Ground Zero $$$ & Zero Cents

This is a group that has been treated like the Agent Orange victims of the Vietnam War.

The terror that spread over New York

(CLEVELAND) - What is the meaning of 'audacity' - and first let us agree on the simple fact that audacity is typically not a positive, but a negative. It is a pessimistic yet sometimes necessary way of saying something overt and uncomfortable.

Audacity by definition: boldness or daring, esp. with confident or arrogant disregard for personal safety, conventional thought, or other restrictions.

To me, audacity is best defined by the actions of the U.S. government toward the people who worked at what came to be called 'Ground Zero' and regardless of anything else, nothing in modern history has made so many people cry on behalf of America. The firefighters and police and all others involved in rescue and cleanup operations are the bravest of the brave, they were selfless and placed the importance of others in front of their own needs. Many died then and many would die some time later from the contaminants they were exposed to.

All controversy aside, this is a group that has been treated like the Agent Orange victims of the Vietnam War; their needs have not properly been addressed and they could have been. It was under the Bush administration that the attacks began and even Ann Coulter went on the rampage - I'm sure we all remember that. Once again Luke Easter is on point and illuminating a significant problem in the erosion of American values, and they aren't to blame on the poor or the suffering, or the welfare recipients or the unions, or the Socialists or the minorities, but on the upper half of the top 1% of America's wealthiest.

There is a trickle down effect alright... Did you know that in 2008, only 19% of the income reported by the 13,480 individuals or families making over $10 million came from wages and salaries? See Norris, 2010, for more details.

These are the people for whose benefit, the American people are historically divided. The Republicans however, in their push against the U.S. President, and the Democrats who join hands with them, are the reason there is not enough money for social programs that keep Americans alive.
- Tim King, Salem-News.com News Editor

Luke Easter is a poet who writes about things that are very close to the heart of Salem-News.com. Another former U.S. Marine, Luke heals the world with an approach that reaches people on a different level, one known for centuries, yet too often forgotten in the one we live in.

We live in a world of social & economic injustice. The main reason for founding America in the first place was to relieve the oppression of the King of England. Patrick Henry said it best, “give me liberty or give me death.” And yet, all too often death seems to be the only way out. Why is there such a high suicide rate especially among teens, in the land of the free & the home of the brave? What makes headlines? Good news? Ha! More depressing stories than anything else. I feel poetry takes an edge off the hurt of bad news while still delivering it but in a, “glitzy” sort of way. Giving a different perspective. Kind of like slap in the face as opposed to a knife in the back. At least with the slap you’ll live to see another day and you will know whom it’s from. I wasn’t here for the beginning of the world but at 59, I just might be here for the end.

Even though it’s still a knife, rhyme poetry helps to dull the blade. And that’s my job. You can write to Luke Easter at: lyricsfromlucas@aol.com