Author’s Note: Recently, I was suckered into buying a book of poetry based on single poem, which I thought was good. Almost every other one in the book drips with the liberal pen. The author, David Romtvedt, of the nation's milk bucket of Wisconsin and hub of mid-western liberality, is a bleeding liberal, and gets paid to be one. The poem mentioned, is one in which he apologizes for using a strong word in the title of his poem, "Fuck you, Patriotism." He hates Bush and Republicans, etc. I sent this work to him, and doubt that he will read all of it. However, I wanted to give you the reason for my writing it.
Here is my e-mail to him - - -
Dear Poet: Recently, I "invested" in your book, "some church" (e e cummings doesn't title my books) It may well be the last book bought through NPR. I am 86, a non-fucking PATRIOT - - for damn good reasons, and not rabid for any reason. At 21, I entered the military, and spent five years doing what you deride so casually, as military service during a war. The war was started by a piss ant leader and country, Nazi Germany!
If Mr. Roosevelt and Mr. Truman (both Democrats) hadn't done what they did so well, you might be speaking German. Tripe? Hardly. And, if the miscalculating Japanese had not attacked Hawaii, the English language might well have disappeared for our world. The US took on two wars on two sides of the world, and By God, and by Patriots, it won! You are challenged to read, and mull over my points in this poem. I paid to read yours, although wanting to gag at times, so, please return the favor.....
Bill Broome
OH HELL NOT AGAIN!
Life in 2006 is too damn soft for the young and unrealistic
Bless their little inexperienced hearts
never to have seen the whole world in mortal conflict
never to have been a part of a totally committed war
taking lives of fathers mothers brothers sisters
Never to realize that the killers of small enemy groups
foment bigger wars and world wars
Well-meaning pacifists dream that negotiations and
small countries' national rights should be successful containing
dangerous killing leaders
even those with riches cheap labor and
atomic power simply because
these are burgeoning sovereign nations
The neighborhood and township principle is still valid making
it possible for good people to cut away cancers in governments
Let opposing party activists and lollygagging liberals rant
about shortcomings of the US's strong and realistic administration
which was the same when the United States of America kept
the civilized world together in 1918 and again in the 1940s
Our Nation is the world's policeman
and as long as it is the odds are that we will not have another world war
Cry politics cry oil cry money cry illegality cry any damn thing you wish
but keep in mind that yours and family life didn't get
the soft living enjoyed today by allowing
small countries and their brutally ambitious leaders
to have their way to expand into the neighbors' yards