I Am Not a Piece of Plastic

About 40 years or so ago, while I was earning my Master of Science in Social Work degree at the University of Louisville’s Raymond A. Kent School of Social Work, one of the ongoing dialogues regarded the unjust nature of the “plastic society” that was and is the norm of the United States.

Plastic, as you know, is inexpensive and therefore disposable. So we dispose of all sorts of containers made of plastic, easily broken toys we give to our children, bags in which we carry our purchases, etc. American society has so bought it to the idea that things are disposable that we create even automobiles, appliances, houses, and much more that are made not to be permanent but to be used up and subsequently disposed of as trash. Sentient beings such as pets and even we ourselves have come to be seen as disposable once our society judges them (us) as no longer having intrinsic value.

We Americans have exported this concept that everything and everyone is disposable to the entire world—a world culture that is based on the monetary worth of things—all things—including human beings.

As I have grown older I have come to realize that I am seen as a plastic “thing.” For example, the United States Veterans Affairs bureaucracy has treated me as a commodity negating my humanity. I qualify this statement by emphasizing that, for the most part, this is not true of VA medical staff. It is quite true of those bureaucrats with whom veterans must deal in order to obtain the promised medical care. One of the ongoing “jokes” I have encountered since I began my association with Veterans Affairs goes:

Thank you for serving. Now, how can we fuck you today?

I have experiences of having my humanity denied, of being treated as a commodity by the Department of Veterans Affairs; I have heard many stories from and about other veterans who have experienced similar treatment.

Many of us have sought justice within the VA. The usual result is that our pleas to be recognized as human beings have been ignored. “Rules” are more important to the bureaucrats than justice, compassion, and humanity.

This injustice and dehumanization goes far beyond the federal bureaucracy of the United States. It is in the corporations of this world, using up their workers and then disposing of them like pieces of trash. It is intrinsic to capitalism and the class system of the United States that has been exported to the entire planet. It is a basic cause of poverty; of genocide and slavery; of the abuse of women, children, the elderly, the physically and emotionally ill; of people smuggling; of racism; of every form of human exploitation.  

My request—my plea—is simple: recognize that we are human beings, not things to be manipulated and disposed of like pieces of plastic. This plea is on behalf of all sentient creatures on the earth. We need a prophet to deliver us from injustice and slavery!

(YHWH) said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

 Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.  The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” ~ Exodus 3.6-10

Here am I, Lord. Send me.

Too Bad It's Monday Humor

The teacher stood at the front of the room. “Does anybody know what this Monday is?” 

About half of the students raised their hands. The teacher pointed to one of them. “It’s Columbus Day!” he crowed. 

The teacher smiled. “It is. Does anybody know why we celebrate it?” 

This time, only one student raised her hand. “It’s the day the Indians discovered Columbus!” 

Much too true!

This Columbus Day, let’s berate the man who made the Washington Redskins possible.

A husband and wife attend a small service at the local church one Sunday morning. The man was very moved by the preacher's sermon, so he stopped to shake the preacher's hand. "Reverend, that was the best damn sermon I ever did hear!" 

The Reverend replied, "Oh! Why, thank you sir, but please, I'd appreciate it if you didn't use profanity in the Lord's house." 

"I'm sorry Reverend, but I can't help myself... it was such a damn good sermon!" 

The Reverend replied, "Sir, please, I cannot have you behaving this way in Church!" 

"Okay Reverend, but I just wanted you to know that I thought it was so damn good, that I put $5,000 in the collection plate." 

The Reverend's eyes opened wide as he remarked, "No Shit!" 

An Irish drunk staggered down the main street of the town. Somehow he managed to make it up the stairs to a cathedral and into the entrance, where he crashed from pew to pew, finally making his way to a side aisle and into a confessional. 

A priest had observed all this, and figured the fellow needed some help, so he entered his side of the confessional. After the priest sat there in deathly silence, he finally asked, "May I help you, my son?" 

"I dunno," came the drunk's voice from behind the partition. "You got any toilet paper on your side?"

There's a brunette walking down a set of railroad tracks saying,"34, 34, 34..." Then a blonde pulls up, gets out of her car, and says,"What are you doing?" 

The brunette replies,"Just counting." 

The blonde says,"May I join you?" 

"Yes," replies the giggling brunette. 

So the blonde and the brunette are now both walking down the railroad tracks saying,"34, 34, 34..." A train comes and the brunette jumps off the tracks as the blonde gets hit. 

After the train passes, the brunette gets back on the tracks and says,"35, 35, 35..." 

LATE NIGHT FUNNIES

Jimmy Fallon: "Today President Obama gave a speech in California to motivate young voters by discussing his commitment to new technology. Ironically, nobody heard him because they were all staring at their phones."

Jimmy Kimmel: "President Obama's in Los Angeles tonight for a night of fundraising and traffic jamming. Traffic is so bad here to start with, and when the president comes in it just gets so much worse. Here's the thing: Obama has no understanding of commuting because he works from home. He has a home office."

Seth Meyers: "Bookmakers have listed Pope Francis as the odds-on favorite to win the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. So if you’re placing a bet on the results of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize . . . you have a gambling problem."

KATZ

I Wish I Were Multilingual

mul·ti·lin·gual

ˌməltēˈliNGg(yə)wəl,ˌməltī-/

adjective

1. in or using several languages.

Et III annos memini Latineque Existimabam admodum aliquantulus.

I studied Latin for 3 years and can remember quite a bit.

درست اللغة العربية في جامعة ويمكن بالكاد تذكر أي شيء ما عدا القليل من القواعد

I studied Arabic in University and can hardly remember anything except a little grammar. 

J'ai étudié le français à l'université aussi, et peut-être pourrais commander dans un restaurant français ou peut-être pas.

I studied French at University also and could maybe order at a French restaurant or maybe not.

Ich Deutsch studierte an der United States Defense Intelligence School in Washington, DC, und kann immer noch auf einem einfachen Gespräch zu führen.

I studied German at the United States Defense Intelligence School in Washington, D.C., and can still carry on a simple conversation.

.למדתי עברית בסמינר ועדיין יכול לקרוא קצת את התנ"ך

I studied Hebrew in seminary and can still read a bit of the Bible.

Σπούδασα στην ελληνική σχολή και μπορεί ακόμα να διαβάσετε ένα κομμάτι της Αγίας Γραφής.

I studied Greek in Seminary and can still read a bit of the Bible.

Estoy estudiando español ahora y avanzando muy lento.

I am studying Spanish now and making very slow progress.

I wish I could speak to every human being in the world in his or her own language and share with them 

the good news of love, justice, and peace.

Please...