CNN gets way more credit than it deserves for merely "not being" FOX. It's like saying canned Spam is a culinary delight just because it's slightly more eatable than a plate of dirt.
Thursday, February 6, 2020
Speaking Ill of the Dead
Let us not speak ill of the dead. Well, maybe a little -- if for no other reason than to loosen the clamps on everyone else’s mouths. Kobe Bryant. A great athlete, but a less then perfect human being. Selfish, egotistic, and possibly criminal. He hogged the ball and the spotlight, cheated on his wife, and frequently treated other people like shit. He was richly rewarded for his athletic prowess, and admired by millions who live vicariously through the accomplishments of others, but what did he really accomplish in life?
He was neither a great intellect or a profound thinker. He wasn’t an artist or a healer or a crusader for social justice. He never sacrificed himself for the greater good or spoke out in support of an unpopular cause. He sank baskets and won championships. Even then, team was merely an addendum to personal glory. He lived comfortably and conventionally and mostly did what he wanted with little or no regard for anything or anybody else. It’s a great shame to die at forty-one, but he wasn’t Jesus Christ and he didn’t die on the cross.
He was neither a great intellect or a profound thinker. He wasn’t an artist or a healer or a crusader for social justice. He never sacrificed himself for the greater good or spoke out in support of an unpopular cause. He sank baskets and won championships. Even then, team was merely an addendum to personal glory. He lived comfortably and conventionally and mostly did what he wanted with little or no regard for anything or anybody else. It’s a great shame to die at forty-one, but he wasn’t Jesus Christ and he didn’t die on the cross.
Monday, January 13, 2020
Sunday, January 12, 2020
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
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
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
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