Trump's call to monitor polls raises fears of intimidation

Democracy thrives on the thought
that voters can never be bought.
Bamboozled indeed,
but still there's no need
for thugs in the school parking lot. 

Inside Donald Trump’s very dangerous strategy to discredit the media

Killing the messenger, sire,

is full of foul consequence dire;

the truth must be told

by those who are bold,

and not by some toadies for hire.

Jay Perkins

When an Oelwein Police Department reserve officer “mooned” and pointed a gun at a Hillary Clinton yard sign, was it legally protected free expression or misconduct meriting disciplinary action?

from the Des Moines Register

Our cops have the right to protest

whenever they feel some unrest.

Why not shoot the moon

to show they're in tune

with others who feel so oppressed? 

Louisiana isn’t letting immigrants get married

So, as of this year, any foreign-born person wanting to get married in Louisiana must produce both an unexpired visa (even though a federal court has ruled that marriage licenses cannot be denied based on immigration status), as well as, somewhat inexplicably, a birth certificate.

from the Washington Post 

In Rayville the immigrant swain

a license to marry can't gain. 

And ain't it a shame

Erath is the same;

while living in sin is no strain. 

Why U.S. press freedom may not survive 2016

The reality is much cruder than we care to admit. The group Reporters Without Borders ranks the United States as a mediocre 41st out of 180 nations for press freedom, behind not just the usual suspects (Canada, the Scandinavian countries) but places like Ghana and Chile. That's not surprising in a country that honors its government whistleblowers by indicting them or throwing them into jail and wherereporters covering Black Lives Matter-style protests have found themselves detained for no good reason. And this was all before Peak Donald Trump.

from the Philadelphia Inquirer 

Dispensing with journos would be

a milestone in our history.

Who needs yapping dogs

when we've got fine blogs

that play with the truth constantly? 

Police: Man runs from officer then strips, bites tree (with apologies to Joyce Kilmer)

I think that I shall never see
another man go bite a tree.

A tree that did no harm at all,
but waited patiently for fall.

In an alleyway serene
such trees provide a restful scene.

And yet this man, as evil lark,
did grab the tree and chew the bark!

On PCP, and naked, too,
the heavens wept for him -- boo hoo.

Poems are made by fools like me,
but I will never bite a tree.

Hacked emails show extent of foreign government donations to Clinton Foundation

If you are an ambitious nation,

give to the Clinton Foundation.

A Hillary smile

you then will beguile;

advisers you'll get without ration. 

Restaurant Rant

An eatery that's a franchise

always serves soggy french fries;

the wait staff is slow;

yet tips seem to grow;

a package of ramen seems wise.

Take More Pills!

Big Pharma's now getting its thrills
by selling us more and more pills.
An ache or a pain
just means for them gain;
we're on their abusive treadmills.

Century-old grain silos to be razed by University of Minnesota, despite protests

It seems that the old U of M
doesn't have very much phlegm
when razing the sites
of historic highlights;
they don't know the dregs from the gem.