Rhymes For The Newsworthy Times 86 Deja Vu

Whether you liked or disliked him, Ronald Reagan was a man of principle and not ashamed to utilize force to protect American interests. In 1986 American GIs were killed in a terrorist bombing in Berlin traced to Qaddafi. Reagan did not hesitate and he did not warn--he sent in naval air strikes to attack Qaddafi's compound with weapons far less "surgical" than they are today. Unfortunately, even in the days before WikiLeaks, Qaddafi was tipped off and was not present but supposedly his family members were and his daughter was killed. 25 years later it's deja vu and we are trying the same thing, killing supposedly his family members but not him where the threat to our national interests is problematical at best. The sounds of silence from Congress on the usurption of its powers to declare war are deafening. History will judge our current President and his use of force. It may be too soon to comment, but poets have a hard time remaining silent especially as Homer aptly showed when the dogs of war are let loose.
1986 Deju VuWe may have come a long way with a surgeon's knife
Saving adjacent tissue while saving the patient's life
But in the field of a weapon's surgical strike
Great room for improvement and a lot not to like
We have learned nothing since 1986
When Reagan a terrorist attack we tried to fix
The surgery failed, the patient lived and his daughter had to die
Once again scrub down and with a scalpel too dull
Kill his son and daughters and as to him the result is null
Maybe the innocents died and maybe they did not
But why did we get ourselves into this growing rot?
We have not been attacked; our security is not at risk
But Congressional authority under the carpet we seem to whisk
Bad enough a leader we are still trying to kill
Worse where is the joint resolution, the joint bill?
If these acts were under Bush, the hue and cry to impeach
Would be louder than a tsumani crashing on the beach.
The world will be a better place if Qaddafi is overthrown
But not if to do so our Constitution and international law stripped to the bone.
(c) May 2, 2011 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet