nation.

But then what, dear?
Uh oh,am I the man?
Nothing's been said that's not been said before,
'til it is said by a diff'rent human.

A Downer

Two plus two equals four,
Five times three is fifteen,
Add them together and then you can drink,
Except in Tamuning,

Plus other places owned by the U.S.,
But you can buy a gun,
This ain't a critique of America,
I've not the stomach for revolution,

To tell the truth, I'm not even from there,
But, oh boy, I'd be screwed,
If that empire actually died,
I bet that you'd be, too,

But there are those,
Who'd welcome its demise,
Unless it meant nuclear holocaust,
I don't have enough lines to make this nice.

Three Rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court

Who cares who someone loves?

What, I'm oblivious?
There are people with truth others don't have,
Afraid of god's justice?

What about those who can't afford college,
But still need a degree,
Else they can't get a job to pay school debt,
Which is like a glitch in an R.P.G.?

If they can get into college at all,
Depending on their skin,
For now there's no protection from racists-
I mean, from the system.

But who am I?
Just another white dude,
Feeling nervous writing this down,
Lest my own opinions get me eschewed.

The Need for the Debt Ceiling

Wish someone could tell me,
What the debt ceiling means,
Other than an arbitrary number,
From nineteen seventeen,

When printing a dollar meant there was gold,
Ready to back it up,
That rule came and went a few times since then,
But not since the ceiling debt did erupt

Debt in the first place is only as strong,
As the dollar remains,
The U.S. gold vault could be filled with moths,
Still, backed by fighter planes.

What is my point?
Maybe there isn't one,
Either things are exactly as they seem,
Or bound only by imagination.

Another Economic Save

It's a wonderful life,
If you are not a bank,
Who am I kidding, they're doing alright,
Yes, even though they tank,

The government won't let them go under,
They are too big to fail,
Just ask Obama in two thousand eight,
When folks were starving, who he chose to bail,

'cause folks don't have the ear of presidents,
They just close streets sometimes,
If you want to see politicians shake,
Threaten to raise the prime,

Something like that,
I do not even know,
What secret jargon the banker whispers,
In the ear of who's really in control.

The Ridiculousness

Don't know who to believe,
About China's balloon?
How about telling them to all fuck off,
It couldn't be too soon,

The fact that any of it's on the news,
Means that it's a set-up,
The U.S. planned to attack P.R.C,
Years before that Sidewinder blew it up,

Maybe it's because it owes China cash,
So much, it cannot pay,
A dying empire means people die, too,
That's just the human way,

It's always been,
We think that we've evolved,
We're no smarter, nor sophisticated,
We're a broken puzzle that can't be solved.

What's The Big Deal?

What is the argument,
Against mass shooting sprees,
Where it is everyone's right to bear guns,
Even if you're fifteen,

Leaving a population wondering,
If when they wake that day,
Whether a random man will shoot them dead,
Because they happen to walk the same way,

Building a stronger nation armed with fear,
Ready for anything,
Pumped up because vi'lence is the answer,
First and everslasting?

Can't think of one,
Don't like it, you can leave,
That is, of course, if you can afford it,
Then buy a house protected by police.

What Else Is There To Talk About?

I am Canadian,
That is where I was born,
So why do I focus so much outside?
We are not virtue porn,

Once a colony of the great U.K.,
Yes, France, you had some, too,
Indigenous peoples often cheated,
To give a horrid history nice hues,

The world's longest unprotected border,
Shared with the U.S.,
Like leaving the door unlocked in good faith,
In truth, under duress,

For, whatya think,
If they need anything,
From our house, do you think that they will knock,
When, really, they don't even need the key?

The Circle Will Remain Unbroken

Should we really worry,
'Bout the U.S. next move,
As if they orchestrate global events,
With no onus to prove?

Sure, it still arms armies around the world,
For its own agenda,
Has the most billionaires than anyone-
Though a close second is pesky China,

But every bully's surrounded by those,
Who want to bring them down,
Who then, most likely, become bullies, too,
Then begins a new round,

Of what they'll do,
Until they're unsat, too,
Meanwhile the system that allows them both,
Continues, despite who's bullying you.

Art Should Offend

I'm afraid to write this,
Which means I should, some how,
Aft' listening to the Zinntennial,
On Democracy Now,

About the historian, Howard Zinn,
A world war two bomber,
Wrote A People's Hist'ry of the U.S.,
To call him pro-war'd be a misnomer.

