Ark of the Lost Angels

My fellow citizens,
at this hour,
American and coalition forces are in the early stages
of military operations to disarm Iran, to free its people
and to defend the world from grave danger.

On my orders,
coalition forces have begun striking selected targets of military importance
to undermine the Ayatollah’s ability to wage war.

These are opening stages of what will be a broad and concerted campaign.
More than 35 countries are giving crucial support
-- from the use of naval and air bases,
to help with intelligence and logistics,
to the deployment of combat units.
Every nation in this coalition has chosen to bear the duty 
and share the honor of serving in our common defense.

To all the men and women of the United States Armed Forces now in the Middle East,
the peace of a troubled world
and the hopes of an oppressed people now depend on you.
That trust is well placed.

The enemies you confront will come to know your skill and bravery.
The people you liberate will witness the honorable and decent spirit of the American military.
In this conflict, America faces an enemy who has no regard for conventions of war 
or rules of morality.
The Ayatollah has placed Iranian troops and equipment in civilian areas,
attempting to use innocent men, women and children as shields for his own military
-- a final atrocity against his people.

I want Americans and all the world to know
that coalition forces will make every effort to spare innocent civilians from harm.
A campaign on the harsh terrain of a nation as large as California
could be longer and more difficult than some predict. 
And helping Iranians achieve a united, stable and free country
will require our sustained commitment.

We come to Iran with respect for its citizens,
for their great civilization and for the religious faiths they practice.
We have no ambition in Iran,
except to remove a threat and restore control of that country to its own people.

I know that the families of our military are praying
that all those who serve will return safely and soon.
Millions of Americans are praying with you for the safety of your loved ones
and for the protection of the innocent.
For your sacrifice,
you have the gratitude and respect of the American people.
And you can know that our forces will be coming home as soon as their work is done.

Our nation enters this conflict reluctantly
-- yet, our purpose is sure.
The people of the United States and our friends and allies
will not live at the mercy of an outlaw regime
that threatens the peace with weapons of mass murder.
We will meet that threat now, with our Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and Marines,
so that we do not have to meet it later with armies of fire fighters and police
and doctors on the streets of our cities.

Now that conflict has come,
the only way to limit its duration is to apply decisive force.
And I assure you, this will not be a campaign of half measures,
and we will accept no outcome but victory.

My fellow citizens,
the dangers to our country and the world will be overcome.
We will pass through this time of peril and carry on the work of peace.
We will defend our freedom.
We will bring freedom to others and we will prevail.

May God bless our country and all who defend her.

The cameras will cut,
And they will laugh
As they have for generations.
Sinister echoes in hallowed halls,
And they will sleep
While others are kept awake by thunder from the sky
And lightning which tears their homes apart
While aiming for the military offices next door.

The bombing will be excused,
As it so often has,
With the same lies. 
Generational recursion.
The same wars,
The same bloodshed,
The same purposelessness,
The same inhumanity, 
Not for a valiant purpose.
Only bloodlust.

A nation wired to kill for the sake of killing,
Applying “righteous” force in unrighteous ways,
In the wrong places.
Never to protect allies and friends,
But to punish enemies of convenience.

And in due time,
They will address the nation once more,
With stirring depictions of bravery
And heartfelt thanks for a thankless task.
Again, with the same words they used before,
They will excuse vile killing,
Secure in the ivory towers they built
On piles of corpses. 
Daring the world to take issue,
Calling society’s bluff,
They will scoff at the indignation,
Dismiss the outrage,
Discredit complaints,
And gloat over mountains of bodies
And piles of what used to be civilization.
The cruelty is the point.

My fellow Americans
Major combat operations in Iran have ended.
In the Battle of Iran, the United States and our allies have prevailed.
And now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country.

In this battle,
we have fought for the cause of liberty,
and for the peace of the world.
Our nation and our coalition are proud of this accomplishment
 — yet it is you, the members of the United States military,
who achieved it.
Your courage
— your willingness to face danger for your country and for each other —
made this day possible.
Because of you, our nation is more secure. 
Because of you, the tyrant has fallen, and Iran is free.

Never mind it will be another lie. 
The security of a nation
The safety of a people,
The liberation of the oppressed.
Falsehoods to excuse barbarism.
Not to build an empire,
There is no will to govern.
Not to extract resources,
Those will go wasted.
Rather, a misguided, petty, stupid proof of virility,
A pathetic display by men with no strength.

There will be no freedom,
Only fear. 
There will be no nobility,
Only cruelty.
There will be no liberty,
Only death. 
They have confused peace with terror.
“Well, you have to start somewhere.”

Peace is a lie.

---

Large sections of this poem were adapted from two of George W. Bush’s speeches. First, the Oval Office address on the start of the Iraq War on March 19th, 2003. Second, the infamous Mission Accomplished speech which took place on May 1st, 2003 on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Proper credit must go to George W. Bush, his speechwriting staff, his cabinet, naked imperialism, and the gullibility of the American people for the content and inspiration of this poem.