Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Strange fruit

Kansas schools bear a strange fruit
Creed in the class, and creed at the root.
Darwin dissected from biology
Strange fruit coming from democracy

Enlightened scene of the modern West
The stickered books and the scripture test
Bust of Ben Franklin wry and free
And the sudden sense of Khomeini

Here is a fruit for the ads to pluck
For the drive to gather, for the hype to suck
For the lies to rot, for the school to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop



Based on the
Abe Meeropol poem sung by Billie Holiday
Those with patience for a long intro can hear the original in full here

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You should know that those on the political left and right lose any credibility when they compare their opponent to Khomeini, Hussein, Hitler, Bin Laden, etc. Because then you have shown the inability to exercise the most fundamental element of logical human thought and that is the ability to draw understand the difference between concerned and involved citizens in a democracy, and individuals of evil thought and intent.

Anonymous said...

From everything I've read of Khomeini, he seems no different from James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, or any other Republican Fundamentalists. In fact, by all accounts, Khomeini resisted entering politics for years, and was *actually* persecuted by the US-backed Shah, rather than simply being "persecuted" like the Republican Fundamentalists are by not being allowed to impose their will on the country.

I think that before Anonymous starts smearing the political left for that comparison (a) he or she should really learn what a "left" is, cuz we ain't got one here, and (b) do a little reading on Dominionism and/or Reconstructionism.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous implies that Khomeini was an "individual of evil thought and intent." I doubt that, myself. I think he was just sure he was right. He certainly did a lot of evil, and I personally know a few survivors of it, but I'm pretty sure he was just hearing the voice of God in his ear.

Maybe that does qualify as evil thought. I don't know.

Anyway, Murky, I got a kick out of your song; even dragged Joe out of his comfy chair to see it.

Dez M.E. King said...

Heh - being a Kansas girl, this poem really strikes a chord. I think the rest of the states must think we're utter friggin morons. Only half of those I rub shoulders with are utter friggin morons...for the record. :)