Blog Archives

Psychological Projection

2/25/2018

From our political correspondent Dorothy "Lottie" Dawe:

I had a good laugh today as the result of an odd connection: I was driving in my car listening to a radio news report about NRA members making death threats against some of the teen survivors of the recent Parkland massacre, and suddenly I remembered that Trump once boasted, “I will be a great unifier.” I’m not quite sure why that particular lie of his popped into my brain at that time, but I just started laughing. I couldn’t stop.

Our country could not be more divided because of Trump and his clan, and in my brain, I kept hearing his voice growl, “I’m going to be a unifier. I’m very much a unifier.”

I then remembered a tweet I had seen earlier in the day from a Trump supporter (pictured at the right). It was drenched in hate, and in using Trump’s technique of projection (calling attention to his own negative qualities by denying their existence in himself while attributing them to others), the tweeter revealed quite an intensity and depth to his own hatred.

The level of divisiveness and hatred perpetrated by Trump, his family (some on Twitter have even pleaded with Melania to call Don Jr on his bullying of Parkland survivors), and his supporters can be exhausting. However, I remembered a poem by Emmett Lee Dickinson (“To burn us by disdaining us,” below on the left), and I realized that good people – “the Aggregate of Life’s Bouquet” – will press on. Dickinson's poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem "To earn it by disdaining it" (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

To burn us by disdaining us
Is Hate's consummate Fee –
His rage consumes him –
Look ahead – For it’s renewing thee.

So let us gather – every Day –
The Aggregate of
Life's Bouquet
In Honor and not shame –

By Emily Dickinson:

To earn it by disdaining it
Is Fame's consummate Fee –
He loves what spurns him –
Look behind – He is pursuing thee.

So let us gather – every Day –
The Aggregate of
Life's Bouquet
Be Honor and not shame –

In time we will unite and begin to repair the damage done by Trump. It could take years, but the work will be done!

Enough Already

2/23/2018

From our current affairs editor Lemuel Stuart III:

A National School Walkout is planned for March 14, 2018, the one month anniversary of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. The organizers are asking school students around the country to stand up, push in their chairs, and walk out of school for 17 minutes in honor of the seventeen lives lost on February 14th.

Of course, many right wing and 2A nut jobs are shrieking about second amendment rights because this time around they're feeling a lot more heat since the high schoolers from Florida have led the charge to protect other schools from future massacres.

"Never Again" and "Enough" are their rallying cries.

The students are determined to shed light on the blood money many politicians accept from the NRA (which many now view as a terrorist organization). #NRABoycott is even trending on Twitter.

The NRA has, for sure, had some very strange if not fiendish practices since their inception. For example, in the late-1800s and into early 1900s, the NRA included a "patriot bone pile" on the grounds of their national headquarters. The gruesome site included bones of individuals killed as a result of gun violence.

In the mid-1900s, the NRA introduced many toys for children to entice them to become gun lovers and gun owners.

Pictured below left: The NRA's Heavy Machine Gun, one in their series of "NRA Killing Machines for Kids."

Pictured below right: The NRA's AR-15 "Marauder," a gun they promoted for loaners and anti-social children.

Pictured below left and right: The NRA's "Teacher's First Tammy-Gun" school set. This toy was marketed for girls, and the doll of the teacher included a "Tammy Gun," the NRA's feminine version of the "Tommy-Gun."

Through the years, the NRA's justification for 2A protection and gun ownership has become more and more absurd. At the current CPAC convention, Wayne Lapierre, the head of the NRA, insisted that Jesus wrote the full text of the second amendment.

Fortunately, a new brand of common sense is coming from the high school students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School n response to the massacre at their school. "Enough," they say. "Never again," they insist.

Perhaps they were inspired by a short poem by Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request) entitled "We've had enough -- enough was one" (below on the left). Dickinson's poem did inspire third cousin Emily to pen her poem "Few get enough -- enough is one" (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

We’ve had enough – enough was one
Of a killer’s shooting spree
Have not each one of us the right
To life and liberty?

By Emily Dickinson:

Few get enough – enough is one
To that ethereal throng
Have not each one of us the right
To stealthily belong?

Class Warfare

2/22/2018

From our political correspondent Dorothy "Lottie" Dawe:

Trump met yesterday with parents and students affected by school shootings, and someone had to provide him with a list of empathetic statements to fake ...er, make -- including #5: "I hear you."

