Deadly mudslide in Snohomish County, Washington. (Washington State Department of Transportation / March 24, 2014)

The Netflix CEO’s claim that he will continue fight
For a neutral internet loses its bite
When the next headline reads that Netflix will pay
For prioritized access at the end of the day.

A mudslide in Washington has left a death toll of 24,
And with over 100 missing, it could still be more. 
Sadly this catastrophe was not unforeseen;
The mound of ignored reports is simply obscene.


A Rikers corrections officer finally faced arrest
Over denying a mentally ill inmate’s repeated request. 
Pendergrass refused the man’s medical pleas all night
And allowed him to die alone in his plight.

After long accusing a Chinese firm of trying to hack the US,
The NSA  was revealed to have made quite a mess.
Their Shotgiant operation hacked Huawei’s email,
Prompting even more concern over how we surveil. 

New Mexico police face increasing critique
For the murder of a mentally ill homeless man this week.
After a three-hour standoff over his illegal campsite,
The man was shot in the back as he turned away from the fight. 

This weekend a collision in Texas’s Galveston Bay
Spilled 170,000 gallons of oil and shut down the waterway.
And into Lake Michigan a BP plant spilled
An undisclosed amount of the tar sands it milled.

It seems that every week I write
Of police brutality and oil spills.
We have to do more than just look for the light;
We need to create a day without these ills.