A Self-fulfilling Prophecy (Political Verse)

by Dee Newman

During the six years they held majorities
In both the U.S. House and the Senate,
The Bush administration’s priorities
Seemed bent on proving their basic tenet–
That government inefficiency
Is as inherent as its corruption,
Clearly a self-fulfilling prophecy,
Rather than a proven assumption.
After filling government agencies
With all their cronies, they implemented
A long list of conservative policies,
And throughout the process, circumvented
A large number of federal statutes,
Choosing to ignore, relax, neglect or
Outsource federal regulatory pursuits
And other tasks to the private sector.
By undermining the federal
Government’s ability to perform
Its duties, they sparked a political
And ideological firestorm
That led to one disastrous event
After another, undercutting those
Agencies that were created to prevent
Such things as our present financial woes.
From the preemptive and protracted
Invasion and occupation of Iraq
To the failed rescue, no-bid contracted
Recovery plan for Katrina’s storm-track,
From the injurious consequences
Of cutting taxes during a time of war
To the harmful, disturbing offenses
Authorized by the president on torture,
The Bush administration’s disdain
For government and the rule of law does
Not prove that our government is profane,
Only that his administration was.

Political Verse: The Judgment at Nuremberg

by Dee Newman

The judgment at Nuremberg was that War
Is evil. And, self-defense, its lone
Justification. Those persons, therefore,
Who initiate a war on their own
Must bear the sole responsibility
For all the children burned, crippled, and killed,
For all the death and pain and tragedy,
For all the waste and innocent blood spilled.
Though, the engraved subject and its exergue
Has long faded from our consciousness,
The victor's revenge of Nuremberg
May soon be revisited upon us.
I wonder, are we prepared to live by
The rules of criminal conduct that we
Once enforced on others and to apply
Those laws to our acting authority?
         The Geneva Conventions we signed ain't
         Out-of-date, old-fashion, nor are they ''quaint.''