Wisdom and Power

by Skinner Layne

Clamor for power, divine little youth,
Struggle for the precipice of Iv’ry air
Make your name amongst the Kings of earth,
And claim the Triumphant Golden Chair.

Whether by dagger or the sharpened sword,
Or through some darksome crevasse schemes
Embrace your destiny to rule and to reign
Lest ever it continue to haunt your dreams.

But beware of the snares of both friend and foe
Who gather in quiet to plot your demise,
To expose your secrets and midnight plans,
Insidiously awaiting to thieve your prize.

For though the sword-tip can pierce the flesh,
And all the swords be under your control,
The weapon of choice of all against you,
Is the Truth that lies deep within your soul.

Let not pretense be your companion,
Nor fear of the Truth accompany your quest,
But meet the wounding word with valor,
To secure for yourself the Regent Crest.

Yet when you reach that Pinnacle of hist’ry
Know that its achievement is not the end,
For power alone is but a wisp of cloud-strand
And such Mortal Accolade you must transcend.

Power is fleeting without wisdom,
Clasp not the Cloud, nor grasp after the wind,
Give strength to your heart with wealth and courage
Rememb’ring the lesson that all have sinned.

Then when you rest amongst the White Lillies,
And soar to your fathers who live in the sky
The masses will celebrate your life and your reign,
Yet mourn your departure in the place that you lie.

Clamor for power, divine little youth,
Refuse only those who deny your fate,
Engrave your name in the Granite of Time,
Ascend this day to your destined Estate.

Remiss in My Blogging

I feel that my blogging is in arrears. I suppose we are all allowed an infrequent lapse in our blogosphere presence. But I shall remedy it here and now.

It has been a while since my last political post, and while I am fleshing out an in-depth theological post for later, the status of the mid-term congressional elections and gubernatorial races warrants my immediate attention.

It appears that after a decade of close calls, nail biters, and hail marys, the Republicans are finally going to lose control of the House. I intensely fear the ascension of Nancy Pelosi to the speakership, and were it not for that dreadful reality, I would say the Republicans are finally getting what they need...a reality check. I am reminded of Orwell's poignant little allegory Animal Farm, where the Animals take over the farm and throw out everything human and vow never to run the farm like Farmer Jones. But, by the end of the story, the pigs (the ruling animal class on the farm) are sleeping in human beds and changing the rules to suit themselves. The Republican Revolution of 1994 held so much potential. Valiantly fighting for welfare reform, balanced budget policies, tax reform, ethics reform, and other small government causes, and it was thought that only if they had a Republican on the White House to help them, that the era of less government would be in its Golden Age.

Alas, though, the lure and temptation of pork projects and the idyllic promise of placating the masses just this once with a social program or two so that they could accomplish the.*real* agenda in their next term, was just too much, and the pigs started sleeping in the beds. For those of us who came of age in the glory days of 1994, we watched our hopes shattered by the Farm Bill, McCain-Feingold, the Prescription Drug Bill, No Child Left Behind, and the most bloated age of discretionary spending in American history. And those of us who had hoped that the heirs of Reagan could continue even stronger on the watch of a self-proclaimed Reagan Conservative had our hopes dashes as the socialism of so-called compassionate conservatism hijacked the Republican Party.

There is never a more angry and vindictive person than the spouse of an adulterer, and the rank and file of the Republican Party have a right to feel outraged at the utter betrayal of the last 6 years. Congressional Republicans have proven themselves either incapable or unwilling to stand up to this President on entitlement programs, and the President has refused to hold Congress accountable on pork spending. Though I think the President is contemptible, Congressional Republicans deserve what is coming to them--though America doesn't deserve the side effects.

At the same time, however, the country will be better off if the Republicans are forced to do a post mortem on the 2006 elections and regroup prior to 2008. Since the Democrats have no real policy agenda, they will not be difficult to unseat. The party needs visionaries, not hacks like John Boehner. I am looking forward to the debate within the party after the miserable showing it is going to make in November.