Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Trump's Ideas Grow Crazier -- US/Mexico Border to Become Military Zone -- Switching from Pumpkins to Pot



In the last days before a midterm congressional election that will determine the future of his presidency, Mr. Trump seems to be throwing almost anything he can think of against the wall to see what might stick, no matter how untethered from political or legal reality.   NYT


The stranger an idea may be
the more Trump is drawn to it, see?
His outlines bizarre
have carried him far
and stained pages in history.

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WASHINGTON—The number of U.S. troops being deployed to the Mexican border eventually will grow beyond 5,239—the figure officials announced a day earlier—the military commander overseeing the expanding deployment said.
WSJ

Even though with Mexico we're not at war today,
we're sending troops and weapons to their border anyway.
It only goes to prove that when it comes to paranoid,
the White House is a case study for wise old Sigmund Freud.
To babysit the border is a soldier's highest aim
when the Chief his fantasies he simply cannot tame. 


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Opening Half Moon Bay to commercial cannabis could change the city forever, they worry, normalizing pot for teenagers, luring outside investors with nefarious motives, and drawing federal scrutiny upon farm laborers, many of whom are undocumented Mexican workers.  Washington Post.
The residents of Half Moon Bay
all want cannabis to stay away.
Their motives are high
but should not apply
to farmers who need extra pay. 

********************

"Piffle!"


Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Haiku: the weeds will die back




the weeds will die back
the same time as the flowers
when winter rubs them


Haiku: the mad orange leaves



the mad orange leaves
and the brown pompous seed pods
don't care what's coming

Does Social Media Encourage Hate Crimes? -- Trump Continues to Trample the Constitution -- Land O'Lakes Boycott




On Instagram, 11,696 Examples of How Hate Thrives on Social Media  NYT headline


Encouraging hate with a tweet
and Facebook slurs are a real treat
for weak minds that dream
of hearing a scream
from innocents when death they meet.

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President Trump is planning an executive order he says would terminate the automatic right to citizenship for children born in the U.S. to noncitizens, a move most legal experts said would be unconstitutional   WSJ

I think if you're born with no brain
no citizenship can remain,
so I say deport
that dumb White House sport
before he can raise much more Cain.



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Land O’Lakes has withdrawn its support of a conservative lawmaker after the dairy company’s political donation churned up online cries for a boycott of its products. According to the Federal Election Commission, a political action committee for Land O’Lakes, the purveyor of grocery store staples such as butter, milk and cream, gave $2,500 to U.S. Rep. Steve King’s campaign on June 29. King is an Iowa Republican who is the member of Congress most openly affiliated with white nationalism. He has retweeted a Nazi sympathizer and has displayed a Confederate flag on his desk.
Washington Post


A company called Land O'Lakes
used to support lots O'Flakes.
But boycotts persuaded
them to keep unaided
the conservative cesspool O'Fakes.


***********************

"He's lost his marbles."





Your Primary Tab is Empty






'Your Primary tab is empty.'
The words I am longing to read
each morning when I am confronted
with my Gmail's jumbled stampede.

No messages from my ex girlfriends,
no spam from my Congressman, please!
No invites to meetings and luncheons.
No newsletters chock full of sleaze.

An inbox as clear as the blue sky
after a rainstorm blows through
I fear is beyond expectation
till after my heavenly coup. 


"Me, I use postcards."

Monday, October 29, 2018

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Haiku: ribbons down the street




ribbons down this street
in a reticent red queue 
for the other streets


Haiku: rattling brown bones



stripped of their hauteur
by thoughtless frolicking gales,
rattling brown bones


Today humbugs flourish like weeds



We live in a time of greatly expanded and disseminated information. But not all of this information is true. We need to be cautious as we seek truth and choose sources for that search. We should not consider secular prominence or authority as qualified sources of truth. We should be cautious about relying on information or advice offered by entertainment stars, prominent athletes, or anonymous internet sources. Expertise in one field should not be taken as expertise on truth in other subjects. Dallin H. Oaks.


Today humbugs flourish like weeds,
preying upon our deep needs.
They act like a god
while offering fraud;
their words never match their small deeds.