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Showing posts with the label greed

9/11 Reflections: The Nation We Could Have Been, The Nation We Are

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Remember this. He lied about the greatest tragedy to hit the nation in the 21st century. He’s now president.  My coworker Matt waved me over to his cubicle, right after the first tower was hit. We looked at each other in disbelief. Had the pilot had a heart attack? What the hell? The second plane hit and we knew this was not an. accident. Within a couple of hours, after the crash at the Pentagon, and the thwarted flight 93, the pall over the office was cast. Once the pilots had been identified as coming from a Middle Eastern country, my friend Amy turned to me and said things were going to get much worse of Black and Brown people. In the U.S. We were told to go home and be with our families and loved ones, and I, like many people, called friends in New York to see if they were okay. I was shaken and concerned. But I was also additionally rocked by what this would mean for the nation, for the world. I did not like the Bush administration and under normal circumstances, he would have...

PoemPolemic: Anit-Capitalist Screed (for Melissa)

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“I rend myself…”, etching, 1985, Artist: John Barrett Time to busta myth Capitalism is no one’s friend Except the Wealthy, The so-called well-to-do Who do little else than  Increase their wealth. Look, capitalism claims That it promotes  Competition And competition  Promotes Innovation. Bullshit People create because  They must, because there Is joy in painting, writing, dancing, singing There is profound depth of Feeling in the discovery  Of a scientific principle In the development  Of a solution that no one saw before Increasing a profit margin so  Your fucking company  Can get out front of the  Competition Is not that; it is not joyful It is not life-affirming It is appealing To the lowest  Common denominator Greed The people are not the  Vulgar crowds The vulgarians are  The ones with their odious  Overstuffed mansions Their reputations for making  More money For stealing other people’s Ideas to claim as their ow...