© March 25, 2021, the Griot Poet
Beto O’Rourke: “You’re in a border patrol boat armed with
machine guns. The only threat you face is unarmed children and families who are
seeking asylum (as well as the occasional heckler).” O’Rourke added: “If you’re
looking for a crisis to cosplay Senator for, I’m happy to point you in the
right direction.”
Fled Can Cruz
Said
“Owning firearms should be as hassle-free
As owning a car,”
Okay, “Cosplay on the Border,” Fled,
I recall:
It requires a salary,
Or, source of income,
Good credit,
A learners’ permit,
Driving with a licensed driver,
For one year,
Typically,
With a stint in Driver’s Ed,
Chauffeuring your guardians, or parents,
To the grocery store,
You have to take two TESTS,
And, annual renewal,
With a set passing percentage,
If you fail the first time,
No worries!
Study up, and retake it.
In some magistrates,
A second failure leads to a penalty,
Waiting, practicing, studying,
For the opportunity to
Take it yet again,
Since the 1950s,
Getting a license is a right of passage,
To American teenagers,
That isn’t in The Constitution,
But neither are mass shootings,
American teachers,
Have to pass
A state exam,
Fingerprints
And a background check,
In places like:
Chicago,
New York,
Philly,
Foreign countries like
England, or Japan,
Advanced public transport systems exist,
Sleek bullet trains
Sprinting commuters,
To-and-from
Home, and work,
The “exceptional” United States,
Left Amtrak in the 1950s,
Speaking of Japan:
Gun violence is 0.6% of their population,
In America, the highest at 10.5,
Japan: less than ten deaths annually,
America: 33,000 average,
After the Second World War,
Many Japanese,
Voluntarily gave up their weapons,
Neither do their police carry them,
They are required to study martial arts,
To defend themselves and others,
In public disturbances, they don’t present guns,
If a tourist or citizen is a public disturbance,
The martial artists
Wrap the offender in a mattress,
Comparing the countries is like entering The Matrix,
Japan does have gun owners,
The police visit the owners’ homes,
Annually,
Making sure that the guns are correctly maintained,
And access the mental health of the residents,
“Fled Can Cruz
Said
Owning firearms should be as hassle-free
As owning a car,”
Okay,
Require a job,
The administration of tests,
Registration of your cache of weapons,
An annual visit from your local police
Accessing your maintenance and mental health,
The right loves to talk about this,
Until pressured to put legislation behind it,
It’s just a squishy sound bite: they can give a shit,
In their exclusive enclaves with electronic keys and armed
private security,
Fled Can Cruz
Said
Owning firearms should be as hassle-free
As owning a car,
Japan: less than ten deaths annually,
America: 33,000 average,
Maybe then,
With a little less shooting mayhem,
Could we afford bullet trains?
And give our attention to infrastructure,
Our civil engineering score a D-minus average,
As a veteran,
Who’s handled weapons,
I write this with sincere glee:
If we followed
The Japanese model,
I would enthusiastically agree!
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