
<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://allpoetry.com/poem/15521516-Stifling-Our-Voices-by-BobB" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 26pt; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="color: rgb(141, 56, 0); text-decoration: none;">Stifling Our Voices</span></a><div dir="ltr"><div>Author unknown</div><div><br></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(20, 24, 35); background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">All over America</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(20, 24, 35);"><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Injustices are rapidly mounting</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">As Trumplicans keep looking for ways</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">To keep every vote from counting.</span><br><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Democracy is under attack.</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">What's more, this ugly ballot rejection</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Is shamefully occurring right</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Smack in the middle of our election!</span><br><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Early voting has already started,</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">And yet they continue to change the rules,</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Claiming possible voter fraud.</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Deception's one of their devious tools.</span><br><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Throwing out ballots due to petty</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Issues is one of their favorite ploys.</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Limiting mail-in ballots is</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Also a scheme that adds to their joys.</span><br><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Crippling the U.S. postal system:</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Another strategy that will be</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Making their efforts to throw out votes</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">A self-fulfilling prophecy.</span><br><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">The unfair tactics hit minority</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Communities especially hard</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">By limiting opportunities.</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Another reason to be on our guard.</span><br><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">And then we have a president</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Constantly misleading his base.</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">He lies about the current system</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Of voting and does it with a straight face!</span><br><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">And all of this voter suppression occurs</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">While a COVID pandemic rages.</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">We have observed a chipping away</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Of democratic values in stages.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(20, 24, 35);"><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248);"><br></span><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">How sad it is, America,</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">That what's going on truly appears</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">To brazenly discredit a system</span><br><span style="background-color: rgb(253, 252, 248); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">That's worked quite well for many years!</span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><br></div>—————————————————<br><br><div dir="ltr"><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)</span></div><div><a href="http://www.moscowcares.com/">http://www.moscowcares.com/</a></div><div><br></div><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tom Hansen</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moscow, Idaho</span></div></div><div><br></div><div>“A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met.”</div><div>- Roy E. Stolworthy</div><div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>