Said Wilhoit, quite dry, in a fit:
Theres one rule that conserves every bit:
Some folks are immune,
Others crushed by the rule
Protected, not bound; bound, not lit.
They praise the Second loud as a bell,
Till others insist it applies as well.
When the carriers them,
The right starts to bend
Turns out shall not comes with an asterisk spell.
A nurse with a permit stood still,
Gun holstered, no threat, no ill will.
Pinned hard to the street,
Disarmed at their feet
Then bullets decided the kill.
He had a gun! cried the men at the mic,
Ignoring the clips they dont like.
He never once drew,
But the story they knew
Was easier spun than the strike.
The gun groups all grumbled, distressed:
This isnt how rights are expressed!
They barked at a pawn,
But let Trump ramble on
Selective outrages oldest test.
Behind closed doors, panic took hold:
The messagings bad, Trump was told.
Not Why is he dead?
But Shift it instead
Change channels; let outrage grow cold.
They preached law and order with flair,
Till law met a man theyd declared
Was the wrong kind of free
For their certainty
Then order arrived with a snare.
Chaos, theyve learned, has a use:
It rattles the calm and the loose.
If fear fills the air,
The fence-sitters stare
And silence becomes the excuse.
Frank Wilhoit put it plain and precise:
One rule, and its paid for the price
The laws like a moat:
Enemies choke, friends float.
Thats it. Thats the whole damn device.
They clutch the Amendment like prayer,
Till the wrong kind of citizens there.
Then shall not be barred
Turns into dont move, dont breathe, dont be armed
Amazing how scripture can tear.
A nurse lay face-down on the street,
Permit in his pocket, hands meek.
They yanked out his gun,
Decided he's done,
And shot him where law and lies meet.
Law and order, they shout with a grin,
Till order means they might lose skin.
Then orders a ruse,
And law is a noose
Pulled tight if youre not in the inn.
The NRA twisted in pain:
Not like this! they weakly campaign.
They scolded a flack,
But wont bite the hand back
Principles snap when donors complain.
The White House saw smoke, not a crime:
The narratives offbuy us time.
Not Who pulled the trigger?
But Whos losing the ticker?
Dead nurse? Bad branding. Thats the line.
They know chaos works just fine:
It freezes the meek, draws the line.
Stay out of the fray,
This doesnt touch you anyway
Till boots hit your door in due time.
What Trumps party cannot endure
Is a country thats equal and plural:
No masters, no checks,
No boots on our necks
An America free of the cruel.