Not Taxes

I don’t feel like talking about taxes. So I’ll talk about death. No. I’m not feeling morbid. I’m just raising an issue that few wish to think about.

I get that people want to live for as long as they can. Why not? Life, for the most part, is worth living. But is it worth living at all costs? For me, the answer is no.

I will not harm another human being to survive. Last seat on the lifeboat is going to a kid. Period. And I think most people feel the same way.

The flip side to all this humanity is confusing to me. Why do many believers in God spend obscene amounts of money on home security? By this I mean, security systems, bunkers and military grade weapons?

If you believe in God, you know He decides when it’s your time to go. He is the alpha and the omega. The beginning and the end. The final judge. So why try to hedge your bets?

Don’t get me wrong. If you have a disease that can possibly be cured through treatment, do the treatment until the treatment is pointless and worse than the disease.

Maybe some people are afraid of being judged harshly – i.e. fairly. Perhaps that’s why they fear death. I think many fear the unknown. Most people hate surprises and death can be a doozy.

Let me be clear. I do not advocate suicide or any form of self harm. I advocate life with all its twists and turns. You don’t have to be Julie Andrews spinning on top of a mountain. And you don’t have to be sickly curmudgeon badmouthing the happy people of the world.

Pay attention to the silly, weird, colorful and savory. Do a little of that everyday and you are living. If you worry about going to hell, change for the better. Redeem yourself and be proud of your redemption.

Good People

There are certain things in the world that insist on being immortal. As a child, I believed that the world would change for the better by the time I was an adult. I was an optimistic child, therefore completely naïve.

I thought that love would end racism, homophobia and pretty much any other form of prejudice. To this day, when I see friendships or romance between different races and cultures (especially those from the south) I feel especially happy. Why is this?

We have our first black president. We have many people of color in positions of leadership in various areas of society. The ‘N’ word and other racial slurs are socially unacceptable. It can even get you fired or make you lose millions in endorsements.

So why is it that I think of race when I see various interracial socializing? Perhaps because my childhood and teenage years was affected by race. The issue of race was everywhere (even within my own people).

Up until the age of 7 or 8 I lived in East Los Angeles. I never saw a black person until we left East L.A. I loved and hated my fellow Latinos. I saw Vatos as dirty, smelly, thuggish drunks. I was repulsed so much that I vowed never to be with a Latino regardless of his station in life.

As a child in Pasadena, I was initially repulsed by blacks and middle eastern children. They were tough, stand-offish and I didn’t like their looks either. I thought of them as monsters. It’s very difficult to admit that now.

Love changed me. A black girl protecting me from mean girls erased my bigotry. When more friends treated me as their equal, my bigotry was replaced with affection. Even bullies of various races couldn’t make me revert back to my old way of thinking.

I figured that racism, bigotry and all prejudices are all just cover stories. At the end of the day, its fear. Its fear of what  family, friends or anyone in your life will think. It’s also fear of change and making yourself vulnerable to something different.

At the end of the Civil War, former slave owners were convinced that the slaves would rise up and murder them. It didn’t happen because revenge wasn’t an issue for the slaves. After hundreds of years of rape, torture, murder and imprisonment, slaves just wanted their freedom to leave, stay, learn to read and not be beaten.

So why were black people lynched? One: Whites couldn’t stand the thought of blacks being equal to them or worse, better than them. Two: Whites continued to expect the worst from blacks and blacks refused to oblige them.

This is just my opinion. Two African-Americans girlfriends stood up with me on my wedding day. I love them like crazy. My love for them will not end social hatred, but that won’t stop me from loving them and all good people.

Simonized

http://youtu.be/298nld4Yfds

At the youthful age of 44 , I find myself drifting to my yester years. Music and movies get me thinking of my punishing hot days at home in the 70s and 80s. We had no central A/C.  Music took me somewhere else. A place where I could sing without regard. It was and is heaven.

Paul Simon’s 50 Ways to leave your lover is a song my sister Carmen and I use to sing while we concocted our magic potion (cantaloupe lemonade).  We had no idea what the words meant. We were Paul Simon parrots.

Anyway, in the name of ha ha funny, I present a few Coconutspeak ways to leave your lover.

He’s divorced and his octuplets are 2 years-old. Tell him you want to get married and pregnant.

Do not answer you cell for 24 hours. She will dump you super fast.

Fart in her bed after pork rinds, pinto beans and beer with a tequila shot chaser. Dutch oven will seal the deal.

Tell him you can’t have a baby because use to be man and you miss your penis.

Ask her to invest in your latest Ponzi scheme so that you can take your gun out of hock.

Ask him if he’s in yet. When he says yes, say ‘oh, okay.’ Then talk about the weather.

Tell your girlfriend that your former fiancé is staying with you until she gets back on her feet. And you don’t want to argue about it.

Tell your boyfriend that his 19 year-old brother is super hot and maybe you picked the wrong brother. Then hug and kiss his brother way too much.

If all else fails, inform your beloved that your taking a trip alone to Rio de Janeiro during Carnival to clear your mind and think things over.

Our Sin

I am tired of people saying that America is the greatest country in the world. What is the basis of that argument?

Do they refer to political, rule of law, society or wealth? Yes, I am a born and raised American. I love my country on many levels.

Do I think it’s the best? Hell no. Like many countries, we are flawed. Some ways a little. Other ways a lot. Our society has sinned .. A LOT.

Lets not pretend we haven’t. And I’m not referring to slavery (although it is a huge sin) either. Here’s my list:

Fear – Americans let fear dictate how we live. We are willing to victimize ourselves and neighbors to prevent the ghost killer/rapist from hurting us.

Selfishness – Americans demand more. Period. Better clothes, cars, homes, sex, vacations and everything in between, must be obtained.

Complacency – This is the worse sin of all. “I’m just one person.” “The system is rigged against me.” “Nothing ever changes.”

Nothing changes because no one is willing to change! We like our fear. Its been with us for a long time. What will happen to us if we let it go?

Answer: You will grow up and be brave. Not like fighting the dragon brave. I mean scaring the tyrant brave.

No more excessive living, America. Give back something, anything to those that need it. And I’m not talking about money!

There are so many everyday American heroes out there. My mother once placed her bare hand over a badly bleeding cut.

The injured was HIV+ and told my mother. She said she wouldn’t let go until the ambulance showed up. That was in the 80’s.

My mother tested negative several times and is fine today. By the way, she’s Mexican.

 

 

 

I Would Rather Die Without A Gun

Here’s a list of people who can get firearms. If you can get even a pistol, you can kill more than one person in less than a minute.

1. Alcoholics – What if he loses his job or his house or gets humiliated by someone

2. Undiagnosed mentally ill – these people are everywhere. I will be the first to admit that I, as a bipolar, don’t want a gun in my house

3. Abusive adults and their punching bags – As a survivor of child abuse, I can tell you that if I had a gun I would have killed my abuser

4. Drunk hunters – everyone knows that beer and hunting go hand in hand in way too many places.

5. Drug addicts – If undiagnosed and desperate to get a fix or in an altered state these people can be dangerous

6. Victims of bullying – not just kids, adults get it too and they can snap

There are lots of people who have no criminal record or psychological record but fall into these categories.

I am not saying this will end violent crimes, but firearms are designed to kill quickly and in multiples.

And why do we need firearms? Because we’re afraid that someone can hurt us? Trust in God to protect you!

Well someone can hurt you. It’s the guy next door who invited you to come over to eat BBQ and have a beer.

He snapped because he lost his job of 20 years to a snot nose infant fresh out of college.