№ 876: In Defense Of Western Civ

LET US NOT PRAISE FAMOUS MEN (June 10) —

Old dead white men are essential.

We would not exist but for them

solving the puzzle within the conundrum,

standing between us and mayhem.

Where would we be without old dead white men?

We would not, I would warrant, be civilized. 

For it is true it was solely through them

that human potential was realized.

For fire and farming, for war, for the arts

we must give thanks to all those old farts,

pioneers through the years whose guiding hand

destroyed, in turn, each promised land

that they created (if only by chance),

establishing benchmarks for man's unkind advance.

Huzzah! Let us cheer our old dead white men,

knowing that soon there will be still more of them.

№ 770: Chances Are

Email subscribers click here.

DO OVER (January 14)

(with apologies to Bob Dylan)

We’re in pain, more loss than gain, our future’s past

It was fun, a real good run, it could not last

Our time is up, the piper must be paid

Though we stall, it can not be de-layed

Trump or not, there is no other way,

it’s all over, so long USA

It's not im-mi-grants, un-i-ons or mi-nor-it-ies

Too late, an-y-ways, t’ change pri-or-it-ies

It isn't Bi-bles . . . Je-sus, it ain’t guns

It’s about what natch-er-ly comes

Countries rise and fall, that's hist'ry's way

And the time is up, so good-bye, USA

All mission’ries and sci-en-tists and so-cial-ists

claimin’ t' have answers . . . they are useless pests

Climate change, en-vir-on-ment collapse

These are facts, there is no per-haps

We've taken ev'rything Earth had to give

And it’s all over now, Western Civ


Leave the stepping stones behind there's something that calls for you

All the debts we've left, they are now coming due

The vag-a-bonds now at our border door

are standing in the clothes that we once wore

Drill an-oth-er well, that’s all we do

We're so over now, Red, White and Blue