KILL FILibuster
A Poem by Carolyn McGiffert Ekedahl
In Two thousand and six, many Repubs had a soul
A unanimous vote to extend was the goal.
And they did it. The Senators, both left and right,
Extended the Act giving voters their rights.
Sixteen Republicans, still senators, supported that bill.
But now they’re all in for the Voting Act Kill.
They’re all in for Wide Voter Suppression,
All in to deny democratic expression!
Biden has labeled it “Jim Crow Two Point 0.
In order to win, all Republicans know
That they have to deny liberal voters the chance
To participate in the electoral dance.
So they lie, they suppress, they subvert when they can,
Instead of preparing a governing plan.
There’s one chance, and it’s slim, to demolish their plot.
One chance to preserve the republic we’ve got.
That chance will require an heroic muster
Focused on thwarting the vile filibuster.
Used in the past civil rights to deny
Black and brown people a slice of the pie,
The tactic’s become just a part of the plan
To maintain minority control of the land!
McConnell and company long have betrayed
The ideals and courage of Republican Abe.
It’s time for the Senate to do what it must—
Leave voter suppression behind in the dust!
Carolyn McGiffert Ekedahl is the former Deputy Inspector General for Inspections, Central Intelligence Agency and co-author of “The Wars of Edward Shevardnadze.”
Recent News and Latest Book
Meet the Newest Apologist for Israel: Rear Admiral John Kirby
Tuesday’s press conference highlighted the worst of the administration’s predictable defenses and apologies for Israel’s illegal and immoral military campaign against Palestinian civilians. Once again, the worst of Kirby’s remarks were not referenced in the Washington Post and received an anodyne one-sentence summary in the New York Times. I believe it is important to understand the meaning and implications of Kirby’s callous and callow remarks.
Washington Post Believes U.S. & Israel “Can Get Back on the Same Page”
President Biden seems to believe that the recent U.S. abstention on the cease-fire resolution at the United Nations Security Council and the feckless warnings about avoiding a humanitarian nightmare in southern Gaza allow his administration to pose as an “honest broker” between Israelis and Palestinians. The United States has never been a genuine “honest broker.”
