I'm curious about those five Supreme Court justices who recently decreed that a corporation is a "person" with human rights: Do you think they ever met Mr. Walmart?
If they had, they'd be forced to concede that corporate personhood is a sheer fantasy, for there is nothing even remotely human about the bloodless and brainless thing that is Walmart. For conclusive evidence of this entity's total lack of humanity, the learned judges should climb down from their high bench and visit with Joseph Casias, a 29-year-old former employee of a Walmart store in Battle Creek, Mich.
In fact, Casias was an excellent employee throughout his five-year tenure within the corporate person, even earning "Associate of the Year" honors in 2008.
"I always tried my best," he says. "I gave them everything. One hundred ten percent every day. Anything they asked me to do, I did. More than they asked me to do. Twelve to 14 hours a day. I thought I was part of the Walmart family."
Five months ago, however, he was coldly cast out of the family. What happened? It started with cancer — a rare form invaded his sinuses and brain. He's getting treatment to control it, but he still suffers a severe level of chronic pain. Yet, Casias was able to keep doing his usual good job every day by using a controlled dose of marijuana that his doctor prescribed to alleviate pain — a prescription that is perfectly legal under Michigan's medical marijuana law.
By carefully scheduling his daily dosage, Casias never came to work under the influence, and he never took the medicine on the job, so Walmart saw nothing but an employee performing well.
Until last November. In a routine drug screening by the company, Casias tested positive for pot. He showed his state medical marijuana permit to the corporate cogs, but instead of using common sense or showing a smidgeon of human compassion, the managers mindlessly clicked into Program 420g, Section 21-mj (or some such) of corporate-code — and summarily cashiered Casias.
Oh, come on, he's no druggie — he has a painful cancer and is using legal medicine! If he were taking Oxycontin or other harsh drugs, you wouldn't think of terminating your associate of the year.
But there is no "you" there.
Walmart is a machine, a fabrication, not a sentient, reasoning person. So the machine responded to public outrage over Casias' firing by issuing an insensate legal statement: "In states, such as Michigan, where prescriptions for marijuana can be obtained, an employer can still enforce a policy that requires termination of employment following a positive drug screen. We believe our policy complies with the law, and we support decisions based on the policy."
Cancer is enough of a burden on a person without corporate callousness adding to the pain, but Walmart just kept piling on this employee. He's got no job, is facing $10,000 in unpaid medical bills and can no longer afford his cancer treatment, so what does the corporation do? It challenged Casias' eligibility for unemployment compensation.
Not that Mr. Walmart hates the guy. It's just the corporate way. For Casias, however, it's a disaster. "It's not fair," he says.
Fair? To a corporation, "fair" is a place to take your pig to try to win a blue ribbon. Corporations are literally inhuman, possessing no sense of moral responsibility or human decency.
The good news is that real people are rallying against the faux person's outrageous officiousness, and they've formed a Facebook page: "Let Joseph Casias Talk." With the corporate image taking a beating and some customers organizing a boycott, the machinery for damage control kicked in at headquarters, prompting the company to drop its ugly effort to deny unemployment payments to Casias. It adamantly refuses, however, to take the one step he most needs: rehiring. And how about apologizing?
To convey your own thoughts directly to Citizen Walmart, call (800) 963-8442. And to help reform the law to stop such corporate attacks on medical marijuana patients, contact the Marijuana Policy Project: www.mpp.org.
To find out more about Jim Hightower, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM
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Mr. Hightower,
Concerning Joseph Casias' termination from Wal Mart: The Wal Mart phone number you gave out in the article will not accept comments on Wal Mart's treatment of Mr. Casias. The number to call is (800) WalMart. They will take anyone's comment on this situation.
sulpolitix
Comment: #1
Posted by: Jim Sullivan
Wed Mar 31, 2010 10:55 AM
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"If he were taking Oxycontin or other harsh drugs, you wouldn't think of terminating your associate of the year." Yes I would. A company has a responsibility and a duty to protect it's employees and the public. Fitness For Duty requirements are put into place so that a certified doctor can determine if any drug side effects will compromise a safe work environment. I work in an FFD environment and any drugs prescribed are listed in my FFD file. I am required by law, to self identify any additional drugs that may be prescribed after initial screening. Many companies have put many people on limited duty due to prescribed medications. Had Mr Casias self identified his prescription use before the random drug test, instead of arrogantly flaunting it after the fact, he might still be working at WalMart and we would never have heard of him. Marijuana, prescribed or otherwise, distorts a person's perceptions. My sister works at a WalMart and I wouldn't want her around someone under the influence of marijuana or "other harsh drug". Don't blame WalMart for protecting the rest of us. Mr Casias was wrong and so are you.
