we will have to agree to disagree MC
my point is about American gun culture breeding unnecessary murders of innocent people - black, white and 'other' - as well as cops.
The difference is that the police are sworn to protect - it doesn't matter what colour anyone is - but the evidence suggest that beatings and killings are more prevalent against the black community.
It is too easy for the police to abuse their position as gun carriers when there is little or no perceived threat - as appears to be the case in this case.
If they 'take out' a criminal - as in the Dallas response - no one can argue that that is the right thing to do - I do not believe it correct to shoot someone in their own car for no reason - in this case a black, gun license holder reaching for his license as requested by the law officer.
Comment is about Lady Liberty Weeps (blog)
Original item by Ian Whiteley
Ian - the content and power of your poem is not denied.
It's always valued being to debate the points you raise in your thoughtful blogs.
My own misgivings centre on the way the media - even
more available via online dissemination in this global world
- make a "rush to judgement" about the tragic deaths
involving police action and those in their sights in modern America.
You seem to corroborate this approach with the words
in your second paragraph about the killing by "a cop" of
"a black man", asking the question: "would this have
happened if the man in the car had been white?" then
supplying your own answer: "Very probably not".
Therein, I suggest, lies the damaging presumption that
needs to be challenged. America has its own history,
and part of that does include a substantial amount of
crime - especially violent/ often gang and drug-related,
which sees an disproportionate ratio of black and hispanic inmates occupying US penal institutions.
This forms a big part of the scenario that some would
try to explain away or ignore, rather than face as the
festering social sore that it represents. Against this
background, the police are expected to step forward daily and face the unknown from their public, large numbers of which are actively encouraged & convinced
by vested/victim-orientated interests to view them as "the enemy", despite those in police ranks drawn from
varied ethnic origins.
Let me mention one example of how distortion can be
used to manipulate the reality to deceive. When the
video of "black motorist" Rodney King was given world-
wide media publicity and the LA Police roundly condemned for beating him with their batons, what was
not shown but apparently available to the Grand Jury
that declined to indict the officers involved, was the
preceding footage (edited by the media) that showed
King, a suspected drunk driver who had been pursued
by both the California Highway Patrol and the LAPD,
rushing at the officers (including a woman) on being
eventually stopped and challenged. A large and
threatening criminal, King suffered the consequences
- as did the officers (no guns used) under intense public
criticism for their actions. I suspect that if King had
been white, he would have "probably" got some of the
same until he was amenable to arrest.
"It's a fair cop, I'll come quietly" is not widely known in a country which has a history firmly rooted in its gun culture, its habit of making heroes of villains - and its
ongoing substantial social divisions, not helped by selective headlines like "Police Shoot Black".
Comment is about Lady Liberty Weeps (blog)
Original item by Ian Whiteley
M.C.
I couldn`t stop tittering to myself in church this morning at your fetching the poor Pope into Tony Blair`s troubles...I know the Pope is an `Argie`...but `uneasy conciences`...you`ve absolutely made my Sunday :)
How about this one:
`Dark night in the Vatican:
POPE...Listen, Tone, what do think are the chances of marching into Canterbury and freeing the English from
that vicious religious dictator Welsby?
Tony...Yeah...but will I get absolution?
Pope...Done!
(Exit conspirators into the shadows) `
It`s been great fun, but to get back to the question:
Do think that it might ever be right to forcibly disarm a dictator before he had time to develop nuclear weapons?
Comment is about A PERFORMANCE (blog)
Original item by M.C. Newberry
thanks so much for the 'likes' and the kind and supportive comments on this piece.
Just a response to MC
I'm not sure whether you are agreeing or disagreeing with the points I make here - I suspect the latter. Let me make it clear - this is not meant as a pro or anti anybody poem. It is about a cycle of hate and prejudice triggered by a medieval gun law in a country that is supposed to be the 'leader of the free world.
Where a cop - who is pledged to 'protect and serve' kills a black man who is 'licensed to carry' - for what reason? would this have happened if the man in the car had been white? very probably not. Because the police seem to be indoctrinated that 'black = threat' when, in fact, it should be 'proven violent criminal = threat'.
Consequently - an illegal, homicidal gun owner - takes it upon himself to 'avenge' a killing by targeting members of a force that is there to 'protect and serve' and in a huge majority do just that.
What is unacceptable is the fact that this situation is triggered by men of violence - whether in uniform and badged or in militia combats and un-badged.
Neither are right.
Both are wrong.
It's cyclical - but if the attitude by some police forces to target black people as criminals and violently react to the slightest provocation by over indulgence - and it is their responsibility not to do that if they don't want to be bracketed with the criminals - is not altered, then there will be more violence.
