The Indoctrinated

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL POLITICS

The Indoctrinated

 

There is blame enough to go around

Those who saw the truth but remained silent

Those who spoke out but quietly

Those who protested but ineffectively

Those who took the easy path

Those who simply went along

Those who sang the party song

 

Those who knew but failed to act

The officers who fired the missiles

The commanders who gave the orders

The pilots who dropped the bombs

The soldiers who pulled the trigger

The officials who stood down

The workers who made the weapons

The journalists who toed the line

Those who pretended all was fine

 

The blame belongs to countless souls

across the years and decades

who saw what Putin was becoming

who knew the danger that he wrought

but feared his brutal retribution

who feared they would be caught

 

But what of those who were believers?

Those who bought the party line

Those who worshiped their dear leader

Those who followed with devotion

Those who never thought to question

Those who thought one man was God

Above the others, above the law

Despite all they plainly saw

 

What of the indoctrinated?

Do they too own a share of blame?

They should have known! you say

They should have seen past the lies

They would have known if they had tried

 

But as the followers of Adolf Hitler claimed:

If he had chosen you

You also would have followed

Where he led *

You also would have fought

You also would have bled

 

Let us not assess blame

Let us judge by what we do and say

Now that we all know the truth

 

* The Man in the Glass Booth

By Robert Shaw