Why, It's Us!

This member of a large, cosmopolitan community
once saved the neighborhood from a band of thugs.
He resorted to violence, saying it was an opportunity
to restore peace. He received much praise, many hugs.

His neighbors gladly hailed him as the gallant hero.
He relished this place of honor; it felt really good.
Soon he saw himself as sheriff, possessing nearly zero
tolerance for actions deemed not to be what they should.

He drove a large SUV, had a fountain in his front yard,
had a heated swimming pool in back, had holiday lights
by the thousands – for saving energy he had no regard.
Yet he told his poorer neighbors they lacked equal rights.

They must drive a small car, conserve water, not foul
the air by burning leaves, save their trees at all costs.
At his attitude, neighbors began to grumble and growl.
They began to wonder how had he become their boss.

The member started to scold neighbors, those he did not
like, about how they treated their children, warning them
to improve or else. All the while, his own children got
treated poorly, living in conditions others would condemn.

Whenever he heard of any neighbor planning to buy a gun,
the man warned that he simply could not allow this to occur.
Only he and a few of his chosen friends had somehow won
the right to be armed. Careful! Or his wrath they would incur.

Finally, the member grew so displeased with one household
that he stormed into their house and insisted they must live
as he specified. They lived under guard so they’d do as told.
This bold action was more than the community could forgive.

The community wondered how had their onetime hero lost
his way, how could he believe his current actions were just.
Who is this member the world community thinks has crossed
over to the dark side? It’s the United States ... why, it’s us!


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[NOTE: I read this week that in a worldwide poll 27 out of 29 countries now consider the U.S. to be the biggest threat to world peace. These countries include many of our former allies. Only a tiny minority of countries now approve of the U.S.'s actions worldwide. To most we have become arbitrary, hypocritical, and a bully in our actions. It saddens me to see that we are now held in such low esteem by the rest of the world.]

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