"When Your Word is the Sword"

                            Poisonous Angel Trumpets

An Original Collection of Provocative and Powerful Essay's by R. B. STUART. Her Work Begins and Ends at the Crux of Truth, Sorrow and Humor---Capable of Slicing Through Your Psyche and Piercing Your Heart.


BY R. B. STUART
Post Thirty-Seven
                          

It’s simple to have sarcastic banter and humorous discourse without the use of derogatory words. I’ve had my share of name-calling in junior high, that continued periodically in the streets of New York, usually by adult men, whom felt the only way to feel powerful was to call me a fat bitch, ugly bitch, or whore. Those words aren’t on the tip of my psyche when having a verbal altercation with a stranger, but the playing field changes when they go there first. I never hone in on a particular body image or defect; weight, height, or baldness, instead I’ll hit him where he’s the most covered and insecure---in the loins. A montage of carefully selected words may lynch the backbone of his manhood. 

 

In L. A. the insults even come from women…usually Latino. Last week a girl approached me one night with her Pit Bull when I was walking my Poodle and was offended when I slid out into the street so she could pass by. She defended her dog, who was angling towards us, as sweet and just wanted to play, adding his Rolodex of Pomeranian friends. I conveyed that mine was Alpha and aggressive, and began to growl in unison of my remark. Her Pit undeterred stretched closer. I remarked that I wasn’t interested in them meeting since mine would ultimately be the looser if he nipped at hers, it would provoke a fight and I’d be holding an empty leash.

 

She retorted with my dogs need for socialization as I plodded along the darkened boulevard. Then announced, “Go eat a cheeseburger bitch.”

 

I was aghast, “Oh gawd…California is nothing but assholes. You wouldn’t be talking that way to people if you didn’t have a Pit Bull at your side.”

 

“You’re the asshole bitch…go eat a cheeseburger,” she cockily repeated trying to tighten the grip on her muscular white and brown carnivore who was becoming agitated.     

 

Over the summer I confronted a woman about picking up her dogs poop from my yard [it is the norm in L. A. to not pick-up after your dog no matter how small the turd. The latest trend is allowing them to defecate on the sidewalk and simply leave it. Yes, L.A.ers are a filthy bunch.]

 

She professed a verbal assault, “This is public property you dumb bitch. You’re mental go take your meds bitch.”

 

Unfortunately without red property lines inking the ground she couldn’t differentiate between public and private property. Maybe she was referring to Woody Guthrie’s folk song, “This land is your land, this land is my land. From California to the New York island. This land was made for you and me.”   

 

As a celebrity you're accustomed to haters via Internet comments....and we know how hurtful it can be. But what about those who 'read' people in their personal life---push people’s buttons---family and friends? It appears like hating---but is it human nature to pick people apart, expose their neurosis, or "issues," to their face and/or behind their back?  

 

Is speaking the truth a character flaw, or is it human nature to criticize? How does one dull a sharp tongue? Being a stand-up comic is the only profession in which cutting wit and sarcasm is cultivated and praised.

  

Like the venom of a rabid animal it seethes just below the surface on reality TV.

 

Realistically, we are aware no one is perfect---but when others are less than perfect our gripes feel justified because we observe a personality or character flaw in another---how do you suspend the words from traveling up your gullet and spewing a mouth full of razor like verbiage. We know it can cause long held rifts between people---but once you have the capability to "read" people---how do you turn off the spigot and shut your mouth. It’s like someone sitting down at a crystal ball for a reading…and instead of gently taking their hand stroking their palm---you sever a vein. It’s a psychological wound in which they’ll never forget the time or place….or who the avenger was. Words are the truth tellers amulet of poison.

 

Even Donald Trump laments about aggressive haters, but then like quicksilver uses his trumpet calling Marc Cuban an asshole on Twitter. And in 2015 at the Academy Awards found disapproval with co-presenter, 80 year old, 1950’s Alfred Hitchcock muse, Kim Novak, whose face had transformed from Botox and surgeries.

 

Equally so, Trump has taken endless jabs about his hair resembling a toupee, unflattering orange spray tan, mannerisms and overall appearance. And I must admit that I am amused by Trumps unabashed outspokenness …as it reminds me of my own foibles sans gender, money, or influence.

 

But why would Trump, who has the highest of standards in building and design, as well as personal and professional integrity---lower himself to take swipes at other celebs or politicians? Novak admitted to her devastation from his public humiliation that resulted in not leaving home for three days.

 

Society at large is murky with the spontaneous combustion of castrating someone else’s ego, or dissecting their physical attributes---it’s akin to frosted donut holes and a latté.

 

Then again there are haters who use social media as their platform for public ridicule, slander, bullying, or racism twisting a joyful event into a civil rights movement. As with a vicious tweet to Oprah on National Pet Day, as she celebrated lovingly with a video of giving her dogs treats.

 

This army of invisible, ignorant, Internet imbeciles post and tweet without fear of retribution. If the government can’t protect us from Terrorists posing as Tourists, then how will they police millions of pages of script littering our information superhighway?

