(Even if not credited, all of these essays were published in newspaper opinion pages.)
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A PERSONAL STORY OF VIOLENCE
On Friday, Feb. 23, 1973, an Eau Claire public school teacher pulled me into his office, grabbed me by the throat and repeatedly punched me while slamming my head against the wall. In 1981 in a dorm at UW-Stout, a gang of drunken students tied my feet together with a rope and hung me upside down in a bathroom. The most discernable persistent effect these traumas have left me with has been a lust for violent, unmitigated retribution. There-in lies one of the most disturbing facts of violence, that it is like a prolific monster lusting for its own propagation at the cost of blood and broken lives. Every recipient of violence feels that they are the victim and must respond, even if they initiated it. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a testament, with each side engaged in a series of deadly retaliations stemming from possibly a single precipitating event years, decades or even centuries ago, depending on one’s perspective. It will end only when one side commits to the value of human life rather than to “justice” for its fallen brothers and sisters. We must have the courage to accept that becoming a victim is often unavoidable and that justice is often unattainable. We must struggle to resist the Monster’s tempting fruit of revenge, which is the nucleus of its fertility. We must rely on legitimate legal authority to carry out any retribution – police, school officials, the courts. And we must have the courage to speak out against the people who encourage violence or glorify it or even just excuse it. And we who have been shattered by the fist of violence must use that pain as a test of moral strength, affirming our commitment to douse the embers of anger that threaten, occasionally, to erupt into flame. Our perseverance against the lust of revenge shall not weaken us, but it shall strengthen us as we demonstrate the fortitude that all people are capable of.
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SAFETY NET HAS LITTLE VALUE
In 2004, my health insurance premiums increased 45% to $768 every quarter - nearly 22% of my gross annual income. My policy, which is the least expensive one offered, is supposed to increase from 9.6% to 13.5% this year, according to Wisconsin's Department of Health and Family Services (http://www.legis.state.wi.us/cr_final/04-056.pdf). I almost cancelled my coverage in December. Instead I dug into my savings - money that will not be there for old age or emergencies if my income and health insurance costs don't improve. I can't shop around for cheaper coverage because I supposedly had a heart attack in 2000. The only place I can get health insurance from is HIRSP. According to the Wisconsin Legislative Web site, "The Health Insurance Risk-Sharing Plan is a state program that provides major medical insurance and Medicare supplemental insurance for individuals who cannot obtain private coverage because of the severity of their health conditions." Sounds fine except that I have no "severity of health conditions." Even after doctors performed an angiogram, they discovered no signs of a blockage or clogged arteries. I have no heart or cardiovascular problems. My blood sugar, blood pressure, pulse rate and cholesterol are all low. And my asthma is under control thanks to Eau Claire's restaurant smoking ban and low air pollution. The high cost of health care and the potential for accidents keep health insurance a necessary expense, even for healthy people. When private health insurance companies deny one for coverage for having a "pre-existing condition," they tout HIRSP as the solution to all problems. But its high cost and rapid price increases keep it as little more than a pie in the sky so that private insurance companies can pacify people they refuse to cover long enough to get them out the door and into the cold streets.
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HOSPITAL UNWILLING TO MAKE PAYMENT PLAN
Last year, a medical emergency inflicted me with over $14,000 in medical bills. Years of poverty had made health insurance an unattainable luxury. My new debt worried me, but my financial prognosis was good, thanks to education - the great equalizer; a relative's assistance had allowed me to return to school, which had not only brightened a dark future, but had mitigated my fears of such enormous debt. My fears inflamed, however, when I called my principal creditor, Luther Midelfort Hospital, to arrange a payment plan. Even though her office had my tax returns documenting ten years of anemic earnings, the woman I talked with expected me to quit school and work full time. Her solution would destroy my last opportunity to escape poverty and would prohibit my debt repayment in fewer than 11 years. My solution of very small payments until I graduated would permit me to start a well-paid career and repay my debt within two years. Perhaps hospitals have no room for heart outside the cardiac ward, but the collections office appears to have no room for common sense, either.
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THE IMPORTANCE OF DOGS
Dogs have an important function in our modern, high-tech,
fast-paced society. Their purpose
is to sit in our lap and be petted, or to lie on their backs so we can scratch
their bellies, or to set at our side so we can scratch them behind their ears. It seems like everyone is rushing, never having enough
time. Dogs look at us with their
big, innocent eyes and remind us that sometimes we should just put aside our
schoolbooks or legal briefs, or (God forbid) turn off the TV for an hour, so we
can take our best friend for a walk. For kids growing up, dogs are there to inspire the learning
of responsibility, parental guidance and even cuddling.