Comment: #2
Posted by: David Henricks
Sun Apr 4, 2010 7:16 PM
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MY WIFE JOAN WAGAR WAS POISONING ME WHILE SHE WAS HIDING AN AFFAIR WITH A COP NAMED ERIC CARLSON, AND ERIC CARLSON GAVE HER PERMISSION TO AND HE AND HIS BRO'S IN LAW ENFORCEMENT MADE SURE I AND OTHER FAMILY VICTIMS COULD NOT GET HELP FROM A HOSPITAL!
A BRIAN ASSMUS AND HIS PARTNER FROM THE OREGON STATE POLICE ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ERIC CARLSON AND THEY WERE STALKING MY FAMILY MEMBERS DURING JOAN WAGAR'S AFFAIR WITH ERIC CARLSON!
IN MARCH OF 2006 JOAN WAGAR CONFESSED TO ME SHE IS A POISONER OF A PLASMA DONOR AND I CALLED 911, THE PORTLAND POLICE RESPONDED AND ASSAULTED ME AND MY 911 CALL WAS COVERED UP AFTER THE FACT BY POLICE THEY NOW PRETEND TO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT!
JOAN WAGAR'S BROTHER DON MINOR DIED SHORTLY AFTER THIS, AND JOAN WAGAR AND HER DAUGHTERS AND HER SISTERS WERE PRETENDING NOTHINGS WRONG, THEY ALL IGNORED THE FACT THAT JOAN WAGAR IS A POISONER!
A BRIAN ASSMUS AND HIS TALLER MORE BALDING PARTNER WERE SPYING ON MY DAUGHTER SHAWNA WAGAR AND JOAN WAGAR'S MOTHER DONNA MINOR AFTER DON MINOR'S DEATH, AND THEIR GOOD GOOD BUDDY'S OF MY WIFE'S LOVER THE COP ERIC CARLSON!
DEATHS IN THE FAMILY WERE OCCURRING AND ERIC CARLSON'S BRO'S WERE STALKING MY FAMILY MEMBERS AT THE TIME! THIS IS RIGHT AFTER THE PORTLAND POLICE COVERED UP MY 911 CALL!
I WAS THE ONE BEING POISONED BY MY WIFE AND MY DAUGHTERS KNEW IT AND THEY WERE LYING FOR JOAN WAGAR ABOUT HER AFFAIR AND PRETENDED NOTHINGS WRONG EVEN AFTER JOAN WAGAR CONFESSED IN WRITING SHE IS A POISONER AND EVEN AFTER DON MINOR DIED!
I WAS BEING DENIED MEDICAL TREATMENT BY MY HOSPITAL, THE PORTLAND POLICE WOULD SPEAK TO THE RECEPTIONIST IN THE LOBBY AND TELL THEM TO LEAVE ME SITTING IN THE LOBBY, THIS WAS AT THE OHSU!
I TOLD THEM I NEEDED MEDICAL TREATMENT BECAUSE MY WIFE POISONED ME, AND THEY JUST ACTED LIKE NOTHINGS WRONG AND LEFT ME SITTING IN THE LOBBY!
THE PORTLAND POLICE ARE STATIONED RIGHT ACCROSS FROM THE RECEPTION COUNTER, AND THE POLICE SPOKE WITH THEM, NOT ME, THEY DID NOT WANT TO TALK TO ME, AND I WAS LEFT SITTING IN THE LOBBY FOR OVER FIVE HOURS, AN EMPTY LOBBY, I COULD HEAR ONE OF THE NURSE'S ASK THE LADY THAT SPOKE WITH THE POLICE SAYING "WHAT ABOUT HIM?" AND THE OTHER NURSE SAID, "OH,,,,HE'S FINE, HE'S SLEEPING,,,," I WAS NOT SLEEPING I WAS IN PAIN, AND IN SHOCK, AND TO HEAR HOSPITAL PROFESSIONALS SO WILLING TO COVER UP POISONINGS IS OUTRIGHT INFURIATING!
