Three Cheers for the Turkey! or: The Ballad of Liberty by Lisa K. Oh, 'twas a long long time ago, Two hundred years and more, The birth of this republic fair Upon our country's shore. Ben Franklin said we had to choose A sight for all to see, A fitting kind of symbol for A nation proud and free. The panther, wolf, and buffalo Were all considered -- then, The Founding Fathers stood in shock To hear these words from Ben: He said, "The turkey is a bird That's wily, tough, and grand, I know that it would do us proud To represent this land." The people there, they laughed at him, Declared he was insane. And then they chose the eagle As the symbol they'd attain. But Ben he smiled and said "You'll see -- for on a future date, A turkey will show everyone What makes this country great." Now jump ahead two centuries Until the present time -- The theft of an election Which so many call a crime. Late in the year two thousand one The peace it was in doubt, The nation was in crisis, and The Bill of Rights thrown out. The Shrub, he signed this "PATRIOT Act", In substance, it was dire. And civil rights defenders Feared the law was under fire. The Shrub he gave himself the power To try in secrecy, Arrested non-Americans -- Then hang 'em from a tree. The public feared the Act was harsh -- The Bushies made a plan To try and reassure the folk That "Dubya" was their man. They said, "It's time that we arranged A photo-op again, Because we have to make the Prez Look good on CNN." And so unto the White House lawn A turkey they did bring, A hen with plumage white as snow Upon her back and wings, A presidential pardon This turkey she'd achieve, Three days before Thanksgiving The bird would be reprieved. In front of all the cameras The Shrub begins to smirk, He sees himself a wrangler And he thinks he'll do some work, He tries to grab the turkey Like he teased his dog today, She jumps right up and snaps at him The Shrub he shrinks away! The turkey's name was "Liberty" And this concludes our tale -- To see the moral in it, You don't have to go to Yale. Your state it could be red or blue, Across this generous land, True patriot Americans Resist a tyrant's hand! Now hope's a thing with feathers, Or so the poets say. And hope's exactly what we need On this Thanksgiving Day. And so together, let us vow Our hearts they shall not quail, We'll guard our freedom and our rights In this we'll never fail! --Lisa K. for the industrial strength version... Bush Watch is a non-advocacy site paid for by Politex, a non-affiliated U.S. citizen. Editorial Policy: All entries are dated and documented as needed. Text (c) Politex. Permission of author required for reprinting. Duration of working link not under our control. Updated daily at various times. Send all e-mail to Politex.