By Ernie McCray

Regarding the synagogue catastrophe,
a friend of a friend of mine composed
these words setting a healing tone:
“But we Jews are strong;
we have been through this before;
I just had hoped
that we would never have
to go through it again”
and one’s mind,
as it assesses yet another tragedy
during these unquiet times,
wanders to how intensely out of hand
our world seems to be
and how so much of that
traces back
to a man
in Washington D.C. —
a man
who reeks white supremacy
like a Grand Dragon
at a cross burning ceremony
and portrays not giving a damn
like nobody else can,
and from the highest pulpit in the land,
he’s pretty much fulfilling his promise
of making “America Great Again,”
taking into consideration
that today’s social and political situation
is like it was when the nation
seemed great to him,
those “Yee-Ha/Good Old/Jim Crow/
Everything Goes Days”
before political correctness
stepped in,
a time when:
you could call a spade a spade
and darker skinned people
were expected to stay in their place,
no ifs ands or buts,
no speaking in bass…
“English Only” attitudes all over the place…
concentration camps, reservations,
ghettoes and braceros…
Christianity the default
as far as religions go…
Anybody out of step
with the scenario
had, with very little
resources to get there,
a long way to go.
Somebody who was there
is telling you so.

And this man wants to blast
us back to that past
feeding us notions,
as we stand aghast,
he hopes will last
like factual news
is fake news
and Fox News
has the real news,
when it’s, in truth,
designed to confuse
and cause us to misuse
our ability to refuse deluges
of ideas that abuse
our wellbeing
so that he can, essentially,
stand tall in the news
with his
appalling behavior and views,
his making ado,
about all the nonsense
he manages to accrue,
in full view
of those who think like him too
or want to.

And he wants no criticism of
all his insane hullabaloo
since, “After all,
all the great dictators
had it that way”
he wants so much to say
as he gazes
at what he’s helped put into play,
the only enterprise at which
he’s worked tirelessly
and relentlessly in any way:
making the pursuit of
peace and justice
and freedom for all
basically passé –
for however many days
he’s been in the White House
twittering away
to have his say
in all the Milky Way.

So anyone who’s worked hard
to fulfill a dream
must understand
how stoked he must be
seeing his fantasies realized,
seeing his enemies
receiving threats to their lives
with bombs disguised
as mail,
the intended means
for their demise;
seeing those who’ve
chugged his kool-aid
and are eager (in a rage
fueled by fears
of being replaced
or upstaged
in a country
they feel they’ve owned
age after age)
to engage
in making “America Great Again.”
And it’s apparent that it is
no matter to such as them
if they have to cause mayhem,
gunning down people
worshipping at Shabbat
because Jews were helping
folks now known as “invaders,”
as opposed to “illegals,”
who’re walking in caravans
for miles across land
that spans
from Central America
through Mexico
to the U.S.
seeking asylum
from emotional stress
and violence.
The gunman,
in our social and political climate
of stupidity and ignorance,
is simply aiding and abetting
a president
who has openly shown his hatred
of immigrants, too,
calling them names
and ripping their children from them
as a tool,
under his orders,
to keep them away from our borders.

This man, based on what he wants
for the country,
is not only making America Great Again
but even greater,
according to his definition
of a wonderful nation,
than it’s ever been.

But, thanks to a precious right
we have in this country
we can show up at the polls
manyfold and bold
and easily bring this madness to an end.

The power of a people’s vote
has no end.

• Bio
• Latest Posts

Ernie McCray

I was raised in a loving and alive home, in a black neighborhood filled with colorful characters in Tucson, Arizona. Such an environment gave me a hint that life has to be grabbed by the tail as tight as a pimple on a mosquito's butt. With no BS and a whole lot of love. So, from those days to now I get up every morning set on making the world a better place. On my good foot*, and I hope my writing reflects that. *an old black expression

Latest posts by Ernie McCray (see all)

• Should Democrats, like Superman, Seek ‘Truth, Justice and the American Way’? - December 10, 2018
• Saying Goodbye to a Friend Who Gave Me a Helping Hand - November 28, 2018
• An Awakening - November 21, 2018