The Sloth of Casual Violence
By Carl Nyberg ©2025
A rich neighbor
On a hill
Some minor
Substance abuse issues
More than substance abuse
Addiction
I hear he goes on trips
Sex tourism
He likes guns
The shooting & drinking
The neighbors squirm
He’s generous to the children
But he wants recognition
His public piety
Some people pray
So publicly
It seems unseemly
I avoid him
But he goes to meetings
To tell people
His opinion
He doesn’t like us
Calling him “mister”
He prefers “Uncle Sam”
Published with the permission of the author.
Carl Nyberg is a 1989 graduate of the US Naval Academy. After being an active duty Navy officer for 7 1/2 years, he stayed active on military matters and foreign affairs. On active duty he served on two ships homeported in Japan. He volunteered as a UN peacekeeper in Cambodia (1993). At Navy Recruiting District Chicago he did officer medical recruiting and investigated (enlisted) recruiter misconduct. He ended his active duty time as a Navy Recruiting Command whistleblower. After active duty he was part of the US Campaign to Ban Landmines (1997) and appeared in the media and a book as a subject matter expert on military recruiting and DOD Inspector General investigations. He was working in DC on international peace issues when the 9/11 Attacks happened and got to see how Congress and the peace community responded. He is a member of Veterans For Peace.