Photo: Zuma Wire/Rex/Shutterstock

Bernie, you told us you were in it to win.  Your revolutionaries got totally behind you and were ready to carry you to victory.  You coulda-shoulda called for Hillary to fold, as her team cheated with aid of an insider-helper from DNC, who resigned in embarrassment.  (Hill then re-hired the head cheater onto her team — a clear statement of her own shameless  ways.)  

You had Hillary in the cross-hairs of public scrutiny at the convention.  But you choked.  I get it that you were committed to defeating that other cheater, Trump.  But you may have over-thought third-party risk.  Hey, Abe Lincoln was a third party candidate, and he won!  We can’t have a revolution by collaborating with proven cheaters.  So sad.  I truly thought you were the one who could do it.  But maybe you just ran outta gas.  If not, it’s not to late.  You could still accept Jill Stein’s offer to head the Green Party ticket.  Please consider it.

Foto by Elbmaedchen / Flickr. All rights reserved.

Dear Hillary,

I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, that you were unaware that your underlings so badly wanted to see you win that they were willing to cheat to help you gain the nomination. So you’ve accepted the resignation of the head of the party, who was not a neutral player, but rather, a key member of your team. (Appointing your 2008 campaign manager as head of DNC was a conflict of interest, and serious mistake.) As head of that team yourself, you must now do the honorable thing of passing the baton to Bernie Sanders, as your team has not won the nomination honestly, as everyone can readily see. He is an honorable contestant, who can win this race. Your team is tainted, and your nomination is flawed — a fact which will ever follow your bid.

I want to think you’re an honorable person, too. But too many voters are unwilling to trust you. Now you can demonstrate your trustworthiness and honorable intent, or forever bear the consequences of an illegitimate effort. You have alienated too many to be able to win, so you are likely to lose, as many voters will refuse to vote for a team that cheats. I certainly won’t.

And the worst is yet to come.  Leaked emails are just beginning to spill.  Wait until some of the choice emails from your private server — you know, those among the 30,000 you culled, withholding them from the FBI, but not before the Russians copied them — when they arrived, you will wish you had allowed Bernie to carry the torch!  Better to bow now honorably, than to lose to such a loser as your opponent.

[Readers who agree could vote for my call at Medium — please, sharing that link with others, as well.]

My computer has been in the shop getting a new brain, so this item is posted a bit late.  No, it’s not a real haiku, as I pay no attention to counting syllables.  But it was fun to have the moon peek in my window from behind the ancient maple trees in our front yard that night, awakening me.  It travels this far north-in-latitude only once yearly.  I was glad Luna roused me to capture images and verse.

AP photo

Pasted below is a Letter to the Editor of our hometown newspaper up north. 

Hi Neighbors,

We haven’t missed the northern winter, but we’re flying back early to cast a vote for Bernie Sanders in NY’s primary.  It’s such a rare opportunity to have a person of integrity on the ballot.  His rival, a member of a First Family which sold out America’s middle class by removing the Glass-Steagall Act — a protection which had long kept banks from gambling with our savings and pensions, thus setting the stage for crashing the global economy — doesn’t deserve another chance with our financial security.  The banksters who have contributed so heavily to her campaign should be denied their influence.

I hope my fellow citizens will think carefully about this.  The mistakes of the past need correction, not replay.  

As for Sanders being a “socialist” (a social democrat) we might ponder the facts of nature:  humans are one of only a very few social species on this planet, like the bees and the ants, which specialize in working together. 

Sanders has become known in the US Senate as the “Amendment King”* for his ability to work with colleagues of both parties to improve bills before passage.  Working together is socialism at its best.  And his history as mayor of Burlington VT taught the Democrat “machine politicians” who ran that city for so long that he knew how to work with the merchants of main street to restore sensible government to that city, soon putting the machine out of office.  They laughed at his socialism until he won; then they told him he wouldn’t get anything done.  But he taught them otherwise.  Yes, Bernie has the right executive skills to restore balance to our government.  And he hasn’t been bought by special interests — accepting no PAC money, just small donations from people who want America to work again.  We, the people have a voice.  We can choose a leader with integrity.

*(Update): In comparison, Hillary Clinton passed zero roll call amendments during her tenure as a senator from New York from 2001-09.

Foto: NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory

Lest we forget, the season of doing things early in the day is soon upon us.  April and May are said to be the hottest months in Yucatan.  So here is a video reminder, with lyrics, sung by the original author:

Mad Dogs and Englishmen
(Noel Coward)

In tropical climes there are certain times of day
When all the citizens retire,
     to tear their clothes off and perspire.
It's one of those rules that the biggest fools obey,
Because the sun is much too sultry and one must avoid
     its ultry-violet ray --
Papalaka-papalaka-papalaka-boo. (Repeat)
Digariga-digariga-digariga-doo. (Repeat)
The natives grieve when the white men leave their huts,
Because they're obviously, absolutely nuts --

Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.
The Japanese don't care to, the Chinese wouldn't dare to,
Hindus and Argentines sleep firmly from twelve to one,
But Englishmen detest a siesta,
In the Philippines there are lovely screens,
     to protect you from the glare,
In the Malay states there are hats like plates,
     which the Britishers won't wear,
At twelve noon the natives swoon, and
     no further work is done -
But Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.

It's such a surprise for the Eastern eyes to see,
That though the British are effete,
     they're quite impervious to heat,
When the white man rides, every native hides in glee,
Because the simple creatures hope he will
     impale his solar topee on a tree.
Bolyboly-bolyboly-bolyboly-baa. (Repeat)
Habaninny-habaninny-habaninny-haa. (Repeat)
It seems such a shame that when the English claim the earth
That they give rise to such hilarity and mirth -

Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.
The toughest Burmese bandit can never understand it.
In Rangoon the heat of noon is just what the natives shun.
They put their scotch or rye down, and lie down.
In the jungle town where the sun beats down,
     to the rage of man or beast,
The English garb of the English sahib merely gets a bit more creased.
In Bangkok, at twelve o'clock, they foam at the mouth and run,
But mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.

Mad Dogs and Englishmen, go out in the midday sun.
The smallest Malay rabbit deplores this stupid habit.
In Hong Kong, they strike a gong, and fire off a noonday gun.
To reprimand each inmate, who's in late.
In the mangrove swamps where the python romps
     there is peace from twelve till two.
Even caribous lie down and snooze, for there's nothing else to do.
In Bengal, to move at all, is seldom if ever done,
But mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.

SOURCE: 
http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/folk-song-lyrics/Mad_Dogs_and_Englishmen.
htm