 

It appears the human race is under attack from a multitude of nemeses; terror attacks, verbal attacks, racial attacks, financial attacks, environmental attack, religious attack, sexual attack, heart attacks…

 

Has the speed of time made this world so raw and unfiltered that one must wear a suit of armor before turning on the news, and sling a shield over your breast before walking out the door…or is it merely the fallout from being truthful, and having the electronic means to spread our freedom of speech---no matter how painful or evil---that we will die, kill or lie for it. Maybe Jesus meant; Live by the Word. Die by the Sword….    


 

©  COPYRIGHT 2015 All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction Without Permission. STUART ROAD MEDIA

“Loving The Alien: But What If They’re Illegal”

MEXICO: The Mayan Ruins

By R. B. STUART
Part Twenty-Three


Living in an International atmosphere like New York City you are exposed to the United Nations of culture, daily. I welcome and enjoy the diversity of a city that epitomizes a multitude of ethnicities from food, music, clothes and the arts. It’s common place to be saturated in foreign languages, styles and traditions. And when it comes to a lover….a foreigner is always best, even after a few Red Stripes then washing down the sex with a burrito and nachos. To possess a few coveted items across the pond, I’d consider renting my womb to own an Italian Villa. Would likely have no qualms donating my teeth to an orthodontic school for dentures if it meant a red Hermes Birkin bag in return. And with a penchant for foreign motorcars, there’s nothing like driving 120 MPH on the Autobahn with a Chanel loafer underfoot.

But with all things foreign, as an American I have less acceptance with illegal aliens who intentionally exploit our legal loopholes and our leniency by fraudulently making a home in our country by producing “anchor babies.” It guarantees their right to citizenship because they have procreated on our soil, and not just one child, but many children, solidifying there claim to not be sent home, therefore anchoring them in the U.S. To me being able to get knocked-up in America doesn’t constitute a reason for entitlement whether government assistance money, food, housing or medical care.

Being an American and immigrating to “the land of opportunity” should include a list of expectations, one being to speak English, to respect our environment and not litter or pollute, to not undercut our workforce by accepting our jobs at lower wages [gratis of Clinton’s NAFTA], and refrain from criminal activity. The latter we have enough American made criminals spanning from street drug traffickers, petty thieves, to the upscale robbers of Wall Street. If you want to contribute to our society then be a productive member----since we’re already filled to the brim with psycho’s, scammers, environmental slayers and financial rapists.

The issue is with illegal immigrants, not those immigrating here with a heart of hope, a skill, pre-born children, and a basket of good intentions. As many did three and four centuries ago through Ellis Island. My Italian grandparents immigrated here three generations ago, and my Scottish grandfather was sent to New England seven generations ago against his will as a POW. A soldier, Duncan Stewart was one of 2,000 Scot slaves captured after King Charles’ II, Battle of Worcester in 1651. Some not only lost their lives…but lost the right to their homeland. They were sent by ship to the U. S. in the port of Massachusetts. They reincarnated their birthplace by naming the Western Massachusetts towns Worcester, Leominster and Sterling, the namesakes of their abandoned beloved Scottish Highlands.

They worked hard, eventually bought up land, cultivated farms and contributed to the American way of life. They infused into their children a respect for the earth, how to care for animals, and be self-sufficient. Even if they were poor, with dirt floors, an out-house in lieu of plumbing using a nearby tree leaf to wipe, and at nighttime wrapping hot bricks in newspaper and placed at the foot of the bed to keep you warm through the night. These humble means built character and built Americans. Without sending home their U.S. wages weekly, they contributed to this economy.

No doubt there are still poor American’s living in the United States….but to an outsider looking in, the perception is askew. I’ve met natives from Mexico, Jamaica and Nigeria who believe “all Americans” are rich, and it is that notion that foreigners pack their suitcases and head for our shores----hoping that the preconceived riches will be theirs too. They board boats in the blinding night heading towards Florida where they are met with the law of a “wet foot or dry foot policy.” If they are caught in the water they are deported back to their country, but if their foot touches U.S. soil, they are sent to Crown Detention Center in Miami where they are detained and allowed the opportunity to enter the U.S. legally.

In Mexico with meager or no possessions they run with their life towards our boarders for the promise of the American dream. They scale walls, crawl on their bellies, hide in brush or are transported illegally by a carrier. Their network of families and friends already here house and guide them along the way. But why leave the poppy fields of Oz for a land of crusty, old whities who only want your cheap labor and homemade salsa.

The Mexican aliens work hard for miniscule pay in all areas where English isn’t necessary. They may bring a tireless work ethic, but they also bring the environmental disrespect they have learned in their own country. The dirty water, lack of sanitation and poor living conditions in Mexico are translated when they arrive in the U. S. as they begin “trashing” our country.

Dawn Nita, American born, formerly lived in Papua New Guinea where she spent a year like the natives living off the land. She’s lived in Southern Florida for 15 years and has witnessed a decline in her community. “Living in South Florida is a great cultural experience and I love it here. Over the years I have noticed not only does the influence of the South American cultures impact us in a positive way with the uniqueness of their culture, but if you will, I have also noticed an increase in their “cultural garbage.”

