Fred Smith with his annual XMAS Poem - 2022 version

All manner of assaults devastate Mother Earth.

Corporations put profits above human worth

--- Fred Smith, Xmas 2022 Poem excerpt

another year, 

another poem from Fred.

not a lot of cheer

in a dismal year. 

But we will always have Fred's

Photo with NY Jets Dancers

For Flair

--- Norm's feeble attempt at rhyme

I first met Fred, a testing expert who used to work as a statistician for the old NYCBOE, when he contacted me about getting ICE members to assist in gathering data for his exposures of the evils of testing I think sometime around 2008. He then got involved with groups like GEM and Change the Stakes and was a co-winner with me and Danny Dromm of Leonie Haimson's Skinny Award in 2018 - (June 19 - I'm a Skinny: Honored to be honored by Leonie Haimson along with the Great Danny Dromm and Fred Smith.)

Fred Smith has done it again for 2022 with is yearly Xmas specials.

Here are his previous years, each with a different theme. 2019 seems to be absent.

• Fred Smith 2021 edition of his Annual ‘Twas the night before Christmas

• Fred Smith with his annual The Night Before Xmas—2020

• Fred Smith - The Day After Christmas - 2018 Version

• 2017: Fred Smith: Dispirit of the Season
• 2016: Fred Smith's Annual "Night Before Christmas"

• 2015: Fred Smith, Poet Laureate of Opt Out - 'Twas the night before...

• And then there’s Mulgrew who must choose who is winning 

  To claim he was backing them from the beginning. 

• In (2014) Fred Smith gave us this gem.
  Fred Smith: The Day Before Xmas (With Arne Duncan ...
  

Fred is also a statistician for the NY Jets - don't blame him for their absence from the Super Bowl for over 50 years.

Fred Smith convincing Jets dancers to boycott field tests - he's the one in the middle

 

Fred Smith with his annual Xmas Poem —2022

 

We have to laugh and be optimistic to keep from crying... 

Christmas 2022 

 

From North Pole to South Pole, ’22’s been a mess.

‘Twas enough to leave Santa in a state of distress.                    

 

All-day cable kept pounding loud noise in his head;

The news sent him spinning and straight to his bed.

 

Reindeer were moaning and his disheartened elves    

Didn’t want to make more toys to re-stock the shelves.

 

The world seemed bereft of its natural rhythm.

Would this holy night be without him or with him?

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All manner of assaults devastate Mother Earth.

Corporations put profits above human worth:

 

Ice caps keep melting; fires destroy forest ranges;

Storms pour down floods, while pols deny plague-like changes.

 

Polarization’s become the norm in our states;

Trash talk flowing freely in degrading debates.

 

Pro-life activists who are against gun restrictions,

Hold both viewpoints despite the clear contradictions.

 

Each hour he was hearing about war in Ukraine;

Continuous suffering and far too much pain.

 

Inflation and hate crimes rising without any end;

School and shopping mall murders tracking a tragic trend.

 

And supreme godly judges from the loftiest heights

Letting state legislatures limit people's birthrights.

 

Another flu cycle and Covid keeps morphing,

As we welcome winter—more folks unmasked and coughing.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

So, Santa felt down and couldn’t get going,                  

Or force being jolly behind hollow Ho Ho-ing?               

 

Oh, how he missed Macy’s when kids had his ear,

Whispering wishes, “I was good the whole year…”

 

Though he twice-checked all the names on his “Nice” children’s list,

Naughty kids snuck up for presents that had an odd twist.

 

He recalled some notorious brats on his knee,

Whose desires foreshadowed the grown-ups they’d be:   

 

There was a young girl, her first name was Marjorie,

She demanded pet vipers for her menagerie.

 

Lindsey drawled for a Jekyll-Hyde, bobble head doll;

“Just a skunk,” Jim Jordan ordered with a snide snarl.

 

Mitch dreamed of an 8-Ball where all answers were “NO!”

A reply he took with him from those days long ago.

 

Someone pushed little Herschel to run, run and look

For an “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” pop-up coloring book.

 

“I need a chameleon,” Elise squealed chubby-faced.

Color-changing lizards perfectly suited her taste.

  

Joe humbly prayed for stamina and longevity,

Kamala waited her next—all smiles and levity.

 

While Eric was craving a large looking glass,

De Blas wasted his chance—late and hopeless, alas.

 

Andrew chose a fairy tale in which bold lying shows

A wooden boy exposed by the size of his nose.

 

Rudy could not understand the joy and sunshine

Santa brought to the youngsters waiting on line.

He jeered at their belief in this man dressed in red

And scoffed at the notion he flew in a sled.

Yet, when his turn came, Rudy craved a loudspeaker

And a billy club to bully those who were weaker.

 

Away from the crowd, a lonely boy viewed the scene;

Brooding in the back seat of his dad’s limousine.

He loathed the bell ringers just outside of the store,

Collecting coins from kind donors to help out the poor.

He had cruel disdain for social disparities,

But realized he could steal through self-dealing “charities,”

Like shortchanging workers, and rigging the tax game,

And conning saps into signing fat checks in his name.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Meanwhile, Mrs. Claus could be heard gently nagging,  

“Nicholas, get up now, this is no time for dragging.

We’re feeling despair, Dear, the most I can remember,

But that’s no excuse to stay home late in December.”

 

I wish this Eve’s poem could close with unrestrained cheer,

But don’t know for certain whether he’s coming this year.

 

For Santa’s, like Tinker Bell’s, light has grown dim.

Perhaps, the pure love of childhood will replenish him.

 

And his blue eyes will twinkle, and he’ll rev up his sleigh.

My heart says he’ll deliver on this Christmas Day.