Roman Polanski has been moved from a jail cell to his Alpine chalet. He'll wait there while the Swiss Justice Ministry considers a U.S. extradition request.

Waiting In Comfort

Roman P's in his chalet;
His house is now his jail.
Uncle Sam is hanging tough
Resolved to finally nail
Polanski for having sex
With a teen at forty-four
Officials want to lock him up
For treating her like a whore.
Rom swears that he won't stray;
He'll stay to hear his fate.
Four million bucks is on the line
So he won't violate
His bail, as he stands by
To learn just what's the deal.
If the Swiss decide to send him back,
He's expected to.
The girl involved, who's now grown up,
Feels arresting him was rash.
She wants the courts to let him go
Since he paid his debt in cash.

Consumer advocates are warning shoppers to beware of fine print in Black Friday ads that tell of "limited supplies." Some items, say the advocates, may be limited to only 1 or 2 in stock.


Seeing Red


Black Friday's the day,
Most retailers say,
To get out of the red and post gains.

But now comes a warning
Of trouble a-borning
That may cause some pocketbook pains.

Some seem to be doing
Fine-print-laden wooing,
Designed to make customers flock.

But when they've arrived,
They may be deprived
And find that the store's out of stock.

We're told to beware
Of the fine print that's out there,
As we shop, we must know which is which.

As we look for those "steals"
And those holiday deals,
Be alert for the old "bait and switch."

President Barack Obama has followed the lead of George Bush the First in pardoning"Courage" the turkey. He gave credit to his daughters for intervening on behalf of the bird which, says the president, he was prepared to consume for the holiday.


"Courage" Lives On


Thanksgiving's for the birds;
That is, the day to eat one.
The president held court, though,
And showed us how to treat one.

Thanks to his two daughters,
Obama raised his hand.
The Turkey known as "Courage"
Got "life" in Disneyland.


Copyright Jim Gordon 2009

President Obama is said to have decided on new troop levels for the war in Afghanistan. According to reports out of Washington, the president will reveal his decision after Thanksgiving.




The Numbers Game


The American people are holding their breaths
To learn how many troops may be sent to their deaths.

Obama's War Council has heard the Chief say
We'll "finish the job" on his watch, well, some day.

He's preparing a speech to give, chapter and verse,
As the war in Afghanistan keeps getting worse.

He'll soon tell us all - every Dick, Mary, and Tom
How he plans to deal with his own "Vietnam."

It's an eight-year-old war; people ask "Can we win it?"
Well, it seems till we do, we plan to stay in it.

Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina is facing ethics charges, in connection with the alleged use of public money for private travel...including trips, this summer, to Argentina.


The Wages Of Woo-ing

Mark Sanford is faced
With charges he chased
After his sweetheart with taxpayers' money.'

The Gov'nor was missed
While away on a tryst
In Argentina to visit his honey.

The Missus and he
Are looking to see
If he can get off the hook.

But First Lady Jen
Has picked up her pen,
And soon will tell all in her book.


Copyright 2009

Scientists in Rome have found two fingers and a tooth that had been removed from the corpse of Galileo Galilei. All will soon be on display at an Italian Museum in Florence.



Give The Man A Hand

Galileo lost some digits
On his way to his new tomb.
He's joining Michelangelo,
Who lies at rest in a nearby room.

The curator called for all the parts,
Saying there's no time to linger.
So he who owns the famous bones
Gave the man the ancient finger.

Former CNN commentator Lou Dobbs is said to be deliberating a career in politics...congressional or presidential.



Dobbs Deliberates DC

Lou Dobbs may run for the Senate,
Or that big House that's painted all white.
Now that he's up and left Cable,
And appears leaning a bit to the right.

He wants to champion the middle.
He may challenge Obama one day.
Since, as a native of Texas,
He was born in the U-S-of-A.

Our founding fathers envisioned a citizen legislature, in which each member served his (or her) term and then went back to work in the real world. Meantime, Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia has received the praises of his fellow lawmakers - and his president - for completing 57 years in congress.


Up and Over The Hill

It may seem absurd
That Senator Byrd
Did lawmaking for so many years.

As the new record holder,
He got even bolder
In accepting kudos from his peers.

Foster son of a miner,
His life was much finer.
With world leaders he got to hobnob.

For years, a top rater,
With each Mountain Stater,
There was no need to go get a job.

Let's Cool It

President Obama, meeting in Beijing with China's leaders, is setting his sights on a way to fight global warming.


Let's Cool It


The president says it's now time
To do something about the world's clime.
We must get off our asses
To curb greenhouse gases
And save Plane Earth while there's time.

Copyright 2009 Jim Gordon

Be A Standup Guy

President Barack seems to have angered some of his critics by bowing to the emperor of Japan during the president's tour of Asia.


Be A Standup Guy

Stand tall, say his critics;
Don't bow.
Look the emperor right in the eye.

We don't want our Prez to
Kowtow,
And bend at the waist or the thigh.

But friends see his gesture
As cool.
They say that he's just being kind.

Obama, they say, is
No fool;
It's world peace he's trying to find.


Copyright Jim Gordon 2009

Getting Oriented

President Barak Obama visits China, in the midst of a weeklong Asia trip. He came with a vast agenda of security, economic and environmental concerns.



Getting Oriented


China's next up for Obama;
He'll be touring and seeing the sights.
Since he opted to shun Dalai Lama,
One wonders: will he broach human rights?

Palin's Wailin'

The Associated Press reports that Sarah Palin's new book reprises familiar claims from the 2008 presidential campaign.


Palin's Wailin'

Are conservatives cringing
As Sara goes binge-ing
With rants of the right and the left?

With opinions she's loaded,
And needs not to be goaded.
Of the truth, though, she may seem bereft.

She's written a book
Putting down every schnook,
Against whom she's on the attack

Though she's not very kind
Sara's made up her mind.
So let's not confuse her with fact.

Copyright 2009 Jim Gordon

Flying (quite) High

Police in London say a United Airlines pilot, who was pulled from his trans-Atlantic flighgt to Chicago shortly before takeoff, has been charged with "having too much alcohol in his system."

"Drunk" is the word
Here in the States;
Old Erwin and bottle
Up there with his mates.

The Brits choose their words
With more care and more class;
But however you phrase it,
He as zonked out his ass.

Flight 949 was set to take off
With trav'lers to fly
At the hands of a pilot
Already quite high.

But a comrade in flight,
Fearing dismissal,
Was just a bit nervous
And, so, blew the whistle.

A United spokeslady
Says there's no toleration
For partaking in too much
Pre-flying libation.

So now pilot Erwin,
Who's posted his bail,
Is facing a possible
Two years in jail.