JULY 23 • 2020 | 5
Views
for openers
Rhymes For Our Times
(Written under the shadow of the 2020 pandemic)
D
uring these times of
social distancing and
self-isolation, watch-
ing YouTube can become
addictive.
I have discovered the clev-
erness of sev-
eral folks who
are musically
inclined and
can write song
parodies about
the COVID-19
pandemic. Of
course, I’
m not
gifted with a music sense and
those who have heard me sing
will fervently agree. However,
I felt that I could do with a
literary device what they had
done in music. So here goes:
Jack and Jill went up the hill;
They were not six feet apart.
Jack fell ill
And so did Jill
A lesson they’
re taking to heart.
Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard
To get some bathroom tissue.
When she got there
Her cupboard was bare
And that made going an issue.
Humpty Dumpty wasn’
t wear-
ing a mask.
Humpty Dumpty was taken
to task.
Then he was seen
To break quarantine
Slowly exposing us all.
Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How did your shopping go?
“I wore gloves and a mask,
But it still was a task
And for it I have nothing to
show.
”
Jack was not nimble.
Jack was not quick.
He took no precautions
And now is quite sick.
There was an old woman
Who lived in a shoe.
She homeschooled her children
For nothing else would do.
She taught them and fought
them
And sent them to bed.
And raised teacher salaries
Quietly in her head.
Peter, Peter, restaurant keeper,
Had a wife but couldn’
t feed
her.
Then unemployment hit the
scene
And all was blamed on
COVID-19.
Little Jack Horner
Pumped iron in the corner
Of a recently reopened gym.
With his mask, a towel and
disinfectant spray
So no one would re-infect him.
Hickory, dickory dock
Re-opening against the clock?
First one is struck down
Then it’
s all over town.
Wearing masks is not just a
crock.
Baa, baa, ICUs
Have you nasal swabs?
Yes, sir; yes, sir,
But not for such a mob.
Some for those who’
re needed
And some for those who’
re ill.
But none for the man in charge
Up on the hill.
Hey diddle doe-vid
This traveler has COVID.
The TSA jumped all over him.
The rest of us laughed to see
Him get caught.
Who knew we could be so
dim?
The itsy, bitsy virus
Climbed up the nasal spout.
Out came a sneeze
But not the virus out.
Out came a cough
And the temperature was
great.
For the itsy, bitsy virus
Be sure to isolate!
And the beat goes on. Thanks
for bearing with me. Do I
detect a slight smile under
that mask? I might now give
some thought to fairy tales;
they have dark endings any-
way, so it should not be hard.
Stay tuned.
Time for Sovereignty
Professor Aronoff’
s article
“Don’
t Annex: Save the Two
State Solution” (July 9, page 18)
merely advocates past negotia-
tions rejected by the Palestinian
Arabs multiple times and frets
over what others will say. Einstein
said, “The definition of insanity is
continuing to do the same thing
and expecting a different result.
”
After unsuccessfully trying the
two-state solution for over 70
years, there must be a better
approach.
Prior to his death, Prime
Minister Yitzhak Rabin’
s hard
points were: 1) Israel had to
control the Jordan River Valley;
2) The major Jewish population
centers in Judea and Samara had
to be part of Israel; and 3) the
Palestinian entity must be demil-
itarized.
Only after Israel’
s military
victories in 1948, 1967 and 1973
did the Palestinians suddenly
become interested in a state of
their own. When Israel left Gaza,
the Palestinians had a chance
to demonstrate they could run
a peaceful state. Instead, Gaza
became a belligerent, terrorist
armed camp. The Palestinians
have rejected every proposed
two-state solution. Their motto
is, “From the river to the sea,
Palestine will be free.
”
The Trump administration’
s
proposed sovereignty plan meets
Rabin’
s basic requirements. Israel
officially declaring sovereignty on
the proposed area demonstrates
that Israel is moving forward
on its minimal requirements.
The plan doesn’
t preclude any-
thing from being changed by a
successful negotiation with the
Palestinians. With Gaza, Israel
also demonstrated it was willing
to evict its own citizens.
It’
s time to declare sovereign-
ty. The ball will then be in the
Palestinians’
court. The real issue:
Do the Palestinians want peace?
— Eugene Greenstein, Ph.D.
Farmington Hills
continued on page 6
letters
Sy Manello
Editorial
Assistant