For adults jaded by life and obsessed with political rivalries, dogs give
us respite – a chance to spend time with someone who won’t judge us. Dogs are an escape from intellectual depth and an emersion
into pure emotion. Dogs get sad,
happy, angry, embarrassed, but never judgmental. Dogs are always there when we need someone. Dogs teach us love.
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READ JESUS IN HIS OWN WORDS
This is the time of year when it's important to think about the meaning of Christmas. Jesus traveled widely, talking to many people. Most of what he said was meant to keep people from hurting each other. He spoke mostly to common people, many of whom lacked education or the ability to read. So he spoke clearly and directly. He did not speak in riddles but told stories to help illustrate his point. He took great pains to make himself as understandable as possible. You can actually see him struggling to be clear. Today, however, there are people who say Jesus cannot be understood simply by reading him. There are religious leaders who say you must read the entire Bible to put the word of Jesus in context. But Jesus did not advise people to read elsewhere to understand him, or to listen to scholars to interpret him. He told those with ears to hear him. He told us to not kill, to not use violence, to be peacemakers, and to not judge. He did not say there are loopholes. He did not say you could kill in time of war or if someone is convicted of a crime. Jesus did not direct people to carry concealed weapons. Jesus carried only his words and faith for protection. To those who succumbed to violence, he counseled that a reward would await them after death. Neither did Jesus carry a flag or extol the virtues of patriotism. He did warn us to beware of false prophets. He says we shall know them by their fruits. A preacher, politician, courtier or next-door neighbor can call themselves a Christian, but they are a wolf in sheep's clothing if they say Jesus supports killing or violence or that "Peacemaker" is a word that needs context. I have a relative who writes songs that he says God gave to him. From what I've heard, all these songs advocate love and peace, yet his church and radio personalities advocate war, guns and capital punishment. I find it interesting that when God gives him songs, the message is totally opposite to the message from his religious spokesmen. Christmas is a time to remember Jesus and to know him. People who call themselves Christians should turn off their 700 Club and their Focus on the Family. They should open the Bible and read directly what Jesus said. Then they should take him at his word.
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AVOID COMPLACENCY
We in Wisconsin live in a time and place in which things rarely go wrong. For many people, it's easy to become lazy and not examine in detail every bill and bank statement. But complacency is our enemy. So is laziness. In the last six months, two problems occurred for this household. First, I discovered the phone company prints a message on the back of the bill telling who the long-distance and local carriers are. I had never paid this much attention because the printing is different from the charges, so I thought it was just a general policy statement that was not tailored to individual customers. Then I read the back in detail. It listed Sprint as the carrier for both long-distance and local service. I called up to inform Ameritech that we had been slammed. They told me I was in error. A couple months later our bill included a local and long-distance statement from AT&T -- and the back of the bill still identified Sprint for these services. I called AT&T, who told me to call Ameritech. Ameritech told me to call AT&T. Whenever you're given the runaround, become suspicious -- and don't permit it to continue. I told Ameritech that I would not be given the runaround -- we were going to resolve this problem now. The customer service rep got AT&T on the line and we had a three-way conference. Together we solved the problem. It's amazing how low your phone bill can go when you're not charged twice for the same service. Always examine your bills carefully and investigate any inconsistencies. But don't forget your bank statements. A relative discovered a person none of us had ever heard of listed as the beneficiary for a CD. The personal banker investigated and resolved the matter. She seemed embarrassed and told me that no one at the bank was able to explain the mistake. It's easy to cast blame, but it's unproductive. Mistakes can happen. My aim here is not to incite your wrath against the capitalist machine, but to scare you out of complacency. Examine your bills and bank statements. If you find a problem, call whomever you must to resolve it. Don't make threats or accusations. But don't let the matter slide -- you might slide down a mountain of doom.
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SODA DOESN'T NEED CAFFEINE
The soft drink industry claims it adds caffeine to colas to enhance the flavor, not to increase people's addiction. But a scientific study conducted by Johns Hopkins Institutions found that most people cannot detect the flavor of caffeine in colas. The National Soft Drink Association (NSDA) said the study was too small to be accurate. Even if the NSDA is correct, adding caffeine to soft drinks is socially irresponsible. While caffeine does not in itself cause the same dangerous behavior problems of drugs like alcohol or marijuana, caffeine's high addictiveness causes many problems for society. I've known people who were so addicted they could not sit down for a ten-minute discussion without coffee or a soda containing caffeine. I've produced films and radio dramas where some of the actors could not even take time to rehearse without their drug. And one collaborator even expected ME to provide it (!). Such powerful addictions often prevent people from being either good workers or good friends. It's not their fault; they are victims of the drug and of the companies that profit from it. This addiction controls its victims, replacing concentration with the obsession to get the next fix. We see its affects every day. When a worker cannot sit still for one hour to accomplish tasks because they need their drug, or when a woman is mean to her boyfriend because she hasn't had her morning coffee it's time we admit that our society has a major problem. Many addicts reading this will ridicule me, but I won't be offended, because I know it's only the drug talking.
