Or Not

*
Yeowwwwh

James Brown, who died December 25, 2006,
may in fact be dead, however, he may not.
There is money to be made by those
who would keep him unburied, in stasis,
questioning the will, planning a fit monument.

In the same way, global warming, which
is caused by carbon emissions produced by human
beings, is a debatable fact, that is profitable.

And while, if Texas were a country, it would
be the 7th worst polluter in the world, that does not
mean green house gases should be taken seriously
because for every argument claiming climate change
is real, another exists saying these are normal
atmospheric variations, worth billions.

The trick is to turn facts into debates —
to report both sides of everything, even the death
of James Brown, Godfather of Soul, who died
on December 25, 2006 but that is just one side
of the debate, a debate over scientific facts —
like is a guy alive, or not
like is the planet going to become uninhabitable,
or not, like can we spin a catastrophic loss
in Iraq into a win, for anyone?

Mobile Exxon pays scientists to debate
the findings of world scientists who say
global warming has begun and is irreversable.

One hundred and thirty plus people were killed by
what was arguably an "explosion" in a Baghdad market last night.
The case could be made that this was a suicide bombing, accomplished
by insurgents, or some report it was terrorists.
It's debatable, and war contractors roll in dough.

All we have to do is turn facts
into debates, and then the winner will be –

huhhnh

(Click to hear Ken Laster's tribute to James Brown. 91.7, Storrs, CT. Scroll down and click on Play Tribute. Twenty or so minutes of James Brown and jazz musicians he influenced. )

Portrait of James Brown by Kelly Sullivan.

©Susan Bright, 2007

Susan Bright is the author of nineteen books of poetry. She is the editor of Plain View Press which since 1975 has published one-hundred-and-fifty books. Her work as a poet, publisher, activist and educator has taken her all over the United States and abroad. Her most recent book, The Layers of Our Seeing, is a collection of poetry, photographs and essays about peace done in collaboration with photographer Alan Pogue and Middle Eastern journalist, Muna Hamzeh.


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