by BB Curtis

Lyrics written January 6, 2021, Approx. 12:20 PM PST
[To the tune of The Star-Spangled Banner]

Oh say, can you see
Our beloved country?
O’er the TV we watched
As it fell in the shitter.

There’s a man here in charge
And king would he be.
If we are under God
Then where the hell is He?

There is death and destruction.
There is inflicted pain.
The heartbreaking scenes
Will ne’er leave my brain.

Oh say does our Star-Spangled
Banner yet wave?
Do we still have a land
Of the free and the brave?

After hours of watching one of the most frightening things I’ve ever seen happening live, this parody of the US National Anthem started flooding my brain. I wrote it down as quickly as I could to try to not forget any of the lyrics. I then tucked it away, trying to tone down some of the noise in my head, my heart, and my soul. (Music and writing, for me, are usually cathartic.) The screaming of some of the Capital Police still filled me. It was like re-witnessing the deaths of all my dead relatives and friends all at the same time and then worse. I’m no longer middle-aged – far past it. I have a lot of dead friends and relatives. Some were taken in infancy, others up into their nineties. I felt as though the death of my beloved country was happening right in front of me. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move. I could barely breathe. All I could do really well was stare at my laptop screen in panic and anger. I knew who had created this fiasco. I knew who was also watching it on his TV somewhere in the White House, and I knew why. I predicted Donald’s behavior before he was “elected” because of gerrymandering so that the Electoral College will always lean Republican unless the Democrats have a landslide victory of Biblical proportions. Don’t forget that the Republicans figured out how to steal elections decades ago – remember George W. Bush? They’re not done making it easier and easier for them to win and to have an advantage in the House. Illegal gerrymandering is rampant; courts are telling them to re-work the maps; they aren’t. Doing what’s right and fair isn’t really part of their agenda.

I didn’t write this at this time to dig into facts and figures. Some news stations have done that. Some fair-minded and honest pundits have also reported on the reality of the situation. Courts have taken action against some who broke laws. I wrote this to remind unbiased, open-minded, reasonable people with hearts and souls that we are not shut of the disease that created the riot on 1/6/21. Our country needs the support of those who still believe in the USA similarly to the intentions of our Founding Fathers who put everything on the line to create this nation by separating from the British Crown. If the American Revolution had failed, they were in line for charges of high treason and painful death sentences at the hands of the British courts and King George III. They were willing to give up their very lives in order to create this wonderful country, what used to be considered a beacon of hope and light is now deteriorating. Our friends overseas fear for the outcome of the political mess caused by someone who wants to install himself as a dictator and make the USA a Fascist state. His name is Trump. He has made his intentions clear, whether or not you’ve been paying attention. He wants to be your overlord and will take away as many rights as you’ve been given since the Founding Fathers first had an inkling of what this land could be. They fought for you to have the rights that they said you should have in those original documents that they created and to which they attached their names – The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and The Bill of Rights.  There’ve been a few wars in between then and now – far too many in my mind – where our men and women lost lives and body parts to keep this country safe and secure FOR YOU! If we don’t do everything we can to keep it safe at home, we dishonor all those good people, too many to count, who gave up everything so you can be free. We need to work to keep it that way – free. The Republicans and Donald J. Trump don’t want you to be free or have rights. What is their platform? What do they do to make sure that the US remains a world leader and that its people are able to have productive and happy lives? Nothing! Nothing at all.

There is action you can take right now and over again until there is success. You can write to your Congresspeople and Secretaries of State. If you’re reading this, you have internet access. Search for your representatives and secretaries. All of them have email addresses or Contact pages.  If you need help finding yours, I’ll help you. Email me at bbcurtis@theastartehome.com and give me the state in which you live, and I’ll get you the information you need. You can copy and paste the following, fill in your info, and send.

My name:

My address: Or I live in (name of the state where you reside)

I am writing to request that the State of (your state) take all efforts necessary to impeach and convict Donald J. Trump to remove him from the office of President of the United States or to demand the invocation of the 25th amendment.

Sincerely,

(your name)

Send the first set of emails now while it’s fresh in your mind.  Send them again in two weeks. Stay in front of these people and send again in another 2 weeks (put it on your calendar) and every 2 weeks thereafter until we find out that the monster who would be king is defeated. We are the last line of defense.

Oh say does our Star-Spangled
Banner yet wave?
Do we still have a land
Of the free and the brave?

Respectfully submitted,
Bobbi Bartsch Curtis
State of Minnesota

NOTE: This was initially posted in 2023. It has been updated to request impeachment and conviction to be applicable now in his second reign of terror, which is much worse than the first, as expected.

© 2023, 2025. Bobbi Bartsch Curtis. All Rights Reserved.