Then there is an artist in Australia,
Who took down his mural,
(A Russian and Ukraine soldier hugging),
Due to public furore,

Why'm I afraid?
I guess I don't agree.
Since when should art aim not to give offence?
Thank god no one actually reads me.

The Secret Podcast

Listened to this podcast, 
With guest, yikes, I can't say,
A discussion about ev'ry president,
Of the United States,

From Washington all the way to Biden,
The people, not their feats,
It never hurts to get new perspectives,
No matter what one's been known to beat,

But did it tell me something I don't know,
Other than anecdotes?
For a moment I thought, 'Is Trump that bad?',
'Should Dole have won the vote?'

Does it matter?
Presidents just preside,
Maybe they do reflect the people's will,
Less leader, more a unique look inside.

The Next Empire

I don't know history,
There is too much info,
Not to mention it grows every moment,
Oops, another war goes,

But America is still very young,
Yet old for an empire,
It spends more on war than any country,
While its economy's in a spiral,

At least if you look at what others have,
Well, elite, not people,
Let's hope there's a new structure for our kids,
That is much more equal.

What was my point?
Oh, the world is changing,
Look at a map evolve from before us,
We've not much time before the next crowning.

The Real Conspiracy

Even before Covid,
The world was melting down,
I don't know what a conspiracy is,
But timing is profound,

Climate took a backseat for two years,
Really, at the nexus,
I remember thinking in naught eighteen,
Right now, there should be no other focus,

Well, sure, there were more immediate threats,
To others, like famine,
Local's what concerns, and my biggest threat,
Was oil industry's sins,

Now they're forgot,
With the Inflation Act,
I won't get into that conspiracy,
There sure is not enough room here for that.

Climate Crisis Intro

Said lots about climate,
I'm not the only one,
Thankfully, where I live is not hard hit,
Unlike other nations,

But Canada's honeymoon will be short,
Maybe before the droughts,
We laud our friendship with America,
But our wealth of water puts that at risk,

Not to mention that global climate woes,
Destroys economies,
Just like the internet connects us all,
It's an analogy,

I know, I know,
I've said naught new,
The fact is it has all been said before,
Next time I will purport different views.

The Cold War

I guess they're both so large,
They deserve attention,
Two countries rich in military stock,
Now creating tension,

Some say not over the Ukraine at all,
But uber posturing,
Biden 'blinked' in response to troups sent in,
Sometimes you have to go with the sure thing,

Between a pandemic still going strong,
Cops shooting black people,
Thousands of children kept from their parents,
Plus the climate ordeal,

There's so much more,
But isn't that just life?
Start counting the challenges that you have,
I'm sure many things will make you blink twice.

Is This A Movie?

Is this a musical?
Like The Sound of Music,
How do you solve a problem like Donald?
Who seems a lunatic?

That might be a bit harsh to lunatics,
He's more than just Moonstruck,
Portending he'll challenge the election,
If he doesn't win is just simply fucked.

He's laid out the tinder, lighter in hand,
St. Elmo's Fire in wait,
All because he can't stand the idea,
That he can't win with hate,

There's money, too,
He's not squeezed all he can,
From U.S. coffers in the last four years,
So Trading Places is not in his plan.

Been There, Done That

Some people are claiming,
It makes no difference,
Who you vote for on November the third,
Which don't make any sense,

Maybe if both candidates used the lies,
That we're all so used to,
That all they want's the best for everyone,
Then they win and nothing has changed for you,

That is a system that is broke, for sure,
That certainly must change,
But trying out a fascist candidate,
Is not a good exchange,

That has been tried,
Millions died fighting it,
Or simply being of a certain race,
Blamed because the existing system's shit.

Finland is Different

Trump won't say climate change,
Is to blame for the fires,
Ravaging California forests,
The flames getting higher,

He says it is 'poor forest management',
'Please remember the words,'
'I don't think science knows, actually',
It's not about if anybody's heard,

He may win the election anyway,
Even if people knew,
Summers are longer and winds are stronger,
Temperatures high, too.

Science is right,
It's not debatable,
Let's hope the hurricanes reach the west coast,
Because Trump won't manage this debacle.

What Are We Waiting For?

There are cars in Portland,
They came from miles away,
Filled with Trump twenty-twenty supporters,
'Cause protest goes both ways,

The citizens protest police violence,
Trump calls them anarchists,
His supporters come itching for a fight,
They're great Americans and patriots,

Meanwhile the issues ain't being discussed,
Deflect, not compromise,
Everyone's waiting for the election,
As if it is the prize,

It is the bomb,
No good can come of it,
There is no waiting for a miracle,
Only more death, destruction and riots.