[Newspoetry] A Particle of Cheerleading Today

[Donald L Emerick]

A Particle of Cheerleading Today

Reading of Army Secretary White
In the Nation mag, progressive rag,
(Do not confuse the Progressive
With it, for each has distinct voice)
This week, arrived here yesterday.

Sir White, with vast success in Stars,
Was Enron-lured from Army service,
Where he was feted to be Top Dog,
According to all of his superior peers:
A real comer for militarism operations.

Enron viewed corruption acculturally,
As offering carats to one of the dogs,
So the rest will howl and slaver, too,
At the remote prospect of a big steak,
In a pot of gold, as carry-home loot.

Our Attorney General, army man, he,
Should charge such corporate buy-outs
As a form of treason against the people,
As some inducement to base careers
On chances of what may happen later.

Imperiums culture acquisitive expansion
As necessary premium modus operandi.
Growth is measured by span of control
And depth of the divisions so spanned.
What holds up paper heaps is grease.

White says, as head of Enron company,
He knew nothing of how it made money
By fictitious accounting entries of sales.
White says, "I did not know the details"
To excuse his own inexcusable ignorance.

Were you so, Sir White, armored knight?
What did you do to earn such millions?
Says he, "I was go-to man, rain-maker."
In other words, "I was some cheer-leader.
I always cheer everyone up to feel good."

Now, this is what defines Big=Better cults.
Do not think like Cassandra, prudently.
Think like a cheerleader, symptomatically.
What matters is the cheering for our team
Regardless of what they may be doing.

Regardless of how well they may be doing,
Regardless of anything, only cheers count.
Another famous cheerleader is President.
He doesn't know much about anything,
But he knows cheerleaders are popular.

Who would not rather date a cheerleader
Than some other person less widely loved?
Only lung capacity and exhibitionist zeal
Are truly required of every cheerleader.
Brains are purely an option of evolution.

So, a culture that makes risk-free safeties
For cheerleaders to be CEOs, Presidents,
Or Generals (Attorney or otherwise), lies
Innocently on its sole claim to competence:
Rah, Team!  Fight, Fight or Fight.

Plausible deniability commands idiot roles
Shall rise to tops of heaps as role models.
The greatest personal virtue would become
Paid loyalty, which shall establish a royalty,
Wherein returns the English system of fiefs.

My FiefLord subdivides his Fiefal estate,
For it is redivisible as a motley aggregate.
Ability does not matter, but loyalty does.
For who would sleep well at night when
Able, disloyal subalterns prowl and plot?

The unfortunate but inverse correlation
Of loyalty (degree of fidelity) and ability
Might be overcome if one can buy loyalty.
(But Beatles say "You can't buy my love"
Proves again how cheerleaders tell lies.)

So, this is when it comes down, at last.
How to be for right and against wrong,
Without being empty as a cheerleader,
Who only cheers, waiting for a fill-up?
Wars of Principle or Principles of War? 

Thanks for listening (and not cheering),
Donald L Emerick