Patient and steady with all he must bear,
Ready to meet every challenge with care,
Easy in manner, yet solid as steel,
Strong in his faith, refreshingly real.
Isn’t afraid to propose what is bold,
Doesn’t conform to the usual mould,
Eyes that have foresight, for hindsight won’t do,
Never backs down when he sees what is true,
Tells it all straight, and means it all too.
Going forward and knowing he’s right,
Even when doubted for why he would fight,
Over and over he makes his case clear,
Reaching to touch the ones who won’t hear.
Growing in strength he won’t be unnerved,
Ever assuring he’ll stand by his word.
Wanting the world to join his firm stand,
Bracing for war, but praying for peace,
Using his power so evil will cease,
So much a leader and worthy of trust,
Here stands a man who will do what he must.
Hint: Write out the first letter of each line.
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p>Over the past few days we have learned that the U.S. has been placing news propaganda stories in the Iraqi media. Is it possible that they are doing the same to the Pakistani education ministry in order to counteract the teachings of those darn madrasas? Ummm, no. That’s a bit farfetched. But then how in the HELL did the above poem end up in Pakistani school textbooks?? Where is that panel of historian fact-checkers when you really need them?
The BBC reports (thanks for the tip Kumar):
The anonymous poem, called The Leader, appeared in a recent English-language course book for 16 year-olds.Critics say it praises Mr Bush. Its rhyming couplets describe someone “solid as steel, strong in his faith”. Officials cannot explain how the poem entered the curriculum. Pupils are to ignore it ahead of a reprint next year.
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p>This is just too darn right surreal. How could it have happened??
An education ministry spokesman argued that the poem was a good description of a true leader – which might explain how it got through the vetting process.
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p>That is unassailable logic right there.
The education ministry said it would remove the poem from the textbook and discipline the person responsible for including it.
I think they should make the official write out the poem a 1000 times on a school blackboard.
Georgie, you’re the most brilliant man I’ve ever met!
priceless……absolutely priceless.
Indian ministers over the years have always been accussed of attempting to rewrite school textbooks. The Americans seem to have one-upped them. Now, if only an Indian agent is able to sneak in a poem on Manmohan Singh in Pakistani text books… there wouldn’t be a war to fight people.
Damned CIA upto its old tricks again. In the 80’s they were teaching things like “If there are 5 athiests and you kill 3, how many are left” and now this.
I guess some Pakistani Educator copied it off a right wing website :).
People should at least be aware of what they are plagiarising.
If only Dubya had a scarecrow, lion and tin man to help him figure out which way to go, down that yellow-brick-road… Hell, the scarecrow might be smarter and outst him from office…
(ducks from impending flaming)
For anything to get done in the Arab world (or most of the developing world for that matter), money has to change hands. You don’t want us to become cultural imperialists, do you? Are we to demand that they abandon their centuries-old tradition of an outstretched palm in exchange for the Western imperialist concept of transparency?
This story doesn’t make sense. I didn’t think Pakistan would have enough money to buy new books for Children. I remember when i was in my public high school…my text book was used by about 12 other people before me and subsuquently there were about 8 different highlighters used to highlight every single word. And this is in the US. Anyways, my guess is that as part of the earthquake “aid” perhaps we gave some new “textbooks” to Pakistan.
Sort of like this epitaph in a Montreal cemetery… though the epitaph is not as adulatory as poem.
Vikram, it’s so funny you put that up… i actually was poking around on snopes.com last week and saw that!
And personally rather than remove the poem…I’d prefer to just add on to it:
Instilling horrendous foreign policies, Starting wars, Stubbornly insisting that global warming doesn’t exist, Trying the nation’s patience, Until they decide to mutiny. Promoting cuts to school budgets and welfare, Idiotically leading this country, Dubya has got to go.
i’m not much of a writer, but i’m studying right now and i have a lot of pent up aggression…. so that’s my 2 cents.
Watch out – before you know it, this may be in our textbooks!