Reclaim Patriotism (On Tyranny)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ON TYRANNY

Inevitability

 

We have fallen under

A spell of comfortable passivity

 

The past is forgotten

The future is inevitable

 

The arc of history bends toward justice

 

Why fight for a cause however worthy

When the die is cast (alea iacta est)

And the future is ordained

Why bother with it all

Sit back and witness as our

Heroes on tall white horses

Save the day

 

Ask the victims of Mussolini

About the arc of history

Ask the Spanish about Franco

Ask the Jews about the Reich

The Chinese about the purge

The Russians about Stalin

The Ukrainians about Putin

Ask your elders about McCarthy

And the letters KKK

 

The future is not written

Nothing is inevitable

Nothing belongs to fate

 

Tyranny is enabled by passivity

Passivity is enabled by faith

In the inevitable

Courage (On Tyranny)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ON TYRANNY

Courage (Choose Sides)

 

There are many kinds of courage:

 

The courage to speak out

When others remain silent

The courage to be silent

When others say too much

The courage to go to war

And put your life on the line

The courage to refuse to fight

When a war is unjustified

 

We should not be lulled into believing

Democracy has no price

Like anything of value

It demands sacrifice

 

We speak often of our founders

As if they were gentlemen of reason

But when they fixed their names

To the declaration

King George proclaimed treason

 

They are heroes now because

They were on the winning side

Had we lost the war we cannot know

The nature of the world in which

We now reside

 

They had great courage

They were willing to give their lives

They expected no less of us

If the republic is to survive

(Based on the excellent pamphlet  On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder) 

Reclaim Patriotism (On Tyranny)

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ON TYRANNY

 

Reclaim Patriotism

 

Tyranny flies under the flag of patriotism

Authoritarians always lay claim

But if we live in a true democracy

There is no greater lie

And can be no greater shame

 

The cry of patriotism fuels the lies of war

Demands the sacrifice of basic rights

Justifies unspeakable crimes

Defends the indefensible

Leads to internal strife

 

It is time to redefine patriotism

It is time to reclaim the flag

 

A patriot believes in the nation

For what it represents

Not unconditionally like lemmings

Marching blindly into the sea

But for what the nation stands for

And for what it proudly could be

 

A patriot defends the nation and her flag

Against those who would abuse her

Fomenting violence and immoral acts

Committing injustice in her name

And demanding we excuse her

 

A patriot knows and upholds

The bill of rights

Against pretenders who never read

Past the second amendment

 

A patriot stands for free and fair elections

The foundation of our democracy

Without regard for the outcome

But with respect for the ballot box

 

A patriot supports a free press

Including mainstream media

Especially when it conflicts

One’s own beliefs

 

A patriot raises a hand

Takes an oath to democracy

And swears to defend it

Against all enemies

 

(Based on Timothy Snyder's excellent pamphlet.)

Don't Panic (On Tyranny)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ON TYRANNY

Don’t Panic

 

Inevitably

That which we fear will happen

Must happen

In the course of time

In the unfolding of events

In the race against the darkness

Don’t panic

Remain calm

 

Those who would deny your freedom

And steal you rights

Are counting on your reflex

At the next cataclysmic event

Don’t panic

Remain calm

Keep your feet on the ground

And your faculties intact

 

For there will always be cataclysmic events

And people who wish to exploit them

For humans are an unscrupulous lot

Of power seeking women and men

 

Bush the Younger and old Dick Cheney

Exploited September eleven

Vlad the Bad exploited numerous threats

It’s been going on forever and ever

At least since nineteen and seven

 

The storming of the Capitol Building

Is the latest in tragic exploitation

The call goes out for new laws

To strip away our civil liberties

To conquer domestic terror

 

Don’t panic

Remain calm

Remember the Patriot Act

Remember the names they called us

For opposing

 

Of course there are homegrown terrorists

Of course they pose a threat

But ask yourself: 

Do our security forces

Need any more power

To spy on our fellow citizens?

 

Don’t panic

Remain calm

Proceed in due caution 

 

 (Based on Timothy Snyder's excellent pamphlet)

Dangerous Words (On Tyranny)

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ON TYRANNY

 

Dangerous Words

 

Beware cries of terrorism

Be they real or imagined

For what soothes the heart today

Can turn on you tomorrow

 

The attack of September 11

Became the endless wars in Iraq

Afghanistan and Yemen

 

Beware the word extremist

For though it may seem true

When it comes to them

Soon enough it turns to you

 

Beware the term exception

We should learn this one in school

For what once was an exception

Can easily become the rule

 

Words often have double meaning

And can pack a lot of power

They can steal away our rights

Before democracy can flower

 

International Connections (On Tyranny)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ON TYRANNY

International Connections

 

We are not alone in the world

What happens in Ukraine

Can foreshadow what happens here

As it did when Putin unleashed

His propaganda machine in Kiev

 

The year was twenty thirteen

Putin ran a puppet regime

Enlisting his team of paid hackers

Like a virulent stream of trackers

To flood Ukraine with misinformation

False and misleading accusations

But the local press responded quickly

And Putin’s lackies shriveled sickly

Shot down at every turn

Had we been listening

We should have learned

What happened to them

Would happen to us

Our democracy tossed

Under the bus

 

In this world we are not alone

We are all in this together

If we form a solid free alliance

There is no storm we cannot weather

 

Common Cause (On Tyranny)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ON TYRANNY

Common Cause

 

A difference between democracies

And authoritarian nations

One has only the government

The other has civil organizations

 

We may grow tired of solicitude

We have only so much to give

But organizations that serve the cause

Will enhance the lives we live

 

