About arrogance and moral turpitude.

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We are the Empire
We are the Kings and Queens of the mountain
We have all the worldly power
We own more, consume more, and pollute more
Than anyone

We claim the high moral ground

We hold a high ground
But it's not a moral one

We claim the best of everything

But in our claiming
We commit the biggest crime

In our claiming
We commit
The crime
Of arrogance

And

In our arrogance
We drop
Into
A moral
Turpitude

The pain we feel
Is the pain one feels
When one has too much
While others
Have too little

The pain we feel
Is the pain one has
When one is oblivious
To the pain of others

The fear we feel
Is the fear one feels
When one knows
That others
Hate one

The fear we feel
Is the fear
One feels
When one feels guilty
For what one has done

The hate we feel
Is the hate one feels
Towards those
Who hate one

The hate we feel
Is the hate one feels
Towards those
Who make one feel pain and fear

But, we are the Empire
We are the Kings and Queens of the mountain
And, we have all the worldly power
So, we must know this pain, fear, and hate

Because

These are the wages of Empire
These are the wages of having it all
While others have so little

These are the wages of owning
The top of the mountain

These are the wages of claiming
The high moral ground

These are the wages of possessing
All worldly power

This is the price of an arrogance
That leaves others behind

This is the price of an arrogance
That claims victory
Before the battle
For human fullfillment
Is won

This is the price of an arrogance
That causes pain
And calls it freedom

This is the price of an arrogance
That forgets
In the heart of the matter
We are all one

We are the Empire
We are the Kings and Queens of the mountain
We have all the worldly power
We own more, consume more, and pollute more
Than anyone

Authors Bio:

Jim Bush is a 67 year old, Vietnam-era veteran, currently living in Texas. He was raised in a military family. His father received the Silver Star for directing troops while under air attack at Clark Field in the Phillipines, survived the Bataan Death March, and spent three and a half years in a Japanese POW camp. He also received the Purple Heart for wounds received while a  POW. Jim served as an army photographer in Okinawa and Korea. In 1987 he traveled to the war zones of Nicaragua with a veteran's group dedicated to stopping the Contra War.