After all - if police forces do not treat everyone equally - and the justice system of a country does not protect that balance - then why are we surprised if the true criminal elements within any society react with violence?
Rant over
Comment is about Lady Liberty Weeps (blog)
Original item by Ian Whiteley
Preeti Sinha
Sun 10th Jul 2016 13:05
thanks for your continued supportive comments on 'Lady Liberty Weeps' Simon
Comment is about Simon Widdop (poet profile)
Original item by Simon Widdop
an interesting take no less. glad i have stoked the fires in such few words.
Comment is about borealis haiku (blog)
Original item by Stuart Buck
Thanks David and Stu for the appreciation, and David for the idea which I fleshed out. Humour must out in the ridiculousness of true life. You have been kind of late.
Ray
Comment is about THE GREEN GREEN GRASS AT DORTMUND (blog)
Original item by ray pool
What a fantastic and marvellous concept at the closing of the poem, and for me the parallel contains a black humour, a sort of wry acceptance of the inevitable so eloquently expressed.
Ray
Comment is about volatile (blog)
Original item by nunya
I like this Stu. Interestingly I have a railway signal in mind against a night sky - a fond image for me. A haiku should fire up the imagination and that you've done.
Ray
Comment is about borealis haiku (blog)
Original item by Stuart Buck
Very special this Tom. Instantly communicated in a most natural way without blarney. I feel privileged to be the first to comment. I hope you will read this to an audience - much better than a sermon.
Ray
Comment is about Glasnevin Reminiscing (blog)
Original item by Tom Doolan
elPintor
Sun 10th Jul 2016 03:32
introspection..a somewhat dreadful process when performed only for the sake of itself..yet your writing divulges its true purpose in elevating us beyond ourselves..I must agree with Stuart..a beautifully arranged piece of work
elP
Comment is about Introspection (acrostic) (blog)
Original item by David Lindsay
elPintor
Sun 10th Jul 2016 01:32
Like Stockholm Syndrome in the end..
the violence here is so hard to approach..the nature of a boy's sacrifice for a loved one is beyond my words..
A very emotional piece of work..moving enough to preclude praise..makes me wonder if we can ever co-exist peacefully beyond our earthly human labels of race, ethnicity, and religion.
elPintor
Comment is about Janissary (1) (blog)
Original item by John E Marks
Very funny take on the fun of poem of the week. There's a clear copyright infringement over that cucumber sandwich line though. I'll contact my solicitor on Monday... This is war!!! ;)
Comment is about Poem of the Week (blog)
Original item by Suki Spangles
lots of hints of madness here and overall its a comic poem but
the sun has not been kind of late
is such a fantastic stand alone line that it instills the whole piece with a strange sense of loss.
enjoyed greatly.
Comment is about THE GREEN GREEN GRASS AT DORTMUND (blog)
Original item by ray pool
But who acts for the officer who is faced with non-
compliance to his orders and violent resistance to
arrest? How do you reason with someone who will not
listen or who does not/will not do what is demanded of them in a country where hundreds of law officers are
killed and wounded each year, often when stopping
people...shot from a vehicle at a roadside by those whose hands are not visible and who fail to show them on demand, except when a gun appears in the hand?
The dash cameras of US police vehicles often show just
how those approached by officers fail to comply with
directions given to them - often repeatedly - and place
police in immediate defence mode in the knowledge that
their own death could be a moment away. It is also
the case that these cameras have offered evidence
of police misbehaviour that results in officers being
disciplined/dismissed...something rarely publicised.
The media approach seems to be focussed on the racial
ethnicity of anyone who is subject to police action in
preference to providing "background, evidence and cause".
If a man is shot, it is highlighted that he is "black" -
but when has it been the case that this emphasis is
afforded to those of other ethnic origins? I can't recall
such an event but I'm ready to be proved wrong.
America has its history to deal with - exacerbated by
the resort to firearms - but the reality of what is
happening deserves not to be distorted by selective
irresponsible reporting that fans the spark of social
unrest and division. The black chief of police in Dallas
was dignified and responsible in his reaction to the
murder of his officers, a stark contrast to the mobs
that take to the streets to protest about unproven racial motivations behind police actions.
Comment is about Lady Liberty Weeps (blog)
Original item by Ian Whiteley
this is really brilliant. i find acrostics very difficult to write, but the ease and grace with which this one is pulled off is fairly mind blowing. i have a real respect for works like this. the piece would be excellent on its own, even without the acrostic element, but added in it makes it really worth while. i am suitably impressed and more than a little jealous.
Comment is about Introspection (acrostic) (blog)
Original item by David Lindsay
A truth - but it invites quantifying.
Speak up if you have something to say that contributes
to humanity's good order and peaceful progress.
