Monday, May 30, 2022

I have a brilliant friend, Bill Duker, who writes poetry as a hobby. I receive one, two, or more a day, always comment and often suggest edits. Bill has probably written over 10,000 poems and never sought to publish. He writes them faster than most of us can write a five line thank you note. Below is yesterday’s poem.

They imagined a government limited in scope No king or queen; not even a pope A government that was elected, for all and for one At a time in history when they all had a gun.

In an age of slavery and when women could not vote In an age when government was distant and remote

In an age before the Internet allowed lies to spread like fire, Before there was a president who was a liar.

After a revolution, world war, and a depression, Before a prime minister and President gave dictators concessions, Before and after privacy was a right Before supersonic missiles were ever in sight.

Before “like” was the most common word in discourse When civility, not government, was the greatest force,

Before Siri and Alexa made us all think we were smart, When good and evil were much further apart.

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Thought loss for Heat. Not so tough loss for Marlins.

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Busy Monday. Get haircuts early Monday morning in apartment. Barber’s shop closed so now he makes house calls.

Then meeting with Marco Scaletti, at which time we hope, after several years, to straighten out all the zoning and tax issues with respect to our apartment..

Then to hospital to see surgeon and see how much progress I have made with respect to the fracture in my leg mending. Flying home Wednesday will be challenging to say the least but, hopefully, I will not need the brace.

Then, expect Robin for apertivo at 6 to say goodbye.

Cannot do Covid tests until Tuesday.

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Important that both President and Mrs. Biden going to Texas to meet with the families of those killed and injured.

This entire gun issue is capable of doing serious damage to our already seriously damaged country.

The choices facing the American people are not nuanced. They are pretty much black and white.

Certainly, there can be no question where the Republicans stand. They are lockstep with the NRA and there is not doubt that money and power is more important than protecting the lives of just not our children, but everybody.

How can we be so bad?

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At the suggestion of my friend Len Blackwell, and in order to save time:

The tight-knit community of _________ was shaken to its core today when a gunman went on a rampage that lasted ____ minutes and killed ____adults and ____children.

Police said an additional _____ people were wounded in the country’s ___ th mass shooting of the month and ___ th this year.

Authorities have identified the gunman as a ___-year-old from _________. The motivation for the attack, as best the police can determine so far, was _________. It echoes mass shootings this year in ________, ________ and ________.

The gun used in the massacre was a ________, the same type used in mass killings this year in _________, _________ and, most notoriously, in _________.

Authorities said __________ had purchased the weapon he used legally.

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I do not have a lot to say about the world this Monday morning because I am more focused on a lot of personal matters. Logistics can be a bitch and since I am physically incapacitated to help Barbara, the least I can do is be sure her substantive plans get implemented with a minimum of hitches.

Besides, the major issues are getting beaten to death. It is rare that I am, at this point, out of words to express how bad is our situation. At this point, I think we have a massive game of chicken going on. Who is going to blink first?

The Republicans, en masse, are aligned with the devil. No one with any sense can conclude it is right to take positions with which up to 90% American disagree.

I cannot explain and will not even try. Today we remember those who gave their lives to defend freedoms others were trying to take away. They would be turning over in their graves thinking a small minority of greedy American thugs are now taking away those freedoms.

—————— Go Ukraine