Nothing New under the Sun

The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.—Ecclesiastes 1:9 (KJV)

The Preacher, you protest, must be out to lunch.

Yes, Assyrians descended, wolves on the fold,

But Putin's cruel hitmen worse savage, as told,

With missiles and drones, when it comes to the crunch.

We have AI, smart phones, Elon Musk!

These things are all new, they're scarcely sub fusc.

Here novelty rages from sunrise till dusk.

Plastic archipelagoes accessorize the sea.

Rockets to Barsoom are sure soon to be.

Why, the wonders of MAGA are just on the cusp!

In his tomb under Zion, King Solomon stirred.

From deep in his dreaming, he muttered this word:

Fools! Sennacherib was like Netanyahu; Sargon like Trump,

They all do its bidding when AI says jump!

Artificial intelligence is nothing new.

It's natural wisdom that's vanished from view.

Elijah ascended in a chariot to heaven.

Smart telephones are Beelzebub's leaven.

There is no new thing, believe me, under the sun.

That battle was lost long before yours could be won.

Note: "Barsoom" is the Martians' name for their world in the novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, evidently favorite reading in the Musk family. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barsoom.

Tuesday, November 25, 2025