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SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, NOT WAR
To say we must support war to support our troops is like saying we must support fires to support our firefighters or that we must support crime to support our police or that we must support dirty diapers to support our moms and dads. The way to support our troops is to reward them for a job well done, to give them the resources they need to accomplish their mission with the least number of casualties and to not blame them for wars we oppose. We do not want the members of our armed services to disobey their civilian leaders; that’s the root of military coups. If we have a beef, we must direct it to the decision makers holding elected office (even if they’re holding an elected office through illegal activities). And if members of the U.S. military loose control, as they did in the massacres at My Lai, Kent State, Wounded Knee and Bad Axe, Wisconsin, we must be careful to avoid blunt-instrument judgments. Seek out the guilty individuals through legal proceedings and be thankful for the honorable men and women who are willing to take such a thankless job.
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SOLDIERS DIED FOR NOTHING
I was at the Vietnam Memorial on its last day in Carson Park. As I looked at the names of the soldiers who'd died, I felt a choking sensation and tears welling in my eyes. It's always a tragedy when people die in war, but what really hit me was that those thousands of people died for nothing. The U.S. was in Vietnam to put money in the pockets of the defense industries. It was a conspiracy by legislators and presidents of both parties to help enrich their corporate friends. It's a painful thing to face, but we all must work through that pain to make sure that good patriotic United States citizens don't have to die or suffer again unless it really, truly is to defend our country. The veterans and their families have a basic need to put meaning to it, because it's emotionally very difficult to consider the possibility that a loved one died or suffered for nothing, but that's the reality.
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IN DEFENSE OF LAWYERS
Imagine a world with no police, no laws and no hope for the victims of crime. People could rob you and poison you with impunity. This is the world corporate America is trying to create for itself. For decades, U.S. citizens have enjoyed some protection of their rights thanks to government regulation and unions. But that is changing. Corporate America is destroying unions, it is buying the government as if it were off-the-shelf computer parts and programming away the regulations on pollution, fair labor practices and safe food processing. Wealth is the source of their power, leaving those without money to suffer continued victimization in a lawless wasteland. Capitalism and the love of money are the culprits, but they are also the only hope for the disenfranchised. If the downtrodden are to have their rights defended, it will happen only because someone can earn money by doing so. That is what trial lawyers do. Naturally, corporate America, via their crony legislators, are trying to emasculate this last, surrogate, police force. Corporate America is trying to limit damage awards and even trying to exempt whole industries from liability. If it succeeds, we will be facing total enslavement without any redress of our grievances. We will be totally at the mercy of corporate America. It will be like living in the Soviet Union, but with blue jeans and bright-colored parkas.
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RESIST FLAG LAW
I love the American flag. This sentiment has certainly come from both my father, a World War II veteran, and from traveling abroad, which is an enterprise that has lead youth from many a generation to increased appreciation for their homeland and its symbols. I put out the flag July 4 and felt a certain joy from the brightness of her colors shining in the morning sun. In the heat and humidity I drank cold water from a plastic mug proudly decorated by the flag. But my heart is broken as I see politicians killing the symbol I love by ripping the very integrity from her throat. I do not desecrate the flag, though I sorrow at my country's continued injustice towards the non-rich, non-whites, non-heterosexuals and non-Christians. I speak loudly, perhaps too loudly at times, against my country's shortcomings, but I do not desecrate the flag, because for me the flag is not a symbol of my country's shortcomings, but a symbol of her potential. If the proposed Constitutional amendment against flag desecration passes, however, the flag will no longer shine as a symbol, but will instead cast gloom as a specter of growing oppression. The flag I love -- My Flag -- will be gone. The sadness this thought causes me is at times overwhelming, partly because I will have lost an important friend, whose promises have helped sustain me even in dark hours abroad, but also because oppression is not a stagnant ugly mole. It is a carcinoma that is stubborn in its conquest. This amendment will not just be the death of my dear Old Glory, but will signal the impending death of my homeland.