I JUST RECENTLY LOST A FAMILY MEMBER, AND I WAS EXTREMELY AWARE AT THIS POINT JUST HOW EASY IT IS FOR AUTHORITY'S TO MURDER OFF PEOPLE AND HOW EASY IT IS TO COVER UP POISONINGS, THEY SIMPLY DENY THE VICTIM MEDICAL TREATMENT AND IGNORE THE VICTIMS COMPLAINTS!
MY WIFE AT THE TIME WAS HIDING AN AFFAIR WITH A COP, AND MY WIFE'S SISTER VICKIE ROSALES WAS MARRIED TO A MAN THAT WAS WORKING FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT, ELMER ROSALES!
I THINK I SHOULD POINT OUT THAT I WAS A PLASMA DONOR DURING THE TIME MY WIFE WAS POISONING ME, AND HER LOVER THE COP ERIC CARLSON WAS WRITING MY WIFE LOVE LETTERS AND HE CALLED HER BY THE NICK NAME MRS DASH IN HIS LETTERS TO HER!
I CALL 911 WHEN JOAN WAGAR CONFESSED SHE IS A POISONER AND THE PORTLAND POLICE DON'T GIVE A DAMN, THEY JUST ASSAULTED ME FOR NO VALID REASON OTHER THAN TO LET THE OTHER EMERGENCY RESPONDERS THEIR KNOW THAT THEY HAD IT OUT FOR ME, AND SURE ENOUGH THE FIREFIGHTERS AND PARAMEDICS WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH ME AFTER THAT!
IS THAT ENOUGH TO KNOW I WAS A VICTIM OF A MURDER CONSPIRACY? I WAS THE 911 CALLER, AND THE POLICE ASSAULTED ME FOR NO REASON OTHER THAN TO MAKE IT KNOWN TO THE OTHER FIRST RESPONDERS THAT THEY HAD IT OUT FOR ME, AND MY 911 CALL WAS COVERED UP AFTER THE FACT THE POLICE PRETEND IT NEVER HAPPENED NOW!
IS THAT ENOUGH TO KNOW HOW JOAN WAGAR GOT PERMISSION TO BE MRS DASH? A COPS LOVER? IS THAT ENOUGH TO KNOW WHAT HER NICK NAME STOOD FOR THAT ERIC CARLSON GAVE HER?
IS THAT ENOUGH TO KNOW WHY JOAN WAGAR'S DAUGHTERS AND SISTERS PRETENDED NOTHINGS WRONG AFTER DON MINOR DIED JUST SHORTLY AFTER JOAN WAGAR ADMITTED SHE IS A POISONER?
IS THIS ENOUGH TO KNOW WHY I COULD NOT GET PAST THE HOSPITAL LOBBY WHEN I WAS POISONED BY JOAN WAGAR? A COP WAS CALLING MY WIFE MRS DASH WHILE OTHER COPS MADE SURE I COULD NOT GET HELP FROM A HOSPITAL?
WHILE THE PORTLAND POLICE ARRANGE TO DENY ME MEDICAL TREATMENT BRIAN ASSMUS AND HIS TALLER MORE BALDING PARTNER WAS STALKING MY OLDEST DAUGHTER SHAWNA WAGAR AND HER GRAND MOTHER DONNA MINOR!
DONNA MINOR IS THE MOTHER TO DON MINOR!
LETS GET SOMETHING STRAIGHT HERE, NONE OF THESE GOONS WERE HIDING THIS FROM OTHER PEOPLE, BUT THEY WERE TRYING TO HIDE IT FROM ME, THE POISONED VICTIM, AROUND OTHER PEOPLE THESE SICK BASTARDS WITH BADGES WERE OPERATING UNDER THE PRETENSE OF AN "INVESTIGATION" MEANING THE MANAGERS AT CLACKAMAS VILLAGE APARTMENTS KNEW THEY WERE RENTING APARTMENTS THERE TO CONDUCT AN "INVESTIGATION" ON CERTAIN PEOPLE!
THE REALITY IS THAT THEY ARE RELATIVES, FRIENDS, COMRADES, OF ERIC CARLSON, AND ERIC CARLSON WAS SLEEPING WITH MY WIFE JOAN WAGAR, AND HE WAS CALLING HER MRS DASH WHILE FAMILY MEMBERS DIED, AND ERIC CARLSON'S BRO'S IN LAW ENFORCEMENT WERE STALKING MY FAMILY MEMBERS AT THE TIME AND THEY WERE TRYING TO HIDE IT FROM ME!
