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

 

Military Coup (Myanmar)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL POLITICS

Military Coup (Myanmar)

 

Beware military strongmen

Who claim to know what’s right

Nine times out of ten

The people lose this fight

 

The cornerstone of the republic

Is a peaceful transfer of power

When the military takes over

Our prospects become dour

 

There are many would be kings

It seems a basic human flaw

But if we want to maintain freedom

We need the rule of law

 

Do not sacrifice your rights

To any power hungry thieves

For when we make that woeful choice

We will perpetually grieve

 

Vaccination Free

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  CORONAVIRUS SERIES

Vaccination Free

 

Who knows what the future holds

But for now I’m vaccination free

Two weeks for full effect

It is an astonishing thing to see

 

They say some react poorly

I do hope that isn’t me

For it’s a miracle of science

A gift of life to the elderly

 

Now I wait for two more doses

To protect my loving wife

The day cannot come too soon

To resume a normal life

 

So let it be and let us prosper

Get your second shot today

To overcome the deadly virus

There is no other way

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

 

Paramilitary Control (On Tyranny)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ON TYRANNY

Paramilitary Control

The second amendment is a dangerous right

In the hands of hoodlums and mobs

It heightens tension in any fight

And makes policing a difficult job

 

Gun advocates generally like to ignore

That important note on regulation

They carry guns in church and stores

Making ours a most volatile nation

 

We cannot survive with runaway mobs

Armed with weapons of mass destruction

Ask your local police department

If you need further instruction

 

When the right to bear arms is out of control

We must demand reasonable restraint

For mobs with rage and guns in hand

Cannot be trusted as if they were saints 

(Inspired by Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny)

 

 

Inevitability (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

 

Obrador (El Presidente)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

Obrador

 

He denied the grave danger

Opting not to wear a mask

Declared his right to live free

Corona virus? He only laughed

 

Now he has it and we will see

How fortunate his fate will be

What does the future have in store

For El Presidente Obrador?

 

Will he receive privileged treatment

Like the leader above the border?

Will his people learn a lesson

Or fall prey to the same disorder?

 

What does it profit a nation’s leader

To block science at the door?

Now they sing a song of sorrow

For El Presidente Obrador

 

Bolsonaro, Obrador

And the one we will not name

They failed to serve the people

While they played a political game

A Race Against Time

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

Race Against Time

 

It is not a war

With bullets and guns

It is not an enemy

Of any kind

As the virus evolves

It may render us blind

It may steal our resolve

It’s a race against time

 

We have the vaccines

That protect us for now

But as the mutants take hold

We may not know how

To protect us tomorrow

And on down the line

It’s a long hard road

It’s a race against time

 

We know what to do

We know how it’s done

It will not be easy

And it will not be fun

But we have no choice

We’re caught in a bind

To survive this virus

It’s a race against time

 

So line up in your cities

Line up in your towns

Take your shot in the arm

When your turn comes around

For now we’re not worried

We’re feeling just fine

But tomorrow’s in question

It’s a race against time

 

Dual Uprisings

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL DEMOCRACY

Dual Uprisings

 

They’re marching in the streets of Moscow

To put an end to a ruthless dictator

They marched in the streets of Washington

To defend an unscrupulous traitor

 

We support the Russian dissidents

In their struggle for democracy

We despise the American insurgents

For their contemptible hypocrisy

 

We join with those who bravely oppose

The oppressive reign of Vladimir

We stand hand in hand in unity against

Those who impose their will through fear

 

They are bashing heads in Russia

While here we are in despair

They’re fighting for their democracy

We need to show we care

 

Embrace Professionalism

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  ON TYRANNY

Embrace Professionalism

 

Democracy survived

On the backs of civil servants in

Pennsylvania Georgia Arizona Michigan

Individuals refused to bow

To an unscrupulous president

Precinct captains and secretaries of state

Planted the staff and held their ground

In cities counties and modest towns

 

They upheld the law

In defiance of their party

They upheld their code

In deference to their honor

They carried a heavy load

 

When all else failed

And the rule of law slipped away

Professionalism held strong

And democracy won the day

 

Lawyers are bound to the law

Judges are bound to legal dictates

Doctors are bound to an ethical code

Administrators uphold standards

And teachers are bound to rules

Without which order disintegrates

And we fall prey to a fool’s dictates

 

When all else fails the test

Professionalism is the last line of defense

Against the insurrectionist mob

They honorably do their jobs 

* See On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder

One Party (On Tyranny)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ON TYRANNY

One Party

 

Democracy is not a team sport

Though we often treat it as if it were

To our side we give only praise

To the opposition we shout a curse

 

Politics is not a religion

It’s healthy to disagree

No one is always right

No one can always please

 

Whenever one man has all the answers

Though the questions have not been asked

You can be sure beyond all doubt

That man is wearing a deceptive mask

 

Beware anyone who proclaims the truth

The one and only way

For there is no single answer

To the problems we face today

 

Democracy demands multiple voices

An open forum for debate

If you have only a single party

Tyranny will be your fate

 

Symbols of Hate

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ON TYRANNY

 

Symbols of Hate

 

The face of the world has meaning

It should never be ignored

Signs and symbols of hatred

Precede the dragon that roared

 

Remember when the N word

Was in everyday use

Racists laid it out there

To test the limits of their abuse

 

They test our sensibilities

By observing how we react

To see how much we will accept

Their racist creed as a given fact

 

Tolerance is a license to abuse

The new swastika is the letter Q

If you would not be a supremacist

Do not walk in a supremacist’s shoes

 

If you would not tolerate a gangland mark

Do not accept the Proud Boy game

A swastika or the numeral XIII

A MAGA hat is just the same

 

Bigotry is bigotry

Racism is racism

Intolerance is intolerance

By any other name 

[NOTE: Inspired by Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny]

Respect the Word

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  GLOBAL DEMOCRACY

Respect the Word

 

Orwell served warning

Words and language matter

Use your words wisely

In contrast to the Mad Hatters

 

Freedom is not oppression

Love is not hate

Poverty is not a blessing

Tyranny is not fate

 

Patriotism does not belong to party

Free people do not obey

News is not fake

No matter what the man might say

 

There is only one real truth

There are no alternative facts

Combine your heart with your head

And on that basis react

 

When others spread falsehoods

With your silence you appease

When good words serve bad causes

They become a malignant disease

 

Every authoritarian movement

Begins with a false word

A catchy slogan or phrase

That appeals to the herd

 

Remember the Reign of Terror

Recall the Third Reich

They claimed a righteous cause

For which the people could fight

 

Every dictator in history

From Pol Pot to Chairman Mao

Relied on abuse of language

Machiavelli showed them how

 

Call it out

Loud and bold

Strip it bare

Stop it cold 

[Note:  This is one in a series of poems inspired by Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny.]

 

America Reborn

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

 

America Reborn

 

The miracle of democracy is

That our government is reborn

Every four years

 

Often there is continuity

A civilized transfer of power

A seamless flow of common ideas

Connecting past to future

 

Sometimes there is upheaval

As there is today

A severance of the present

From the past

A new beginning

A complete rebirth

 

Democracy for all its stumbles

For all its flaws

Affords us this opportunity

This miracle of renewal

 

We begin to heal our wounds

We begin to breathe again

We begin to see the light

We begin to believe again

 

We are America

We lost ourselves

As nations sometimes do

But we have returned

To embrace the dream

To secure the indelible truth