There is always a season for good reason
A winter of discontent must avoid any evil meant.
Comment is about The Voiceless (blog)
Original item by Shirley Smothers
Dear Beth thank you for your comments... war is and always has been and always will be an ugly business. Before action things become tunnel vision, routines are a distraction, words lose meaning, so little is said other then reassurance, small jokes, and above all nothing to betray fear... which is why the hands are the betrayal. This is still how it is dealt with now.
LCPT its amazing isn't it, you are so right that common place is reached for in these circumstances, reassurance to banish fear... but mainly to be able to believe your not alone.
Thank you.
Comment is about 'Betrayed by the hands' by Phil Kay is Write Out Loud Poem of the Week (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
thanks david! if in doubt write about your all consuming thirst for poetry.
Comment is about poetry (blog)
Original item by Stuart Buck
An entertaining hymn to "shop-aholics" who suffer from
what my mother used to refer to as "money burning a hole in your pocket".
I would have omitted "the till going ping" in the second verse and used "the till's ting-a-ling" instead. But that's
just me!
Comment is about cure my spending addiction (blog)
Original item by Chloe Love
Harry - Blair's relationship with Bush reminded me of that
between Wilson and LBJ years before...cruelly but
devastatingly lampooned in a famous Gerald Scarfe
cartoon that I recall seeing on the cover of Private
Eye, featuring a grovelling Wilson lickspittle hanging on
desperately to LBJ's belt/backside, with the latter
looking back contemptuously over his shoulder.
I was not reassured by Blair's conversion to Roman
Catholicism and his meeting with the Pope of that time.
Religion is often just a convenient refuge for uneasy consciences.
Comment is about A PERFORMANCE (blog)
Original item by M.C. Newberry
Always willing to learn from a Master, Harry.
Thank you.
Comment is about ETERNITY RING (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
No chance, John, no chance...To any woman worth her salt Eternity is no problem at all.
(Practice, after me, `Thine eternal beauty shall not fade...
etc;...etc;...`)
Comment is about ETERNITY RING (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
Ah, well,
Bush made a mistake and Blair - who supported him - has paid for it.
It brings up an interesting thought though:...If we suspect some dictator of possessing W.M.D.`S (and the means of delivering them) when exactly should we invade?
Sadaam-in the previous gulf war-had actually launched 88 scud missiles at Israel (most of which landed) He probably
had no W.M.D`s then...but if what if he had?...would that war have been too late?
Also-given that Israel has their own nuclear `goodies` now-what if the experts had been right and Sadaam had launched...what a jolly old middle-eastern bonfire night we might have had then?...When those sort of things are in danger of popping off at each other isn`t it better to go in before they become operational?...Just a thought.
In this connection it would be useful to give some thought to the stage that Iran had reached in it`s nuclear efforts
before the recent (temporary?) halt.
It seems that, now, the West would rather that the Middle East should be ruled by ruthless dictators rather than any progress for the `Arab Spring`...what a turn around!
Comment is about A PERFORMANCE (blog)
Original item by M.C. Newberry
Beth Harris
Sat 9th Jul 2016 14:58
poems like this inspire me, reminds me why I write. To touch the reader as they read it through out. Experience in war or not. My faveroute catagory I enjoy to read are poems about war!
It allows me to give a better insight, and a clear imagery on what it would feel like I the war, the repetition through out the poem gives me that insight! It allows me to see the way you view situations like this in your eyes. The descriptive writing you use, is something I like to call a gift. The way you describe the emotions the soldier feels is extraordinary! The first stanza really opened that up for me " fucking hands - shake" to me this describes a clear image of fear. The fear of killing another, almost being killed, or the fact that seeing others be brutally destroyed by another's hand, clearly explains the fear running through the soldiers mind! This is what I call a poem :)
Comment is about 'Betrayed by the hands' by Phil Kay is Write Out Loud Poem of the Week (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Thank you, folks. And thanks, too, to the Swoomptheeng collective in Birmingham, who've done *this* with my words: https://soundcloud.com/user-643244312/stabberjocky-swoomptheeng-mix
Comment is about stabberjocky (blog)
Original item by steve pottinger
elPintor
Sat 9th Jul 2016 04:06
Thanks to all..I really do get a kick out your comments..truly, its a pleasure to know that we remain unfixed from any dictated point of commonality in interpretation. It's a good part of what drew me to posting on this site in the first place.
elP
ps
I really like that attitude, Stu.."that hasn't stopped me in the past"..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r80HF68KM8g
Comment is about avert (blog)
Original item by nunya
An intriguing tale, in a kind of dream. There seems to be a message of the destruction of an elevated position and though hard to analyse it has a real impact for me.