Find a cause that feeds your soul

Be as generous as you are able

When it all comes to a head

You’ll have a place at the table

 

If you cannot give your money

Perhaps you can give time

We are so much stronger together

Your hands linked to mine

 

Protect your Privacy (On Tyranny)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ON TYRANNY

Protect your Privacy

 

My life is an open book

But nobody wants to read it

 

In the age of the internet

Assume that everything you write

Say think or feel is accessible

To anyone who cares

 

The age of privacy is dead

 

We have sacrificed our privacy

By virtue of the times we live in

 

Reclaim your privacy

Communicate face to face

Write letters to your friends

Establish a personal space

 

In today’s misbegotten world

Know that we are never alone

Support laws to penalize corporations

That violate our personal zones

 

Blackmail and extortion

Are nasty words and deeds

Using personal data for profit

Is the epitome of greed

 

Fight back where you can

Resist where you cannot

Send a message to them all

Our privacy cannot be bought

 

 

Real World Politics (On Tyranny)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ON TYRANNY

Real World Politics

 

A wise person once said

All politics is local

I don’t know if that’s true

But I do know this:

Your sphere of influence is limited

From behind a computer screen

Typing comments and tweets

On social media

Counting hearts and thumbs

 

When the pandemic passes

Go out into the world

Make new connections

March the streets of protest

Attend gatherings

Find interesting people

Talk to them and listen

 

We have been behind closed doors

Far too long

Make it a point to breathe

The sunlit air

Listen to the four winds

See which way they blow

Let others know you care

 

We are travelers on a small orb

Crowded yet alone

We can find common ground

If we adopt a civil tone

 

Human Contact (On Tyranny)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ON TYRANNY

Human Contact

 

In the days and nights of isolation

Disconnected from our fellow beings

We lose all sense of our surroundings

Absorbed by our electronic screens

 

In the silence before the coming storm

We need to gaze into human eyes

To gauge the content of our neighbors

In times of trouble who will rise?

 

Who has rage and looks away?

Who engages to spread lies?

Who tests the limits of your patience?

Who wears a flag disguise? 

 

You may be sure it cannot happen

Not in this time and place

But if the spark becomes a flame

Best be prepared just in case

 

(Inspired by Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny)

 

 

Support Journalism (On Tyranny)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ON TYRANNY

Support Journalism

 

Reporters are nearly obsolete

Journalists are a vanishing breed

To encourage truth and wisdom

Buy a newspaper plant a seed

 

Information is everywhere

But all sources are not the same

Many are merely propaganda rags

Misinformation is their game

 

We should investigate every story

We need to verify the facts

If we’re to be informed citizens

It’s not enough to just react

 

The internet is but a conduit

A simple means of communication

By feeding you what you would be fed

It creates a sphere of isolation

 

Support your local journalists

Support the journalistic creed

The truth may not serve our wants

But it may be what we need

 

Support Democratic Institutions (On Tyranny)

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ON TYRANNY

 

Support Institutions (Take a Stand)

 

So many things we take for granted

Before they tremble and fall

So many things we hardly notice

Until we make the call

And find no one home

It is then we are alone

And vulnerable

 

Institutions of justice

Institutions of law

Institutions of government

A free press and news media

Election officials

A civil society

 

Institutions do not support themselves

They cannot survive without the care

Of the people they serve

 

When the law is belittled

Take a stand

When the press is condemned

Take a stand

When a man claims to be above the law

Condemn the lie

When the ballot box comes under attack

Fight back

 

Institutions exist to protect democracy

It is our solemn duty to protect them

Even at the cost of our safety

Even at the cost of our lives

 

(See Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny)

 

Vetting the Guard (On Tyranny)

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ON TYRANNY

 

Vetting the Guard

 

To don a uniform of the state

To wear a badge

To carry a gun in the line of duty

These are honors

That require responsibility

 

Insurrection and oppression

Have never achieved success

Without the acquiescence

Of the police or military forces

 

The price of service must include

A thorough vetting to assure

Loyalty to justice and democracy

The institutions of government

 

Those who carry deadly force

Must be beyond reproach

Of sound judgement and character

Free of prejudice and hate

 

We know it is a dangerous job

It extracts a heavy toll

Those who serve faithfully

We thank from the depths of soul

 

Objective Truth (On Tyranny)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ON TYRANNY

Objective Truth

 

“Post truth is pre fascism.” – Timothy Snyder *

 

In the absence of objective truth

We reside in a world of fantasy

We imagine what we want to be

And invent our own reality

 

In the absence of objective truth

We are islands in an endless sea

Without connection to our fellow beings

All alone without friends or family

 

If we accept objective truth

We find a basis to communicate

Objective facts and causal reasons

Things we can substantiate

 

If we are free to fantasize

About the present and the past

Then we will talk and never listen

And our connections will not last

 

* From On Tyranny (Tim Duggan Books)

 

Conformity (On Tyranny)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ON TYRANNY

Conformity

 

Going with the flow

Bending to the wind

Pleasing the popular crowd

Taking the easy road

 

Evil can only succeed

When good people go along

And people go along because

They’re afraid to stand out

 

Stand out

Stand proud

Embrace diversity

Dance on clouds

 

Stand with the dissidents

Stand with the strange

Stand with the artists

Strand up for the deranged

 

Resist the waves of self-righteousness

Deny them influence with a stare

When they demand your compliance

Throw it back: you will not dare!

 

For you are the hope of this fair land

You who march to a different band

You who will lend a helping hand

And you who take a defiant stand

 

To be accepted by the hating crowd

Is the opposite of virtue

To be embraced by the bullies

Is a great dishonor

 

Reject their mold

Create your own

 

Stand out

Stand proud

Your country needs you

Now