not of this world

the Church's coffers burgeon year by year
immortal corporation waxing fat
immune to taxes here and everywhere
a dainty haul from passing 'round the hat
but Francis feels his mission's to the poor
and worries banking bears a moral taint
instead of grasping after ever more
he's more inclined to emulate a saint
some Cardinals are tempted to rebel
unwilling to curtail the way they roll
Ecclesiastic politics are Hell
when Jesuits set budget, tone and goal
his vision moves the world's oppressed to hope
unless his guards assassinate this Pope

above the law

House Speaker Hastert's lawyer dropped the trick
by calling an extraneous witness
to testify that Denny's not a dick
he let the jury stir the sordid mess
what one can testify, the next rebuts
that he's a pedophile seems beyond doubt
a fondler of his wrestler's dicks and nuts
when half the sordid details have come out
a banking violation seems a joke
when he's been violating teen-aged guys
his carcass should be rotting in the poke
at least until the happy day he dies
a trusted teacher's access to our schools
can't be a license to flout all our rules

opportunity lost

the Dean campaign inspired the Left to dream
that no one need be shut out from HealthCare
but Talking Heads DQ'ed him for the scream
anointing someone tall with well-coiffed hair
John Kerry might have been the president
if he'd seen fit to go out and campaign
but he would never let his passions vent
and viewed potential voters with disdain
the hero who'd protested Vietnam'
seemed too aloof to put up the good fight
as if he really didn't give a damn
that all the cov'rage listed to the Right
the second Cheney term gave him more room
to push our planet closer to its doom

FISC farce

our Public Advocate before the FISC
assuages qualms the SpyState's in control
but all the judges know that there's no risk
that anyone will listen to his role
because it's final, our High Court's Supreme
in matters legal it gets the last word
no matter how executives may scheme
a secret FISA court remains absurd
what cannot be appealed must be annulled
no body's answerable to two heads
and Lady Justice's keen sword is dulled
if we accept that Due Process is dead
a Kangaroo Court freed from oversight
discards all laws that aren't "might makes right"

moving forward

participation must mean more than checks
if we're to be real sov'reigns of our state
to back a candidate just for her sex
would leave the helm of policy to fate
the backroom bosses would infantilize
the voters who deserve the leading role
if we surrender, our republic dies
and plutocrats achieve complete control
our nation's wounds will take some time to heal
the Gingrich years have drowned discourse in noise
we've sunk below our grandfathers' NewDeal
in fealty to former leaders' boys
a socialist with ben-Gurion's hair
proposes revolution, if we dare

cahoots

for Hillary, this phase is getting old
she's eager to start sidling to the Right
if Bernie doesn't have the grace to fold
her newspapers will blame him for the fight
the editors know she'll never forgive
and--if she wins--she'll shut their presses down
she knows their weaknesses and where they live
and how to buy opinion in this town
inside the Beltway, she's already won
the headlines are already set in type
but Bernie gives no sign he might be done
he's not susceptible to Clinton hype
the Sanders campaign for the Common Man
must be destroyed to execute her plan

petty tyrant

when Erdogan broke faith with Turkey's Kurds
he tipped his country into civil war
dismissing loyal citizens as turds
who looked for honest service from this whore
the Europeans snubbed his bid to join
the Economic Union of the rich
a metaphoric boot-toe to the groin
provoking him to whine and pout and bitch
he thought himself a new Salahuddin
bold champion of Islam to the West
but Europe's never gonna let him in
until he shows a clean Wasserman test
he loves the Turks (when he's up for a vote)

but still prefers to fuck his poxy goat