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NONSMOKERS ARE OPPRESSED
Imagine if everyone were automatically given a shot of penicillin the moment they entered a hospital. People allergic to it would not be able to enter hospitals to use their services, get a job or even to visit friends. They would be cut off. People allergic to tobacco smoke are in a similar situation. We cannot patronize many businesses, notably restaurants. We cannot seek work in many facilities. We are often cut off from even a basic social life because many places are contaminated with a substance that causes us a painful allergic reaction. Smokers have it pretty good. They can accept job offers without hesitation. They can accept dinner invitations at restaurants or private homes. They can have a social life. Smokers enjoy all the fruits of life. The least they can give in return is a little compassion.
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BEATS DISNEYLAND
Welcome to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where we offer the latest in entertainment. Why pay $608 (including airfare and lodging) to visit Disneyland when a thrill ride rests conveniently in our own community -- for only $330! That's all you'll have to pay for a "Voyage Through the Eau Claire Justice System." All you need to do is drive after revocation while intoxicated. Your adrenaline will rush and the fear will grip you as you get stopped by Eau Claire's Finest. They'll ask you to play games, and then take you to a hotel to get a good night's rest. Later, you'll be in a courtroom that will look so real you'll shudder. But don't worry: just plead guilty. That's all it takes to bring an end to this fun-filled adventure. You'll be charged your fee at the door along with a token surcharge. This reality tour is so popular, dozens repeat it throughout the year. So forget about phony amusement parks; we have REAL police officers and judges! We have REAL inmates to help make your ride more exciting! The only thing we don't have is lasting consequences.
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FREEDOM HAS ITS LIMITS
Libertarians are selfish. They want all the benefits of living in a free society, but none of the obligations or responsibilities. They want to use drugs regardless of how it may harm people around them. They want to drive under the influence of alcohol with impunity. They want to carry concealed handguns. Libertarians tell us they support freedom from government interference. But they do not tell us that they also support freedom from government protection -- from racism, sexism, dangerous work environments, destruction to the environment, lawlessness. Many people are confused by libertarianism because they do not know what a libertarian society looks like. Well, there IS a model. Mexico is a land of lawlessness. It is a land were people do as they please. I have videotape showing an intersection in Mexico City with a stop sign clearly visible. Cars drive through without even slowing down. I also have videotape showing a derailed locomotive. The workers are using heavy equipment to put it back on its track. It is a dangerous operation, yet the workers allow anyone to stand as close to it as they want -- even children. Is that the kind of society we wish to live in? Where children's lives are put danger? Libertarianism is selfishness; it is anarchy, it is lawlessness.
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PREVENT SECONDHAND MEDICAL MARIJUANA
Regarding medical marijuana, nobody is mentioning that if a cancer or AIDS patient smokes marijuana -- I don't care if it's for medical reasons or if the smoker-patient is dying -- if they smoke it around me, that smoke is going to enter MY LUNGS! Why am I supposed to suffer damage to my body? What did I do to anybody? Smoke able drugs, if legal, will always be done around innocent people, just as tobacco is. That's wrong. And you know many of these people are going to drive motor vehicles under the influence (as they do with other judgment-impairing drugs, like alcohol), thus putting MY LIFE in danger. Many of these patients will also smoke in bed in the apartment down the hall. A smoker almost killed me in a house fire by doing that. Keeping smoke able marijuana illegal will help discourage people from using it to violate my body and my health and life. By the way, I'm also against tobacco and alcohol for the reasons I mentioned above, so don't think of calling me a hypocrite.
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TAILGATERS
In her article, "Driven to Aggression," Christena T. O'Brien failed to mention the role tailgaters play in causing road rage. These fiends place our lives in danger, following with-in six feet of us regardless of traffic speed. Their motives have noting to do with people driving too slowly in the passing lane; tailgaters even harass people who drive at or above the speed limit in the slow lane. They tailgate in rainy weather and icy, snowy weather. They tailgate when traffic ahead of conscientious drivers prevents us from speeding up. Most of the time, tailgaters have the opportunity to pass but refuse to do so. It is obvious that some tailgaters are dimwits who are unable to use there heads. That's bad enough, but the majority of tailgaters are bullies. Someone taught them that aggression is acceptable. It is not. Tailgaters cause multi-car collisions. They kill people and prevent drivers ahead of them from concentrating on their driving because they have to be worried that if a child runs in front their car, they will be rear-ended if they break. I recommend that concerned citizens form a non-profit organization for the purpose of producing video evidence and instituting massive litigation, as well as lobbying for new police efforts against these demons. In Eau Claire, Tailgaters are one of the biggest threats to public safety.
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