A Hanging Tree in Season

For the Love of God!

I don’t know if there’s a God and I don’t spend much time worrying about it. I don’t know if Jesus was a historical personage, but the man presented in the Gospels is a compelling figure. Leaving the question of Jesus’ divinity aside, much can be learned from his humanity. Jesus wept because others’ pain became his own.

Empathy is a good thing. Better than guilt. Better than faith. Better than wisdom. Concern for our neighbors physical and emotional well-being is amiable. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise. A bleeding heart beats with a purpose. People should be fed and clothed, children should be protected and cherished, and animals should be treated kindly.

We are here to take care of each other, not to decide who deserves to be taken care of. Any real Christian would accept this fact without question or debate and act accordingly. A truly religious person would want his or her government to help people in need. Only government has the resources to undertake certain important tasks and should be encouraged to do so.

Anti-poverty measures -- food stamps, aid for dependent mothers, school lunch programs, grants for education and the elderly, unemployment insurance, and subsidized healthcare -- are not entitlements, but benefits paid for with the blood and sweat of countless generations of workers.

The social safety net was constructed to prevent people from falling through the cracks and to their deaths. The fact that sometimes aid is given to the undeserving shouldn’t make us distrust all government assistance. I would rather a few cheaters game the system than a single destitute person be denied the help they need.

The world is cruel because people are cruel. And people are cruel because they’ve been raised to be selfish, short-sighted, and insensitive. When presented with the choice of loving a distant and possibly non-existent deity and loving a creature of flesh and blood the true and active heart will always choose the later.

Yet, if love of God -- whatever that means and whatever your idea of God is -- results in a corresponding desire to do good in the world I have no problem with the irrationality of your belief system. My thinking on the matter is pragmatic. If your faith makes the world a better place I am willing to let it pass with a minimal amount of critical analysis.

Long Day

My breath comes in stucco gasps.

My chest bubbles beneath my shirt.

My head rocks on my shoulders.

It’s been a long day.

My feet burn from heal to toe.

My arms are broken at the elbow.

My knees crack like fissured stones.

It’s been a long day.

My mind limps toward slumber.

My tired torso hugs the mattress.

My eyes close to the rebel world.

It’s been a long day.

My lungs fill with darkness.

My dreams serenade with the unresolved.

My tomorrow looms lean and large.

It’s been a long day.

The Request

*THE REQUEST:

Dear Representative Douglas C. Wozniak,

Please vote against the proposed D&E abortion ban. You are not a doctor and should not be dictating medical care.  Every person’s circumstance is different and every pregnancy is unique. We all deserve health care based on our medical needs and our doctor’s expertise, not a politician’s ideology. The bottom line is that I do not want my legislator telling my doctor what to do. Decisions regarding my medical care should be left to me, my family, and my doctor - NOT POLITICIANS. Please vote NO and stay out of the exam room.

Sincerely,
Michael Goodman

*THE EMAIL:

Michael,

Thank you for taking the time to contact my office to express your opposition to the proposed Dismemberment and Evacuation ban. As someone that respects the sanctity of life, I plan on supporting any legislation that would protect unborn children. Thank you again for contacting my office.  If I can ever be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Your Friend,
Douglas Wozniak
State Representative
District 36

*THE REPLY:

Doug:

You are not my friend. You are just another ignorant politician who wishes to foist their own personal beliefs upon the voting public. You care nothing about the sanctity of life or about the health and well-being of those you supposedly represent. A woman’s right to end an unwanted pregnancy is guaranteed under U.S. law. Her decision to do so is a private matter between her and her doctor upon which you have no right to intrude. The proposed law you speak of is merely an attempt to do an end-run around the Constitution. If you really want to lower the abortion rate in the State of Michigan try passing a law that mandates  the teaching of sex education in the public schools and provides for reasonably priced and readily available contraception for working class Michiganders. The way to protect the unborn is to teach, encourage, and support responsible sexual behavior in adults and adolescents, not to ban a medical procedure about which you know nothing about. You might also want to stop accepting campaign donations from so-called pro-life groups who are clearly more interested in pushing their misogynist policies through the state legislature than in helping Michigan women or their babies. You might try representing the public for a change and not just the special interest groups that support you and your party.

I repeat: you are not a doctor and you have no right to dictate medical policy in the State of Michigan. Vote NO and stay out of the exam room.

Michael S. Goodman

On the Political Correctness of the word “Gypsy”

I think it’s more of a ethic misrepresentation than an out-and-out racial slur, but that’s debatable. The word is based on the mistaken belief that the Romani people originally came from Egypt. Based on linguistic evidence it is now believed the group originated in India, perhaps as an elite military force -- gathered from several regions of the Indian subcontinent -- sent North to battle Muslim invaders in the tenth and eleventh centuries (and perhaps much earlier). Theirs is a complex and secretive culture -- inspired by years of abuse at the hands of European “white” society -- and not easily understood by even well-meaning outsiders. Despite the mistaken and frequently bigoted nature of its origin, the word “”gypsy” has acquired certain positive connotations over the years. In popular usage the term generally means: free-spirited, colorful, resourceful, shrewd, and darkly beautiful; all highly desirable qualities, whether in individuals or in groups. Of course, every Romani is not possessive of these qualities, no more than every person of African origin has natural rhythm, every Jewish person is good with money, or every Irishman or Irishwoman has the gift of the gab. Positive stereotypes are still stereotypes and constitute a certain laziness of mind an educated person tries to avoid when constructing their world view. When used as a direct identification of an individual Romani or his or her culture the word is still ignorant and highly inappropriate. They are no more ‘Gypsies” than Native Americans are “Indians.” And an effort should be made to properly identify the group; and in language that is both respectful and accurate. Of course, the English language is littered with prejudicial terms, both racist and sexist in origin, most illogical and pre-scientific. The only recourse we have is to choose our words as carefully as possible and avoid the popular clichés of past generations. And try to use language to communicate and educate, and not to attack and degrade. Despite the drawbacks of so-called “political correctness” there’s nothing wrong with being sensitive to the feelings of others and to avoid giving offense to strangers when at all possible.