The
Litany of November 7th From know-nothing hubris in foreign affairs,
From Rummy and Cheney and bring-it-on dares,
From a frat-boy smirking with nothing upstairs,
Libera nos.
From never-bid contracts for kleptocrat cronies,
From Bechtel and Enron, and Crawford cojones,
From predators condoned and gay-bashing phonies,
Libera nos.
From last throes and Cheney and corruption
unchained, From safety nets shredded and pension funds
drained, From chickenhawk dreams of imperium gained,
Libera nos.
From Osama uncaught to Palestine's
walling, From Lebanese slaughtered to Israel’s
stalling, From Pakistan
coddled to cluster-bombs falling, Libera nos.
From windfalls at Exxon and war-toys enjoyed,
Afghanistan bungled and Rumsfeld employed, From the twin towers exploited and survivors
annoyed, Libera nos.
From CIA warnings and Katrina ignored,
From overstretched soldiers and the U.N.
abhorred, From the Big Easy ruined and the Big Apple cored,
Libera nos.
From Samuel Alito and backstreet abortions,
From Yo, Blair (the poodle) and corporate
extortions, From allies who loathe us and Condi’s
distortions, Libera nos.
From preemptive war and weapons not found,
From Habeas lost and detainees bound,
From snooping on cits and lawlessness crowned,
Libera nos.
From allies and friends who fund the jihadis,
From Musharraf and Egypt and
treacherous Saudis, From bodies sans limbs and heads minus bodies,
Libera nos.
From God-talk and Jesus and Rush-Limbaugh jive,
From go-it-alone and dead or alive, From ports undefended and fanatics that thrive,
Libera nos.
From staying the course with no other plan,
From blaming Saddam and ignoring
Sudan, From ineptly helping the clowns in
Iran, Libera nos.
From boots on the ground too few to be master,
From Taliban rising and poppy-fields vaster,
From de-Baathification that led to disaster,
Libera nos.
From Christians afraid of science and light,
Red ink in the trillions with no end in sight,
From tax-cuts for fat-cats and middle-class
fright, Libera nos.
From statues pulled down and flight-deck élan,
From bogus intel and Chalabi the pawn,
From ersatz reporters and Abramoff’s con,
Libera nos.
From levees that break and waters that pound,
From heckuva job and no help to be found,
From FEMA and Brownie and black people drowned,
Libera nos.
From detention sans trial and rights down the
drain, From evidence squeezed from bodily pain,
From kangaroo courts and Star-Chamber reign,
Libera nos.
From I don’t do nuance and a uniter’s divisions,
From Daddy’s mistakes and Junior’s revisions,
From The Decider and all his Decisions,
Libera nos.