Ray
Comment is about Brown Water (blog)
Original item by David Blake
Bewitching and compelling with a hint of something unattainable. Clever twist of observation.
Ray
Comment is about avert (blog)
Original item by nunya
Brilliant words. So clever and picture perfect.
Comment is about stabberjocky (blog)
Original item by steve pottinger
speaks to me of jumping off a building. might be way off the mark but i usually am and that hasnt stopped me in the past. its oddly beautiful, well done.
Comment is about avert (blog)
Original item by nunya
Thank you for all the lovely words... EP, MC, Julian..
People in this situation don't wax lyrical.
Its the closeness that moves people forward.
Comment is about 'Betrayed by the hands' by Phil Kay is Write Out Loud Poem of the Week (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
Don't worry Nicola
In this circle of crazy poets - - - you have just become one of us!
Comment is about Nicola Hulme (poet profile)
Original item by Nicola Hulme
Calder Valley Poetry
Fri 8th Jul 2016 16:06
The Lady of Shalott.
Comment is about Stephanie Blythe (photo)
The theme for Monday night is - - - under a full Moon
Moonbeams shine a path
Shadows of death
rising up from
their unmarked graves.
The full Moon
spiritual guiding light
shines a path.
Corridor removes darkness
howling pack follows
hunting down prey.
Bloodthirsty werewolves seek
poor unsuspecting victim
human scent found.
Horrified ghastly fear
terrified screams heard
then deadly silence.
Sunbeams bring daylight
a mutilated corpse
devil dogs satisfied.
Comment is about Write Out Loud at Stockport art gallery tonight (article)
Original item by Greg Freeman
http://youtu.be/JHkbhQKALFk Check this out
Comment is about Alisha loco (poet profile)
Original item by Alisha loco
elPintor
Fri 8th Jul 2016 12:51
Too funny, David..I know the feeling, believe me.
elP
Comment is about avert (blog)
Original item by nunya
elPintor
Fri 8th Jul 2016 02:40
Hi, Ian,
I watched a series of videos this evening..all filmed by witnesses to recent gun crimes committed by those we are supposed to trust. These are only examples of some of the worst offenses. There are many examples of police brutality that will never make the news while we labor under a system that forces an accused to trade justice for a plea.
I believe that there are many decent men and women who serve in this capacity. However, I also believe it a shame that any aberrant handling of civilians is not only tolerated, but protected behind the blue line.
I could go on and on about the many heated arguments I've had with so many..cops and civilians alike.
I hope with a heavy heart that everyone is looking at these fatal incidents from a perspective that objectively includes humanity as it exists in all its habitat. Thanks for writing.
elP
ps
Some 15 years ago (to the best of my memory), a man suffered asphyxiation as he struggled against his own death with a knee buried in his back. In the city where it happened, a sort of citizen oversight committee was implemented where people could lodge complaints against the police force. It's supposed to be made up of people from the community of all walks of life. I would be interested to know how effective it has been in curbing police brutality.
Comment is about Lady Liberty Weeps (blog)
Original item by Ian Whiteley
I almost felt sorry for Tony Blair - almost but then I gave myself a strong talking to!
Wrong decision, so many lives lost :(
Comment is about A PERFORMANCE (blog)
Original item by M.C. Newberry
Oh, brilliant stuff, Steve, and right up my street!
I love all your new words, and the Justice Minister will now forever after be called Slithy Gove!
Comment is about stabberjocky (blog)
Original item by steve pottinger
Oops, rather a belated thanks for your comments, gentlemen. :-)
Harry, it's not all the groceries, just some of them, haha!
Yes, it's a temporary thing, MC, normally concentration on other things!
Appreciated
Lynn x
Comment is about SCATTERBRAINED (acrostic sonnet?) (blog)
Original item by Lynn Dye
yes lots of happy precious memories
Comment is about Chloe Love (poet profile)
Original item by Chloe Love
a beautiful deep trip ,down memory lane.
Comment is about Chloe Love (poet profile)
Original item by Chloe Love
Thanks for that link, Stu. He was clearly commissioned to do it! I love the way that among the attractions shown is (what I assume to be) a sugar beet factory.
Comment is about HENGISTBURY HEAD (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
I have moon madness!
4 days I have stewed over every facet I can think of to create a simple poem for the theme "Full Moon"
... but Eureka! 'Tis done
I hope the group understand it.
I hope I don't sound like a crazed lunatic on the night!
Comment is about Nicola Hulme (poet profile)
Original item by Nicola Hulme
Stu Buck
Sun 10th Jul 2016 17:20
this is great. i genuinely had no idea what it was describing until the last lines. lots of lovely language too.
Comment is about The Process (blog)
Original item by Alexandra Lorenz