THEIR TRYING TO HIDE MOTIVE AND OPPORTUNITY, THEY WERE TRYING TO FRAME ME FOR THEIR CRIMES, AND THEY DID NOT WANT ME TO SUSPECT AND TO WARN PEOPLE, AND JOAN WAGAR DID ONE HELL OF A JOB KEEPING ME ILL TO THE POINT WHERE I COULD NOT LEAVE HOME!
I DID NOT KNOW I WAS BEING FRAMED AT THAT POINT BUT I DID SUSPECT IT, I DID NOT KNOW MY DAUGHTERS WANTED ME DEAD AT THIS POINT BUT I SUSPECTED BECAUSE THEY PRETENDED NOTHINGS WRONG WHEN JOAN WAGAR CONFESSED SHE IS A POISONER!
THEY CONTINUED TO PRETEND NOTHINGS WRONG WHEN DON MINOR DIED!
I WAS SURROUNDED BY FAMILY MEMBERS THAT ACTED LIKE NOTHINGS WRONG AND BY ERIC CARLSON'S BRO'S THAT DID EVERYTHING THEY COULD TO DESTROY MY REPUTATION AND TO MAKE SURE I GET NO EMERGENCY HELP FROM 911 OR FROM A HOSPITAL!
I WILL POINT OUT ONE MORE TIME THAT THESE PEOPLE WERE NOT HIDING THIS FROM OTHER PEOPLE, THEY SIMPLY ACTED UNDER THE PRETENSE OF AN "INVESTIGATION" AROUND OTHER PEOPLE SO PEOPLE KNEW AUTHORITY'S WERE INVOLVED WITH JOAN WAGAR AND MEET WITH HER AT HER PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT!
AUTHORITY'S CONTACTED MANAGERS OF APARTMENT COMPLEX'S WHERE MY FAMILY MEMBERS LIVED AND ARRANGED TO HAVE APARTMENTS NEAR THEM, UNDER THE PRETENSE OF AN "INVESTIGATION"!
I DON'T THINK THEY WERE "INVESTIGATING" JACK SH$T SINCE ONE OF THEM WAS SLEEPING WITH MY WIFE, AND ANOTHER ONE BECAME MY DAUGHTER MEGAN WAGAR'S BOYFRIEND!
YEAH! MY WIFE WAS SLEEPING WITH ONE AND THEN ONE OF MY DAUGHTERS STARTS SLEEPING WITH ANOTHER ONE, HIS NAME IS DAVID!
SO TWO OF THOSE SO CALLED "INVESTIGATORS" WERE SLEEPING WITH MY WIFE AND ONE OF MY DAUGHTERS, AND THEY KNEW OF JOAN WAGAR'S NICK NAME ERIC CARLSON GAVE HER AND THEY WERE KEEPING IT A SECRET FROM ME!
THEY KNEW JOAN WAGAR CONFESSED SHE IS A POISONER AND THEY JUST IGNORED THAT PART! AND MEGAN WAGAR'S BOYFRIEND DECIDES HE WANTS TO START DONATING PLASMA HIMSELF, WHILE HE LIVED WITH JOAN WAGAR A,K,A, MRS DASH, AND HE KNEW SHE IS A POISONER!
EVERYONE IN THE FAMILY KNEW JOAN WAGAR CONFESSED SHE WAS A POISONER, THEY ALL KNEW I WAS ILL AND HAD INTERNAL BLEEDING, THEY KNEW DON MINOR DIED, THEY KNEW OF JOAN WAGAR'S AFFAIR WITH A COP, AND ERIC CARLSON'S BUDDY DAVID DECIDES TO START DONATING PLASMA WHILE LIVING WITH JOAN WAGAR!
I WONDER WHAT I WAS BEING SET UP FOR!? I WONDER!?
JOAN WAGAR AND VICKIE ROSALES WAS WORKING AT WALMART AT THE TIME AND THEY BRAGGED TO THEIR COWORKERS ABOUT THESE CRIMES AND EVERYONE WORKING AT WALMART WAS LYING FOR JOAN WAGAR ABOUT HER AFFAIR WITH ERIC CARLSON, THEY EVEN PRETENDED ERIC CARLSON WORKED FOR WALMART TO HIDE THE FACT THAT HE IS A COP!
TERRY WAGAR
Comment: #3
Posted by: TERRY WAGAR
Mon Nov 28, 2011 10:25 PM
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