Instead of any empathetic statement, though, Trump echoed the pathetic line from puppet master Wayne LaPierre of the NRA -- that we need to "harden" our schools and arm teachers.

This is not new concept, though. The NRA has pushed for weapons in schools for years as evidenced by the vintage postcards below (click the images to enlarge):

Trump has proposed that 10 to 40 percent of a faculty pack heat, and he is also promising bonuses to hose who pop a cap in the ass of any likely killer. As a matter of fact, the White House website now includes a catalog of gifts and certificates available for teachers who gun down school intruders.

Pictured below: Donald Trump's "Class Warfare" bonus catalog for teachers who pack heat and/or gun down intruders:

In 1853, Emmett Lee Dickinson scoffed at an NRA proposal to arm and pay bonuses to teachers. He wrote about it in his now-classic poem "Back to the cordial Grave I'll drag thee" (below on the left). Dickinson's poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem "Back from the cordial Grave I drag thee" (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

Back to the cordial Grave I'll drag thee
You shall not take my Class
I'll spray outrageous arms around thee
And bonuses amass!

By Emily Dickinson:

Back from the cordial Grave I drag thee
He shall not take thy Hand
Nor put his spacious arm around thee
That none can understand

Pictured at the left: Enid Todgers, a cafeteria lady at the Lizard Lick Central High School in Lizard Lick, North Carolina, was the first gun-tottin' employee at the school.

"It's an honor to serve these kids hash every day," said Ms. Todgers, "so the least I could do for them is pack some heat."

"I'm hopin' to gun someone down," she added, "and earn me a case of them Trump-brand steaks and a set of steak knives."

That's What Friends Are For

2/19/2018

From our 19th century historian Eudora Dickinson:

In 1920, when Daniel Chester French sculpted the monumental statue of Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, he shaped Lincoln's hands into the American Sign Language symbols for the letters “E” and “L.” French, who as a child, attended the Emmett Lee School for Boys in Concord, Massachusetts, knew full well that Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson’s third cousin, twice removed – at her request) was the best friend and confidant of the president. Therefore, the sculptor formed Lincoln’s hands into the sign language “E” and “L” for Emmett Lee.

Dickinson was devastated when Lincoln was assassinated, and he slipped into years of depression. During that time he wrote a short tribute to his friend, “Abraham to know him” (below on the left). His poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem “Abraham to kill him” (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

Abraham to know him –
Was distinctly tall –
Emmett was an Urchin –
Abraham was bold –

Not with hesitation –
Abraham was tried –
Shattered yet Tenacious
Tyranny deferred –

Emmett – and his siblings
Lived to tell his tale –
Moral – with a Witness
Legends will prevail.

By Emily Dickinson:

Abraham to kill him –
Was distinctly told –
Isaac was an Urchin –
Abraham was old –

Not a hesitation –
Abraham complied –
Flattered by Obeisance
Tyranny demurred –

Isaac – to his children
Lived to tell the tale –
Moral – with a Mastiff
Manners may prevail.

Pictured below at the left: American artist David Chester French who scultped the monumental statue of Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.

Pictured below at the right: The boys' dormitory at the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Concord, Massachusetts, where sculptor David Chester French attended school.

For more information about the friendship between Emmett Lee Dickinson and Abraham Lincoln, click HERE and HERE (scroll to the middle of the page).

We have also written various plog (poetry blog) entries that focus on or feature Abraham Lincoln -- just scroll through our plog archives on the right and click on "Abraham Lincoln."

No Sense of Right and Wrong

2/18/2018

From guest commentator Millard Dyball from "Poets Against Trump":

I really could not fathom that there were enough people who would vote for Donald Trump to give him the keys to the White House, but it happened. I suppose there were some who thought he would better their situations -- although in reality he could care less about them. His promises and guarantees – like cheaper and better healthcare for all as of “Day 1” – were completely hollow. However, after a year of turmoil and chaos – especially in light of Trump’s hilarious claim “I only surround myself with the best people” -- I can only assume that there are three types of people who still support this grifter: the blatant racists, the poorly educated (no other reason why they are still duped by this fraud), and the utterly crazy.

Take a look at this outrageous Twitter post from one in the blatantly bigoted camp:

I have to admit, I am sooo tired of the ones who claim to “Love God” – and yet they support Trump? Talk about shallow if not hollow religious beliefs. No true Christian would support such a despicable person – one who mocks the disabled, who supports white supremacists, who grabs at women, who lies relentlessly, who makes a mockery of religious tenets, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

Another Tweet I found came from one outrageous follower who falls in the “utterly crazy” camp. This one blamed the Parkland school massacre on abortion: She wrote, “we as a nation brought these mass school shootings upon ourselves when we legalized abortion. We made it legal to murder unborn babies so God is saying ‘alright fine, if this is what you want then I’ll release my blanket of protection….”

