Poem for 5/20/05

There’s an item in the news that can’t be ignored

This week, Dan Rather won the Peabody Award

An award give for—saints preserve us!

Distinguished achievement and meritorious service

And they gave another to Mary Mapes

If you don’t believe it, I have the tapes

Now you may think it quite egregious

That those two should win a prize so prestigious

But perhaps no reputation should have to break

On the rocks of one small

                                                little

                                                            unadmitted

                                                                                    mistake.

Ignore that by such thinking it would be a fact

Hitler earned a Nobel for the Munich Pact

And it should not matter that

                                    (curiously after reading the “Song of Roland”)

He changed his mind and invaded Poland

And by the same token, it’s sheer affrontery

That Benedict Arnold’s not on the Three Dollar Bill

For his service to this country.

So lest you think this is pure infernalism

I’ll explain their contribution to worldwide journalism

Any old scribblers can sit on the benches

And scores of reporters toil in the trenches

But there are some things only genius can do

Only genius can conjure up something new

And the MSM, as it’s been branded

Was in desperate need of a new standard

A way to report whatever they want to

Thank you, Dan…

Thank you, Mary for

“Inaccurate, but true.”

Pity the soul of poor George Foster Peabody

Nowadays, they’ll give his plaque to just about anybody

Well, things can get better and we shall see…

Perhaps next year, they’ll give one to me!

But ‘till then, here’s a truth that can’t be brooked

Today, it’s an honor just to be overlooked.