The First Amendment Died This Year ( a repost )

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icebox
Member Elite

since 2003-05-03

Posts 4383
in the shadows

0 posted 2004-09-01 06:41 PM

Words fail
often when I need them most;
when they do,
I feel empty,
dissatisfied with everything,
a ghost
in a world which has no place
for me,
as if suddenly I'm French toast
without the toast.

When words fail
I'm left with unformed thoughts,
or worse
with thoughts so palpable
they feel fleshed out in steel,
animated by a raging spirit
alone,
real passion
without a single bone of judgement,
or remorse.

If words fail,
it always seems
I let my dreams take over
and life dissolves in poignant signs,
then reforms
in cartoon outlines,
where the artist
draws blank thought balloons
to be filled in
at someone else's later date.

The words fail
pouring
from politicians' mouths,
thick streams
of honey coated compost,
regurgitated reams of calculated lies
massaged by hired trolls,
in images fluffed up
by convoluted polls.

Those words fail,
even before they slide
through the blenders of the press,
the real pretenders
of truth
justice
and the opportunistic way.

No wonder words fail,
when Justices decide
free speech
belongs only to the people
after everybody else has lied,
the politicians and the press
have told us what to think,
without a chance to raise a voice
and its too late to change a choice.

Words fail
when there is no more
a voice
that can be heard,
unless it has been sanctified
by predetermination.

©2004 by icebox

********************* A NOTE OF EXPLANATION******************

Thank you all for reading this poem.  This is a political poem reposted here because there is no Political Poetry Forum and because politics includes obscenities which should be washed in the open.

This poem, written with poor attention to form, was the product of anger that has simmered too long.  What triggered it was a single catalyst, but the energy grew from a larger base.  Freedom of speech is the real life blood of poetry.  Several laws have been enacted in the U.S. which directly or indirectly are cutting away at this freedom.

With apologies to PiP readers who live in other countries, the 20th Century saw some remarkable assaults on the U.S. Constitution by our elected officials in the name of protecting us (usually protecting us from ourselves).

Until the 21st Century, the politically pesky amendments have included the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 9th and 10th amendments to the U.S. Constitution.  In various ways, the citizens of the U.S. have condoned, accepted and sometimes demanded laws that "protect" them from the freedoms outlined in these amendments.  It is statistically true that most people are frightened by freedom; it is anecdotally true that most politicians are opportunists who prey on people's fears.

Now, in our shiny new century, the 1st amendment has been added to this list of dangerous freedoms.

McCain-Feingold/Shays-Meehan Campaign Finance Reform Bill has been described by one of the dissenting Supreme Court Justices as "...a law that cut to the heart of what the First Amendment is meant to protect: the right to criticize the government." --Justice Scalia

The First Amendment clock stops at one minute after midnight tonight and will not be restarted until after the coming election is over.

For example, we as poets will now be prohibited by law from speaking out in a coordinated effort in support of any political issue, candidate, existing law, pending law, proposed law, political platform or political party.  That previously guaranteed right is now reserved for the candidates, their political parties, and the representatives of the media.

You can say that no one would care if poets started a newsletter or bought ads in the media to represent the joint voice of poets on any of those issues, and you probably would be right.  That is not the point.  The point is that we now do not have the legal right to do so.  The choice of enforcement is up to the legal system’s representatives.

Like most laws that redefine (progressively restrict) freedom, this one has been called a step in the right direction.  Well, only if you agree that the right direction is tyranny and subjugation.

Freedom very much is the proverbial frog which must be boiled very, very slowly so that it does not notice it is dying.

Free people are citizens; people without freedom are subjects.

Any reader is free to disagree with me, but please do it by email or in one of the discussion forums.

ice
Member Elite

since 2003-05-17

Posts 3404
Pennsylvania

1 posted 2004-09-01 07:11 PM

Gasp!
Bravo! I stand applaud you, sir!
These frightened sons of turnips that are in power now have half of the citizens of our country fooled into thinking they have some kind of control on outside opposition..and that by rescinding rights that they will make us safer....
What fools they are, someone has to stop them.
Enjoyed this poem very much, it tells me that I am not alone with my thoughts...
---------ice
><>

Come read to me some poem,
Some simple and heartfelt lay,
That shall soothe this restless feeling
And banish the thoughts of day.
Longfellow

Susan
Member Ascendant

since 2004-03-27

Posts 5104
walking the surreal

2 posted 2004-09-01 07:52 PM

I appreciate reading this and the expression in the poem, which I think was very good. Why should people fear what can be said, when they have a mind of their own as to what to believe, don't they? Or do we only do and believe what we are told? I'd hate to think that.

Susan

Happiness isn't something that happens to you, it's created from within you. Joy is a state of mind.

James_A_Fraser
Senior Member

since 2003-09-03

Posts 972
Out Making Anticlines

3 posted 2004-09-01 10:23 PM

It's tempting to say that most of the original Bill Of Rights is under the same assault, so why not Number One.....

The answer is self-evident, that the rest spring from the first, and to the extent it is damaged, all the rest are damaged. You're absolutely right that we are seeing this played out, as folks like the two of us warned -- or tried to warn -- when the measure was enacted, only to be ridiculed as money-driven scoundrels for, what was that?

Oh yeah, for daring to raise our voices -- by people who wanted to pretend a victory by having shut us up.

~~J

Sunshine

Administrator

Member Empyrean

since 1999-06-25

Posts 63354
Listening to every heart

4 posted 2004-09-01 10:28 PM

quote:
The First Amendment clock stops at one minute after midnight tonight and will not be restarted until after the coming election is over.

With God by our side, and those that will go out and cast their votes, this will soon be over.

Speak your mind, people, before someone speaks it for you.

Thank you, Sir!

iliana
Member Patricius

since 2003-12-05

Posts 13434
USA

5 posted 2004-09-03 02:02 AM

This arosed my interest so much that I actually went searching out the Bill. Very interesting, indeed, to say the very least. Thank you sending hugs, jo

wranx
Member Elite

since 2002-06-07

Posts 3689
Moved from a shack to a barn

6 posted 2004-09-03 12:01 PM

I bow to you Boxman, for giving voice to my very own thoughts.

This slow painful death of what should be untouchable is maddening.

(And Karilea? AS far as I can see, "They" (the political machinery)have offered us no choices in the upcoming election that would slow this erosion...Its not in their best interest, you see)

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