Good grief! I thought Trump’s tweet politicizing the killings to continue his bogus claims that there was no collusion was sickening, but @brianaxgarcia’s tweets were just off the rails.

If these people just had their senses – as Emmett Lee Dickinson suggested in his now-classic poem “Had they their senses” (below on the left) – then maybe we wouldn’t be in this national nightmare? Dickinson's poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem "Had we our senses" (below on the right).

Here’s hoping more Trump voters will come to their senses in the mid-term election and in 2020.

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

Had they their senses
Then perhaps how well they’d see the Harm
But intimate with Madness
He preys upon them

Had they their eyes within their Heads –
How though that they are Blind –
They cannot look upon his Flaws –
So utterly grotesque –

By Emily Dickinson:

Had we our senses
But perhaps 'tis well they're not at Home
So intimate with Madness
He's liable with them

Had we the eyes without our Head –
How well that we are Blind –
We could not look upon the Earth –
So utterly unmoved –

The Cat's Meow

2/17/2018

From our 19th century historian Eudora Dickinson:

Today is World Cat Day, established in 1853 by Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson’s third cousin, twice removed – at her request) to honor third cousin Lavinia Dickinson who, unlike her sister Emily, loved cats. Emmett Lee Dickinson loved cats too.

Lavinia Dickinson was very appreciative of Emmett Lee’s establishment of World Cat Day – “a day when cats can think they are the rulers of the world,” she said.

“Just like every other day,” replied Emily.

Pictured at the right: Lavinia Dickinson and her cat Drummy-Doodles.

Emmett Lee Dickinson wrote several poems about cats, including “My Human – I’ll meow” (below on the left). His poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem “My Maker – let me be” (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

My Human – I'll meow
A Word of two for thee –
But knowing this
When mad I'll hiss –

By Emily Dickinson:

My Maker – let me be
A World of two from thee –
But nearer this
I more should miss –

Picture below: A photograph of Emmett Lee Dickinson's cat, Little Ricky, outside Emily Dickinson's home in Amherst, Massachusetts:

Mental Breakdown

2/16/2018

From our political correspondent Dorothy "Lottie" Dawe:

The White House has refused to release a photograph of Trump signing a bill allowing easier access for the mentally ill to obtain guns and weapons of war. However, we have BREAKING NEWS:

We have obtained access to the photo, and we have posted it at the bottom of this post.

One might wonder WHY Seantor Chuck Grassley would concoct such a ludicrous bill, WHY the GOP would support such an absurd bill, and WHY Trump would sign such a foolish bill.

The answer is quite simple.

Constraints for the mentally ill would severely limit access to guns to the largest segment of their base. Plus, the GOP is owned by the NRA (information is HERE).

Visionary and poet Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request) knew just how manipulated congress is by their controllers, the NRA. He wrote about it in his poem "Congress won't act to help the cause" (below on the left). His poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem "God made no act without a cause" (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

Congress won't act to help the cause,
They're paid to keep their aim,
With deference to the NRA
With nameses to blame.

By Emily Dickinson:

God made no act wihtout a cause,
Nor heart without an aim,
Our inference is premature,
Our premises to blame.

After Trump engaged in victim-blaming for the Florida massacre, he told his 2,827th lie while in office: "we are here for you, whatever you need." He did not answer a reporter's shouted question "Why does this keep happening in America? Will you do something about guns?"

Below: An ELD Museum Exclusive: We have obtained the photo of Trump signing the bill making gun purchases easier for the mentally ill.

Under the Gun

2/15/2018

From our political correspondent Dorothy "Lottie" Dawe:

The epitome of hypocrisy? Senator Chuck Grassley appeared on the news this morning to comment on yesterday’s mass shooting in a Florida high school:

“[We] have not done a very good job of making sure that people that have mental reasons for not being able to handle a gun, getting their name into the FBI files, and we need to concentrate on that.”

That was it.

He then turned and walked away.

Remember, though, that last February, Grassley was the chief sponsor of a bill to make it easier for the mentally impaired to buy a gun.

Days later Trump signed the bill.

That’s right. Donald Trump signed a bill making it easier for people with mental illness to buy guns.

