Poetic Torch Scorches Neocon Agenda

I received this slam poem as a comment to IVAW Storms UNCA



2008 Middle East Spelling Bee Final Words: QUAGMIRE & IMPEACHMENT
Poetic Torch Scorches NeoCon Agenda
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What Americans think, feel, vote, and say has zero bite.
With millions of votes Diebolt stolen, accountability - so slight.
NeoRadical RepubliCons chose how to so waste our might ---
Just where, when, and why we had to go START a fight.
They'd planned for Iraq, with 30 years more oil still in sight.
Must control the price and flow into OUR gas tanks, right?
Exxon-Mobil, BP, Shell - profits future sure looks bright!
Hyped bogus threats, then fanned the flames to such great height.
9/11, Anthrax, then the mushroom cloud type of fright.

Pulled the Towers, and with balled-up flags to plug their ears:
A Patriot Act panic attack => waived our rights to calm the fears.
How well a shredded Constitution wiped away our wasted tears.
Slick magic trick: lasted 800 years - now Habeas Corpus disappears.
Load the planes with C-notes, no bids please, as toxic dust clears;
Corporate warriors - No Draft! It's a private war - Three Cheers!
Fat cats, still fed by exce$$ greed, now six straight years.
Ten billion fraud, whistleblowers stalled in Justice: no one hears.
Say what, a change of plan to end war profits? Sharpen up the spears!
Another traitor to be skewered, trot out the NeoCon-tradicting seers.
From Limpbowel, O’Rlie-to-me, and their ilk, we start to hear the jeers.
Interrupting homophobic rants on "No Marriages for queers",
To deliver freshly think-tank-framed simplistic scripted smears.

Sad sight, so many flags draped over coffins never seen.
The sinister lies that filled them burried deep beneath such patriotic sheen.
Human losses well disguised, and media filtered from our collective eyes,
By corporate puppet leaders, whose agendas we must now despise.

Pity the Iraqi families, alone with blood, pain, death, despair,
Depleted uranium shells exploding - poison dust spreads everywhere,
While pompous jingo windbags fill the U.S. propaganda-polluted air,
Can spews of false praise glory, hide true neglect in veterans' care?
Fox Snooze hype NOT, as your heroes, our loved ones lost;
Their blood for oil - spent badly – much too high this cost.
Keith Rupert Murderdoch, the boss who must be tossed!

Long past his “Mission Accomplished” day in years now more than four,
One so delusional Decider is still not looking for an exit door.
An occupation, one aggressor means it never was a war!
The stench, the smell - corruption, failures everywhere,
Yet all we hear is that which plays upon our deepest fear.
A drone of platitudes preached to stretch our stay another year.

“The job is almost done! “
“Must keep them Terrorists on the run!”
“We can't abandon Iraq until we've won.”
“Another 30,000 surge, send us your brave sons.”
“ Trillion dollar debts, their kids can pay these no small sums!”
"Waterboarding works. Don't call it torture. You're just chums!"
NO NO NO! Time true Patriots stand and shout “Impeach these Bums!”

Lean hard on traitors, like Lieberman, to not just lose their parties,
But to find our Republic again, while we still have one!
Target the REAL Axis of Evil => IMPEACH Cheney-Bush!
Perhaps small justice, but at least some!

by RRLedford



Thank you, RRLedford. That was very inspiring.

Video of SDS/IVAW Action at UNCA

This pretty well captures the drama of the day's event. The kid who yelled out "Bullshit!" was either already signed up with the Marines (he has his high and tight cut) or his big brother was over in Iraq. He was the only opposition voice. You can see him standing near Jason near the end of the video.

IVAW Storms UNCA

I have finally calmed down. There was an action in the Highsmith building of UNCA today. I arrived to be a quiet observer and film the action. It happened a little after noon today and now, at a bit after 2pm, I have finally calmed down.
Soldiers in camo and full gear stormed the student building across from the downstairs cafe. A handful of SDS students posed as Iraqis sitting in their home. As the soldiers swept the room, they screamed, "GET THE FUCK DOWN, DOWN ON THE GROUND NOW! MOVE! NOW! MOVE IT YOU STUPID BITCH!". A crowd started to gather, as it was lunchtime anyway. The Marine recruiters who had a table set up near by, acted like nothing was happening.









Sorry the pictures are kind of blurry. My hands were shaking pretty bad.

It should be in the Asheville Citizen-Times tomorrow and I will try to post the video when I get a copy.

ACLU Forum at UNCA on Right to Dissent - Clare Hanrahan

UNCA in Asheville hosted a forum by ACLU on the right to dissent. It started out about protester's rights and restrictions and ended up as a grilling of Chief Hogan and Sheriff Duncan. They had rote answers welcoming residents to come and talk to them about their concerns. Some people stated that they have been for years. Clare Hanrahan, local writer, speaker and activist, gave a very powerful speech. She received applause throughout her speech and at the conclusion got a standing ovation. Listen to her powerful words:



I got choked up halfway through. Nothing new for me. She spoke so powerfully and with words that invoked the passion we all feel in the antiwar movement.

Thanks, Clare!

You DO Have a Right to Dissent! We Swear!

Anyone who has ever taken to the streets in protest needs to be at UNCA on Thursday night. A forum on 'Your Right to Dissent' will be held at the Highsmith Center on September 27, 2007, at 7pm. If you cannot make it to UNCA, WPVM 103.5FM will be broadcasting the forum live. The moderator will be Professor Mark Gibney and panelists include Dr. Dwight Mullen, Attorney Frank Goldsmith, Clare Hanrahan, Sheriff Duncan among others. The free forum is organized by the WNC and UNCA student chapters of the ACLU and is sponsored by a wide coalition of organizations, including MAIN and WPVM. The forum will discuss your rights and restrictions on exercising free speech, free assembly and other constitutional rights.
With our rights being stripped from us on a daily basis, this forum is very important. If you would like more information, contact Alex Cury at 253-5088 or email her at acury@juno.com.