Best Wishes on Your Upcoming Nuptials

Same sex couples celebrated; they're allowed to wed

After the decision that what people do in bed

Doesn't make a marriage - shouldn't matter to the State.

Love is love.  It's not their business who we choose as mate.

There are some "religious" people who would disagree,

Fearful that a marriage which is legal civilly 

Means that churches will be forced to bless a wedding vow...

(Why would same sex couples want their blessings anyhow?)

Church and State are separated; thus, a church is free

To continue on a path of righteous bigotry

But, discrimination's not the purview of  the Feds

So let me congratulate the country's newlyweds.

Hurrah for SCOTUS-Care

By a vote of 6 to 3, the ruling of The Court

On the role of subsidies in states that don't support

Health care for their citizens has found the law's intent

Was providing coverage...  That it's what Congress meant.

The Chief Justice read the findings, noting that the law

Had some unclear language but deciding that the flaw

Didn't justify destroying the whole ACA,

Which would happen if they took the subsidies away.

From the bench, Scalia read a blistering dissent,

Said that states which opted not to have the money sent

Were within their rights and that the ruling wasn't fair,

That we should rename the law and call it SCOTUS-Care.

Maybe that's a good idea...  If we just change the name,

Keeping the protections and provisions all the same,

Making sure that patients don't get told to take a hike,

They can call the health care system anything they like.

Take It Down

THIS is the actual flag of the Confederate States of America. (Photo/Courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/artimovich)

I've heard Southerners explaining that the rebel flag

Represents their history and culture, but the snag

Is the banner flying isn't the Confederacy's...

It's the battle flag  that indicated troops were Lee's.

First time since the Civil War that rebel flag was raised

Was in 1961, as burning crosses blazed.

It was meant to signify the South, again, might rise

If forced to desegregate and, thus, it's no surprise

Some might question if that battle banner has a place

Flying over Capitols (or any public space.)

It's a symbol of rebellion and a racist past.

Good ole boys and girls should haul the Stars and Bars down...  Fast.

Unsolicited Advice for E.U. Leaders re: Greece

(Image/Courtesy of www.bu.edu)

Greece needs bail-out funds to meet a payment on their loan;

And, if they don't get them, Greeks may leave the eurozone.

They'll be forced into default unless the terms are changed...

Now they're running out of time to get a deal arranged.

The Greek GDP is shrinking - it's down by a third -

Thus, you do not have to be an economics nerd

To see more austerity's unlikely to reverse

Greece's situation and, in fact, could make it worse.

Have to reach a compromise which gives the Greeks the time

To save their economy or you won't see a dime

For, although the Europeans won't be overjoyed,

Can't get blood from stones - nor taxes from the unemployed.

The U.S. Open at Chambers Bay

(Artwork by LeeWybranski.com)

So far, this year's U.S. Open's not a pretty sight;

Putting surfaces look like they're suffering from blight.

Course was once a sand and gravel pit and it still shows

There, but for one Douglas fir and weeds, where nothing grows.

So, despite the lovely views they have of Puget Sound,

I hope - next year - that a better venue can be found...

One where trains don't rumble by it 60 times a day,

One where fairways aren't brown and putting greens aren't gray.

Wishing those participating all the best of luck.

May the sports gods grant that all your golf balls be well struck,

That they not find pot-hole bunkers which require stairs.

But I wouldn't count on it...  The sports gods don't do prayers.

Jon Stewart's Going-Away Present

I still think it's early for discussing candidates

Running to be President of the United States

But I must admit that, when the candidate is Trump,

I cannot resist the urge; I think the guy's a chump.

Is it possible The Donald is so self-involved

He is unaware that those of us who have evolved

Wouldn't let him near the White House, even as a guest?

Donald Trump should stick to doing what he does the best:

Building tacky towers - with their toilets made of gold,

Bragging to the public of apartments that he's sold,

Combing over orange hair that must be plastered down,

Blustering and blathering and acting like a clown.

'though Trump's made Jon Stewart happy for his last few weeks,

(Gaining new material each time The Donald speaks)

Comedy that writes itself but, kinda like Ted Cruz,

This stuff's only funny if we're sure both men will lose.

Kitchen Reno Update - What Were We Thinking?

Kitchen cabinets are coming in in mid-July

But we still have no idea how much the flooring guy

Plans to charge for hardwood we are hoping to install.

Angie's List gives him an A...  I can't agree, at all.

Weeks ago he promised us that he'd submit a quote.

Since then he has disappeared - no phone call... Not a note.

I am losing confidence in my contractor's subs;

Chewed my fingernails so much I've worn them down to nubs.

Nothing else can start until the flooring guy is through.

After him there's still a million things we've got to do.

Kitchen renovations can produce a lot of stress...

Whether it is worth the pain is anybody's guess.

Galileo Is Rolling In His Grave

(Courtesy of/www.jantoo.com)

Centuries of conflict between scientists and priests:

Nature of the universe, if we evolved from beasts,

If God gave mankind dominion over all the Earth,

How it's even possible to have a virgin birth.

Now a new Encyclical gives scientists some hope

That they could be looking at a different kind of Pope.

This Pope studied chemistry before he joined the Church;

Francis is inclined to heed the climate change research.

Planet's getting warmer and a major cause is man.

Scientists don't speak the language of the Vatican;

This time, though, their evidence supports the Holy See

And - on man's poor stewardship of Earth - both sides agree.

Is imperative to change a moral one, or not?

In the end it doesn't matter to the Earth a lot.

If we all continue to befoul the place we live

Neither God nor nature's laws are likely to forgive.

Unsolicited Advice for Gashlies, Tack Heads, and Hynas

I will never understand how any woman falls

For a guy who's serving life behind some prison's walls.

