One Nation Under Surveillance

The dawning of a new America
is spoken of by many
promised by few
and realized by seemingly only those whose job it is to figure the statistics

the 2.1 million here
the 150,000 there
the top 1% of 200,000 with 5,000 each that was set aside and returned and recouped and renegged and....relived....
every four years....

or less
if you pay attention
to the diversely representative upper middle class minority that is the media today
or at least the face of the media today

because seeing is believing and a picture is worth a thousand words
and you can make a difference and in order to form a more perfect union
you need to vote....
especially if you're in Florida, or Ohio, or Missouri, or New Mexico

or if you help make up the sea of domestic tranquility that is Medicare and MTV
or if you support the troops and hate the war
or if you support the war and hate the enemy
or if you support the notion that hate is the enemy
or if you think it's more than just terror that's domestic
for the first time

Franklin looked and saw a rising sun on the back of a stationary chair
at the dawning of our country
the dawning of a new America
I wonder if that was before or after he invented bifocals.
And I wonder what he would say now

as people would bludgeon him with questions
about his faith or lack thereof
and his love for the French
and how could you dare say that BEER is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy?
besides we all know Thomas Edison invented electricity anyway

we learned all about it in our reformed schools
with waivers, or not
and new computers
and without the children who were left behind
and with the children that weren't
from our state-funded, federally-managed, government-tested somehow logically-defying internationally inferior school system

but is that really what's important?
I know the kids can pick out a picture of Bin Laden.
that's what really matters
next to money of course,
Just ask the teachers.

The dawning of a new America is again upon us
thank God we treasure our wisdom now
and we respect our elders
and we follow our minds, we follow our hearts,
and we balance both with the utmost discretion

Right?

May the sunset be brief this time.
Come dawning, come.