Many Republicans have remained silent on the massacre du jour, and/or they have offered hollow thoughts and prayers. They have not indicated in any way that they would support any sort of gun control.

Why?

Money talks.

Below: Amounts of money donated to politicians from the gun lobby.

How much does your representative get from the gun lobby? Check HERE to find out!

The hashtag #GunReformNow was trending on Twitter recently, but nothing will change. We will all bow our heads for a short moment of silence, and then we'll all move on until the next massacre. The GOP-run congress will ensure that. (Remember when they pretended like they'd consider banning bump stocks after the Las Vegas massacre? That faded faster than a cheap pair of jeans.)

The NRA will prevail. Money talks to congressmen, and $5,9000,000 says a lot!

Visionary and poet Emmett Lee Dickinson wrote about the NRA's grip on congress in his now-classic poem "Moments of silence led the way" (below on the left). His poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem "Great Streets of silence led away" (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

Moments of silence led the way
To Congressmen who Paused –
There’d be no Change though – no Dissent
No Gun Control – no laws –

For Now, this Morning, and this Night
The Bells of Vigils call –
But Logic has no basis here
The NRA prevails.

By Emily Dickinson:

Great Streets of silence led away
To Neighborhoods of Pause –
Here was no Notice – no Dissent
No Universe – no laws –

By Clocks, 'twas Morning, and for Night
The Bells at Distance called –
But Epoch had no basis here
For Period exhaled.

Heavy Hearted

2/13/2018

From our current affairs editor Lemuel Stuart III:

"No one respects women more than I do."

You know that had to be the line Trump used on Stormy Daniels -- "Who respects ya, baby?" -- when he cheated on third wife Melania (who was pregnant at the time of his affair with the porn star).

That's why Melania included a Stormy-themed valentine in her collection of Melania-Trump-brand Valentines for Valentine's Day 2018.

The complete set of Valentines includes three with a Russian theme:

.
Another recurring theme is women's rights (because no one respects women more than Trump and the GOP). One includes a likeness of Mike Pence. Another includes Jerry Fallwell, Jr.:

Some of the other Valentines include some of Melania's favorite GOP clowns:

Two of the Valentines pay tribute to Kellyanne "K-Con" Conway, and another honors our Confederate General Jeff Sessions:

Others of Melania's cards feature some of the GOP's favorite issues:

Two of the cards pay tribute to Trump's base:

Other cards feature Fox TV, Don Jr., and Trump's favorite white nationalist, Stephen Miller:

Heavy Medal

2/12/2018

From our current affairs editor Lemuel Stuart III:

Yes, Donald Trump wants a military parade -- we wrote about it HERE -- but now that he's watched some of the Olympics, he wants even more. He wants a gold medal ("I've always wanted one," he said), and he wants his own squad of synchronized cheerleaders ("Get me some of those cute Korean girls," he told Pence).

Pictured below on the left: Donald Trump models the "Olympic" medal Mike Pence got for him. Pence made an official request for a gold medal from the games in Pyeongchang, but the IOC said, "absolutely not." Therefore, he picked up a "Go Team" medal at the Party City in nearby Hoengseong, South Korea.

"I love it," said Trump. "I have a gold medal. This is like big stuff. I always wanted to get a gold medal, and Mikey got one for me. This was much easier than having to race down some mountain on a sled, and I have more medals than any other president, past or present."

Pictured below on the right: Trump's "Go Team" gold medal from the Olympics in Pyeongchang.

Pictured below left and right: Trump loved the North Korean cheerleaders at the Pyeongchange Olympics, so he has signed an Executive Order authorizing the White House to hire a one-hundred-plus synchronized cheer squad.

"The Kim Jong Un is one smart cookie," said Trump, "and he's got some pretty Korean ladies cheering for him. I knew from the minute I saw them that I needed a cheer squad too -- bigger and better than Kim's. I'm going to call them the MAGettes."

Visionary and poet Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request) once wrote about an autocrat who felt the need to employ a cheer squad in his poem "With bigly overgushing words" (below on the left). His poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem "A little overflowing word" (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

With bigly overgushing words
That any, hearing, could infer
How odd he needs their Cheers
With Thunderation as they bray
Conditions worsen and decay,
As arrogance appears –

By Emily Dickinson:

A little overflowing word
That any, hearing, had inferred
For Ardor or for Tears,
Though Generations pass away,
Traditions ripen and decay,
As eloquent appears –