92 lines
2.2 KiB
Plaintext
92 lines
2.2 KiB
Plaintext
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Casey at the Byte
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(with apologies to Ernest Lawrence Thayer)
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The meeting at the White House
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Wasn't going well that day;
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The budget plan was lost,
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Thus causing ulcers and dismay;
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And when Jones failed at the keyboard
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And Kowalski proved a dud,
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One could sense some great disaster,
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Like an avalanche or flood.
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"Don't panic," said the President,
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"Don't blab it to the press;
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"It's true without the budget plan
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"The country's in a mess;
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"Two other 'aces' failed so far
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"To find just where it is,
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"And so I've summoned Casey -
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"With computers he's a whiz."
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A gasp was heard as Casey
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Made his entrance on the scene;
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'Twas clear that he was just a lad
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No older than sixteen;
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And yet despite his lack of years,
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One fact outshone the rest -
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As a trouble-shooting "hacker"
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His credentials were the best.
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He boasted a degree from Yale,
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Plus two from M.I.T.;
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His work with "backup," "RAM" and "track"
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was marvelous to see;
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The range of his computer skills
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Was hailed both near and far
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From Commodore to IBM
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From Wang to NCR.
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There was ease in Casey's manner
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As he entered his commands;
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One could sense some mighty power
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Was contained within his hands.
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With lightning speed his fingers moved
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To press each crucial key;
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"The budget plan exists," he said.
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"it cannot hide from me."
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With great persistence Casey toiled,
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And yet, upon the screen,
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No buried data came to light
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From in the great machine,
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Except for birthday greetings
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To a Congressman in Maine,
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Two vetos and a slogan
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From the '84 campaign.
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The strain now shows in Casey's eyes;
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He's aged a dozen years;
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But then, at last, to joyful shouts,
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The budget plan appears!
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And now he lifts his head in pride,
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A smile upon his face;
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And now the mood is shattered
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As his elbow hits "ERASE."
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Oh, somewhere there are nations
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Where the keenest minds prevail,
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Where budgets can be balanced
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And the experts never fail;
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And somewhere data's safely stored,
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Preserved beyond a doubt,
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But no plan can save the White House -
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Klutz Casey wiped it out.
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