Manfest Destiny



A bloodied Donald Trump, seconds after the attempt on his life, fist raised in defiance against the blue sky and an American flag, as a scrum of Secret Service agents surround him. Evan Vucci's photograph quickly transcended reportage to become one of those iconic images that capture something deeper about the human experience.

Naturally, the meme-makers acted first, responding to the moment in ways ironic, earnest, or (as is usually the case with the best of their efforts) a delicate balance of both. More considered essays soon followed, using the image as a springboard for meditations on this particular moment in our history.

For Align editor Helen Roy, Vucci's image holds a deeper, more elusive truth beyond the reach of memes or think pieces. "It seemed to me that the best hope of understanding this photograph's power was through figurative language," says Roy. It was the desire to understand this picture and its already indelible mark on our culture that led Roy to write the poem "Manifest Destiny," which we reproduce below.

—Matt Himes, managing editor

Manifest Destiny

A mere tilt of the chin against the hot wind
Skirted disaster: whirring slug to the head.
Warring worlds brought to heel in the midsummer heat,
Death, pawing, and snarling, and crouched at his feet.
Guards scrambled wildly to cover the king,
Yet he towered above them, ears still ringing,
And raised a fist, and his old, bloodied face,
Unkillable in both body and grace,
Mouthed “fight” as the terrified onlookers screamed,
And red stripes and blue stars surrounded him, framed.

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'Dear President Vladimir Putin, I'm so sorry that I was not your mother': As Russia invades Ukraine, actress posts video of bizarre poem



As the world watches Russia invade the nation of Ukraine, actress AnnaLynne McCord has released a bizarre video in which she stares into a camera and delivers a poem suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin would have been a completely different person if she had been his mother, because he would have felt loved and secure.

"Dear President Vladimir Putin, I'm so sorry that I was not your mother," McCord said at the beginning of the video, which continues for more than two minutes.

"If I was your mother, the world would've been warm, so much laughter and joy and nothing would harm. I can't imagine the stain, the soul-stealing pain, that the little-boy you must've seen and believed, and the formulation of thought quickly taught that you lived in a cruel, unjust world. Is this why you now decide no one will get the best of you? Is this why you do not hide nor away shy from taking back the world?" she said. "Was it because so early in life all that strife wracked your little body with fear?"

Dear Mister President Vladimir Putin\u2026pic.twitter.com/LbDFBHVWJf
— AnnaLynne McCord (@AnnaLynne McCord) 1645718391

McCord's cringeworthy video raised eyebrows on Twitter, racking up millions of views and thousands of responses.

"This is so tonedeaf it’s wild. Not only is this 'hot take' insensitive to what’s happening right now, I also have to say, blaming a woman for 'not properly mothering' instead of blaming an adult man who has agency over his own choices, is the most blatant misogyny I’ve ever seen," actress Lauren Ash tweeted.

"Not sure if I will ever be able to un-cringe from watching this... Please add cringe warning to vids like this..." someone else tweeted.

Eric Hubbs of Barstool Sports tweeted, "gotta wonder why the celebs didn't try slam poetry before to stop the war."

gotta wonder why the celebs didn't try slam poetry before to stop the warhttps://twitter.com/IAMannalynnemcc/status/1496877541772062727\u00a0\u2026
— Eric Hubbs (@Eric Hubbs) 1645727932

Charlottesville mayor posts graphic poem saying city 'rapes you,' continues slamming her own town



The mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia, posted a shockingly graphic poem on social media Wednesday, where she said the city "rapes you" and continued to slam the place she represents as racist and "void of a moral compass."

What are the details?

Democratic Mayor Nikuyah Walker's poem read:

Charlottesville: The beautiful-ugly it is. It rapes you, comforts you in its c** stained sheet and tells you to keep its secrets."

Content warning: Rough language

https://t.co/MwJfrkgCWf
— Mayor Nikuyah Walker (@Mayor Nikuyah Walker)1616594807.0

Walker's post was deleted by Facebook, who purportedly explained the message violates its "standards on adult sexual exploitation," so she posted a screenshot of her work on Twitter, and then rewrote it in a lengthier version for all to see.