Don't know how you close your eyes and just ignore the fact

That your boyfriend's guilty of a brutal, heinous act.

In New York, Joyce Mitchell helped her boyfriends get away

('though she left them stranded when her nerves began to fray.)

Seemingly, she found their bad boy reputations cool...

They just found a sucker who could smuggle in a tool.

Now the guys are on the loose and she's the one in jail.

I, for one, would say that the relationship's a fail.

May I offer women who write convicts this advice;

Join a dating service.  Find yourself somebody nice.

Confidence Is Not High

(Iraqi troops have been practicing this maneuver for a while.)

President Obama's pledged "advisers" to Iraq;

U.S. troops to train an army which appears to lack

Any will to battle back when ISIL troops advance.

Can 400 U.S. forces change that? Not a chance.

It's not like we haven't trained Iraqi troops before;

10 years we've been trying...  Do we think a few months more

Will instill the spine their army needs to stand and fight?

What makes us so sure, this time, they're gonna get it right?

I don't have some bright idea for how to fix the mess.

Neither does Obama, so we're stuck with this I guess.

Wish I had more confidence but history has shown

When the U.S. gets involved, the problem's only grown.

A Boston Sports Fan's Lament

Fans of Boston's pro-sports teams are having a bad year;

Not a situation we're familiar with up here.

In the past, when one team isn't doing very well

A team from another sport gives their opponents hell...

Celtics were eliminated, so - no basketball.

Bruins didn't make it to the play-off games at all.

Red Sox are in free fall and will, likely, finish last.

Patriots - who've been New England's saviors in the past -

'though they won the Super Bowl are, currently, embroiled

In a scandal which has left their reputation soiled.

I might switch to watching women's soccer 'cause it's clear

Local teams aren't gonna give me very much to cheer.

FIFA? You Can Keep It.

Former FIFA leader is accusing the U.S.

Of pursuing charges in the current soccer mess

Only 'cause we're jealous that some World Cups aren't held here;

Angry that we're missing profits made from selling beer.

Why else would we care?, asks Warner - who we have accused

Of accepting bribery. He says that he's confused.

Since when do Americans, who don't watch soccer much -

Not big fans of footballs that a player's hands can't touch -

Worry what some FIFA leaders do behind the scenes?

Don't we know that's how the game is played on soccer greens?

Maybe so but, if that's true, then I don't wanna play.

Giving bribes to FIFA is too high a price to pay.

How Do You Say "Dittohead" In Russian?

Rumors on the internet (like FOX News, only worse)

Trolls who claim our President is trying to reverse

The protections that our Constitution guarantees.

Faking news supporting tales of vast conspiracies.

Claiming that Ebola's spreading through Atlanta's streets,

False reports of shootings were a "Leading Trend" in Tweets.

Some trolls work the chat rooms; I've encountered one or two...

They're the guys you find on-line espousing Putin's view.

Now we find that some trolls aren't your ordinary jerk;

Lying on the internet is what they do for work.

They are on the payroll of a Russian agency;

Putin should thank Limbaugh's fans...  They do the job for free.

The Seussilitis Commencement Address (With Apologies to Baz Luhrmann)

 

It is graduation season in our local towns;

Class of Twenty-Fifteen seniors, clad in caps and gowns,

Gather to receive diplomas they have, finally, earned.

Entering a world where all the calculus they learned

Won't help them as much as what great speakers can impart;

Lessons happy adults should adhere to from the start.

Best advice from a Commencement that I've ever heard

Was Baz Luhrmann's "Sunscreen" speech...  I second every word.

It boiled down to being kind to others and yourself,

Not to hide your talents 'neath a bushel on a shelf,

Carpe' every diem, gather rosebuds while you may.

Try to help the people who you'll meet along your way.

Offer your apologies to others when you're wrong,

Don't forget that life's a journey and the journey's long.

If you look around to find some rut in which you're stuck,

Forge a new path.  Wishing all of you the best of luck.

Promenade on the Chelmsford Common

My beautiful niece on her way to prom. (Photo/Courtesy of Peter S. Corr III)

 Here in Chelmsford, seniors - who are on their way to prom -

Stop and pose for pictures on the Common with their mom.

It's become traditional and draws a massive crowd;

Couples dressed in finery, their parents looking proud.

I've been there the last few years for nieces and my son;

Love to see the gorgeous gowns and pick my favorite one.

'though the crowds of people make the Center's traffic slow,

Once my own have graduated I still plan to go.

See Ya Later, Alligator

Stephen King's new book came out today...  I gotta go.

For, as my best friends and relatives already know,

I have zero patience and am not prepared to wait;

Certain, as I am, his latest novel will be great.

I'm a fan of almost everything that Stephen writes,

Even if his stories cost me many sleepless nights.

Not because of nightmares (though he's caused a few of those)

But because, until I'd finished, my eyes wouldn't close.

Later...  But not much.

Just bought Finders Keepers.  I am eyeing it with greed.

I hope no one wants me for a while -  I'm off to read.

Kudos to Chief Campanello in Gloucester

Chief Leonard Campanello. (Photo/riverhousechronicles.com)

Live in Gloucester, Massachusetts and you want to cease

Using drugs? Now you can turn yourself in to police.

Chief has said he won't arrest the addicts who arrive...

That he'll try to get them into treatment, where they'll thrive.

I applaud his motivation... Wants to save some lives;

Sick of notifying mothers, fathers, husbands, wives

That someone they love has accidentally OD'd.

He's aware it isn't jails, but health care, junkies need.

Problem is facilities are running out of beds

And the Chief has been advised of issues with the Feds.

Those could hamper this new effort by the Gloucester cops...

Still the program's worth attempting if one addict stops.