She explains, “As these cultures spread-out over south Florida up from Miami so has the amount of litter that lines the sides of the highways, roads, and parking lots. It has increased significantly even in the communities where I do now, and have lived. When I walk my dog I see fast food bags, bottles, cans and even household items that are thrown without a second thought out of car windows or as people walk down the street.”

“Seeing this brings me back to the days growing up in America and the education and habits that were instilled in us as children.” Nita vividly remembers the PSA’s, “Don’t Be A Litterbug,” “Give a Hoot---Don’t Pollute,” to a single tear rolling down the cheek of an American Indian who witnesses our carelessness with mother nature, as a bag of fast food trash is thrown at his feet. As well as the street signs that started appearing warning of fines for littering. “These messages were ingrained into my generation resulting in as adults we are conscious of recycling and not littering.”

“Now that there has been an influx of Third World immigrants---they haven’t learned the respect of what it means to live here with our standards of living. The cultures that now populate our towns and cities didn’t have the same influence to “Keep American Clean.” They find it natural to throw their trash anywhere they please, even if the garbage can is only a few feet away. It saddens me to see this, and I witness it every day. Leaving their waste for someone else like myself to collect and properly discard,” Nita expressed. “I consider myself a keeper of the planet, but without fail the next day more trash has replaced what was removed.”

“It would serve America well if we made an effort to re-run the PSA’s in many languages teaching our new residents and citizens the same respect we were taught growing up in this beautiful land of America,” she ended.

Those striking images and messages at a young age impresses upon us to care for our environment by not polluting our air or littering our water, and land. But those public messages aren’t developed nor brought with those illegal Third World aliens. Without that initial respect for the land, sea and air, their ignorance smacks us everyday as we contend with their abuse.

Strewn plastic water bottles, broken glass beer bottles are the gifts from our new “grateful” residents, who with their thoughtlessness have made America truly feel like home. By disposing of their refuse in the streets, beaches and parks, maybe intentionally out of defiance, in retribution for low wages and for the U. S. not being all they’d expected---turning our environment into theirs. As we become the minority in our own land with bed bugs crawling under our covers, garbage lodged in between the daffodils, and where the McDonalds French fries and waxed paper are a seagulls delight, while pigeon’s peck in a frenzy at the shiny glass soaked pavement---we have been stamped with the escalating appearance of a Third-World.

So if Arizona believes the many years of illegal Mexican infiltration and cultural garbage has crippled their quality of life---then it’s our way or the highway, and let them enter legally and respectfully---learning the rules of the land and what it takes to actually “be” an American.

But what if we are the intruders of their land? Gary Frank, an American and twenty-year resident of Los Angeles admits the Mexican’s do the work Californian’s won’t do, but we are the aliens. “Essentially, we [American’s] stole the land from the Mexican’s like we did to the Indians. Originally back in the 1600 to 1800’s California, Arizona, New Mexico and the boarder of Texas were all part of Mexico. They are just taking back what is rightfully theirs.”

The Mexican/American wars of those era’s were depicted as a “murderous plunder” only benefiting the U. S. The bloodbath feuds over the centuries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia have been steeped in religious conflict between Christians, Jews, Muslims, Catholic and Protestants, but here in the U. S. our acts of violence, oppression and slavery have taken on a different tone, one of skin color, beginning with the American Indian, then Mexican and Blacks. During our history religion had less to do with our prejudice---but if you were darker than white and owned some land, particularly mineral rich land with natural resources---we took pride in our need to dominate, control, and without conscience take anything you had of value, especially if you were of a darker pigment.

“I find racism deplorable,” Frank underlines. “But each State has its right to do as they please...after all we were not founded as a democracy but Republic for and by the People. This being said...California has many, many lovely Mexican National legal and illegal residents.”

But Frank wonders if we grant them citizenship does it solve the problem? “Why are there no Jobs in Mexico…surely the Gulf Disaster can use some day laborers to clean up for the next 30 years.”

“Living in L.A. we also have general overpopulation with gang and drug issues, including homelessness and destitute people of all races to contend with---so it’s far from the “California Dreamin” fame of the 60's.” Frank’s personal concern about immigration is the crime. “People who reside on Arizona's border have a right to protect themselves and property. There are the safety issues from the have not's robbing the haves which resulted in L.A. and San Diego putting bars on many home windows. Because of the drug trade helicopters hover above all neighborhoods at all hours, and shootings occur at random restaurants.”

“Compounded by our State crying broke to provide social services, there is much work to be done in America,” he concludes. “We were founded on caring for the huddled masses yearning for freedom...now there are so many people our freedoms are dissolving into history one by one.”

If the Mexican people want to leave the home in which they grew up in and migrate to the land that was once theirs, a place where the new American owners have painstakingly developed and beautified over the centuries transforming it into the oasis they sought. Then they should respect the country we have built and partake in making it even better by contributing environmentally and economically, by not sending their resources back to a country that has long ago self-destructed, with the inability to accommodate their basic needs, and failed to become the Eden in which they hoped.

© COPYRIGHT 2010, R. B. STUART. All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction of this Blog in any form.