In her follow-up post, Walker wrote:

"Is this better? I'm asking the person who reported my short poem to FB.

Charlottesville: The beautiful-ugly it is. It lynched you, hung the noose at city hall and pressed the souvenir that was once your finger against its lips. It covers your death with its good intentions. It is a place where white women with Black kids collects signature (sic) for a white man who questions whether a black woman understands white supremacy. It is destructively world class. White people say that it is a place where gentrification started with the election of a Black women (sic) in 2017 and because of white power, a lie becomes #facts. Its daily practice is that of separating you from your soul. Charlottesville is void of a moral compass. It's as if good ole tj is still cleverly using his whip to whip the current inhabitants into submissiveness. Charlottesville rapes you of your breaths. It suffocates your hopes and dreams. It liberates you by conveniently redefining liberation. It progressively chants while it conservatively acts. Charlottesville is anchored in white supremacy and rooted in racism. Charlottesville rapes you and covers you in sullied sheets."


https://t.co/f8p1Sws4Rt
— Mayor Nikuyah Walker (@Mayor Nikuyah Walker)1616608534.0

Walker's mention of "tj" appears to be a reference to late President Thomas Jefferson, whose famous Monticello home is outside the city.

In another post shared Wednesday, the mayor wrote, "Thomas Jefferson raped Sally Hemmings. He 'owned' and raped her. How repulsed do you think she use (sic) to be as she laundered his fluids and scent out of the linens that he raped her on?"

Walker did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment on her posts.

Anything else?

The Washington Examiner reported that "Walker was elected mayor of Charlottesville in 2017, the first black woman to hold the office, and she often spoke out on the campaign trail against the 2017 Unite the Right rally that turned violent when a suspected white supremacist drove his car into a crowd, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer."

White House official anonymously contributes Dr. Seuss-style poem to Politico mocking Republicans, calling Trump a 'Neanderthal'



Despite President Joe Biden promising to unify the country, one of his staff members made it clear they are not on board after they took the time to pen a Dr. Seuss-style poem mocking Republicans and stating that former President Donald Trump "acted like a Neanderthal."

What are the details?

On Thursday evening, Politico published a piece titled, "Biden World gives a shoulder shrug to the raging culture wars," wherein the publication began with a Dr. Seuss-style poem that reads:

"There's a war on The Muppets. And 'The Cat and the Hat!'
But Biden is busy. He has no time for all that."

The story continues:

Over the past few weeks, Republicans have simmered over the "cancellation" of seemingly innocent family favorites, including the venerated Mr. Potato Head toy and Dr. Seuss books. Glenn Beck has likened it to fascism. Fox News has covered it obsessively. In recent days, conservative legislators have made speeches at confabs and in the halls of Congress, warning about what they describe as out of control PC culture.

An unnamed White House "official" also contributed a Seuss-style poem for the story, saying:

"Republicans may complain, but they're still in thrall
To a President who acted like a Neanderthal
Instead of coming together, the flames they fan
When they should be working with Joe on the Rescue Plan
Cry, whine, and gnash their teeth as they may
It's actually the Republicans who are in disarray!"

The poem's mention of the word "Neanderthal" in reference to Trump doubles down on Biden's comment Wednesday when he said that the Republican governors of Texas and Mississippi were guilty of "Neanderthal thinking" for lifting COVID-19 restrictions in their states to open their economies.

The Politico story declaring that the Biden administration could care less about it all dropped as many Republicans were already fuming over the "Neanderthal" insult, which White House press secretary Jen Psaki explained was "a reflection of [Biden's] frustration and exasperation."

Reviews of the poem were mixed on social media. Some praised it, with one person declaring, "Oh my, That's Hilarious," and another calling it "perfect."

Others were less than impressed, with one person writing, "This makes me wish I was dead. I'm only 31, but I know I've lived too long," and another tweeting, "HAHAHA THIS CANNOT BE REAL that poem makes me more embarrassed to be an American than all of Trump's tweets combined."