Geronimo And Us Poem by Raymond Farrell

It is well to read history
To learn from it lessons
That have a bearing
On how you think
About current events
And how they are presented
By the media and politicians.

Geronimo was a man
Who was branded by the government
The courts and authorities
As a criminal
The media called him a savage
He committed no crime
But engaged in a struggle
To prevent his own land
Being taken from him
By foreign invaders
The media hype of the day
Blamed nearly every act
Of aggression committed by Natives
Against white settlers in the Southwest US
On Geronimo
Acts committed simultaneously
Hundreds of miles apart on the same day
Were blamed on him
This caused hysteria among settlers
Who demanded the government and army
Take action to protect them
The government obliged by launching
A campaign of all out war
Against Geronimo and his band.

We can all learn from this
Deliberate manipulation
Of the population
By the government and media
Through spreading
Of propaganda.

Before it was over
Geronimo was forced
After decades of struggle
To sign a peace treaty
The terms offered by the government
Were laid down to ensnare him
Not one word was true
And the terms were never fulfilled
He was sent to Florida in chains
And never saw his homeland again
And just to emphasize how treacherous
The government can be
The Apache scouts the army hired
That allowed Geronimo to be found
Were also put in chains
And sent as prisoners to Florida too.

It is indeed prudent
To read history
And learn from it
Or we will all end up
Being the victims
Of our own ignorance.