They Should Be Jailed

They Should Be Jailed

Is it enough to run some guy for office
In November
And get him elected president
And then do it the way
the Democrats would do it

Is it enough to reestablish
the US as at least
Trying to be a kind,
Compassionate, learning,
culturally sensitive nation
with, for once, a presidents's wife
who speaks four languages?

Is it enough to quit swaggering, mouthing off,
Going it alone, and bombing,
only to get shot and stabbed and beheaded
Yes, mam here's your son
what we found of him anyway
Thankyouverymuch goodbye now

And what about the partly returned,
Without arms, legs, conscience
and/or a future?

Is it enough to get out of this war
With some kind of coalition and maybe even
Some reclaimed dignity or status in the
family of nations?

No, I say, it is not enough...

Until we learn from this history and
Make it so this never happens again

Until we require an intelligence test
For higher office,
And you have to pass.

Until we have taken a long hard look at war and see
That it is the ultimate, large scale terrorism

Until we disallow any thought of any enemy
At least from our side, and see only
The misinformed, underemployed, miseducated
Who don't need killing, but a living

No, it is not enough to simply turn
Bush, Cheney, Rumsfield, Condi, Ashcroft
And yes, even Powell, out of office.

They should be jailed.

Or even better, spanked
and then jailed

At least for a while
So they can stare at the wall,
Wondering what happened

Like we have, these years
Since the wrong sort of people
got in office,

Like so many Iraqi's did
Like so many American soldiers
And their families did

Like everyone, falling
on September 11 did

It will never be enough
Until we outlaw war
And make deep, inner peace
the only career
the only agenda
the only foreign
or domestic policy
Of every American
From now on
Forever.



August 11, 2004
Paul Johan Stokstad