Caribbean

Daily Dingleberry 02-05-12

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The Face of Belize

*Sigh* uno mek me tyad inuh….Why do we have brilliant, articulate women defending dastardly crimes committed by men in power???? WHY? WHY? WHY? How can you rally behind leaders who have proven that they are corrupt and self serving and misogynistic? I mean, it just defies logic! Why would you put your head on the block for people who don’t even respect your gender?????And that by the way, is the LEAST of their offences. What about the bastards who pay rapists to terrorize and threaten women who dare to raise their voices? HOW CAN YOU STAND BEHIND THEM??????? What about the bastards who take the bread out of your mouth because you choose to oppose, instead of condone??? How about the ones who give preferential treatment to their own children or children of their lackeys and give them scholarships and positions you or your children worked for and deserved??? How about the ones who steal your land and give it to someone else? How about the ones who bribe magistrates to get their sons out of serving jail time while you can’t get justice for crimes committed against you? The police doesn’t even want to take your statement? DON’T MUDDAHFUKIN TELL ME IT’S IN THE PAST! Da snake only shed ih skin! Da still a snake, poisonous as evah. And we the people, don’t forget, can’t forget.  Some of us NEVER recover.

You call upon us to serve. You call us apathetic. You call us lazy. BUT YOU ASK YOURSELF: how many good people have you squooshed in the dirt, broken and devastated, having lost everything; and, then you kicked them when they were down, after they just lost everything standing behind you, for you and with you????

Sad truth is: if you can’t kill your roots of evil and corruption…you will grow the same weeds, long and tendrilous, choking off any possible growth and progress. We can’t be for you when you are for them. Period. We want to. We might admire some of our new politicians. You love Belize. You are dedicated and passionate. But you lose every ounce of credibility when you excuse obscenely unethical and straight up thuggish behaviour. We appeal to you. We need people to vote for and right now, we can’t trust anybody. Please give us a reason to believe. Perhaps, if you kicked out your criminals; prosecute a few; make reparations by returning stolen property and giving the deserving their hard earned scholarships and jobs; make solid plans instead of quick fix band aids…and maybe, just maybe, if you start listening to your people, we might start believing.

Don’t you understand we are afraid of you? Don’t you understand we are ashamed of you? Don’t you understand that we are paralyzed by your intimidation and condescending ways? And most of all, don’t you understand YOU WORK FOR US? WE PAY YOUR SALARY. YOU OWE US YOUR RESPECT AND CONSIDERATION. DO NOT TALK DOWN TO US. DO NOT INSULT US WITH YOUR ARROGANCE AND CAVALIER DISMISSAL. You keep pushing a people who are very close to having nothing to lose. You are asking for anarchy. People can only take so much. And while Belizeans seem to be extremely resilient and accommodating of their own rape, we do have a breaking point. Don’t find out where that is.

Assistance or Hindrance? by: Aria Lightfoot

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“The political machine triumphs because it is a united minority acting against a divided majority”. — Will Durant

Who are elected officials in Belize legally accountable to? Anyone knows if there are enforceable laws to offset bad behavior?  It is quite unlikely. I know I am beating a dead horse and I am frustrated by the arrogance of our leaders to ignore our cry for change but I find myself once again addressing the same issue two months later.

Another “special” assistance program?!  Another unregulated, unmonitored program when payment of the super bond looms?    Stop using our taxes to funnel money to standard bearers for political mileage.  There is no way to paint this new assistance program the Prime Minister is giving out other than taxes being used to support the campaigns of his political party.  And I guess the lack of outrage comes from those citizens hoping to benefit. I paged through the Laws of Belize to see if there was anything illegal with this behavior and what I read in the Finance and Audit Act Chapter 15 (not even sure if that was the appropriate law) was the use of the word “minister” quite a bit. The entire laws of Belize need to be burned at the stake and we need a whole new set of laws in its place where accountability and oversight are the major themes.  No Minister should have such level of discretion to use  public funds as a personal piggy bank.  The political machinery is turning our country into a haven for beggars and thieves.

Political machines depend on getting people out to vote. They depend on the spoil system and political patronage, they believe in established systems of hierarchy and they breed a culture of corruption and crime. (For more information on how political machines work please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_machine).  In the late 19th and early 20th Century, many places in the United States operated much like Belize’s political environment. Political machines were used to win elections.  Once elections were won, the system of governance was inefficient, corrupted, and inept and was the breeding ground for the mafia and violent street gangs that cooperated with politicians.  Sounds familiar?  Fast forward over 100 years and in 2012 Belize is still practicing the failed policies of political parties of yesteryear.

Reformers in the US realized that the political parties needed to be curtailed. Many laws regarding financing, candidates, accountability, oversight, corruption were put in place.  Remember Belizeans, political parties function to win elections and patronize their faithful followers and use the power of the State for their personal gains. They are not running to represent your cause or develop Belize.  We are at the lowest ebb of political integrity and nationalism in Belize.

I am outraged that taxes are being spent in this wasteful way and unaccountable manner. I am disappointed that the Prime Minister, after condemning the past administration for similar behavior, now feels he owes no explanation.    What should we expect when the Legislative and Executive are one body?  The use of tax payers’ funds for political mileage may not be illegal, in fact, it is well within the Prime Minister’s discretionary power, however, it is unethical; it lacks fiscal responsibility and does nothing to develop our country. It stinks!  Every Belizean with hands out has become an accomplice to this level of unethical, self destructive behavior.  Belizeans should not complain later when taxes are higher, when jobs are lost and when inflation sharply increases.  Belizeans, there is no such thing as a “free” hand out. You will pay for it later.

When money is thrown around during election time, it creates a temporary fix.  Businesses are misguided thinking that money exists and may invest into more products they can’t sell later.  People suddenly have extra money and begin investing in unneeded items, that will not help stave off a future financial crisis,  the economy reports project growths and causes investors makes bad decisions. It really is a well disguised lie.  Since the stream of income is temporary, in just a couple years, the impact of poor policies will be felt.  It is a vicious cycle that both political party governments practice to win elections.  Each election cycle is digging Belize into a deeper financial hole.

Here are some solutions that are in no way exhaustive.  Demand accountability; demand changes of our laws; demand oversight and transparency;  demand that the discretion of ministers be removed; demand that the Public Service become empowered and function outside the claws of the politicians.  In Florida, city councils and county governments are non-partisan. Meaning that candidates cannot run under the umbrella of a political party and the parties must stay away from electioneering. Do we really need the political parties in our city and municipal governments to build roads and parks and provide basic city services?   Think about it, if we eliminate political parties at the local level, we may also attract more civic minded candidates. We are in desperate need of change Belizeans! We are in a cycle of abusive, self destructive and misguided politics and policies. Changing parties is not the solution, unless they will change our entire political system.  We are crumbling financially and morally because political party agendas reign supremely over national agendas. The time is NOW to demand better and expect better.  Wake up Belizeans! As you sleep, our country falls apart.

In the Face of Adversity, Beauty, Poise and Desire to Educate and Serve by Fayemarie Anderson Carter

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The First Lady of Belize, Mrs. Kim Simplis Barrow

When someone is fighting the fight of her life, everything else falls away. Or at least, it should. For her, it is minute to minute. It becomes about nausea and holding down just the least bit of food. It’s constant needles searching for veins to draw blood. It’s about white blood cells and anemia. It’s about dry eyes and mouth sores from the chemo. It is about atrophy and fatigue. It becomes about carrying on with your everyday duties without fretting about an uncertain future. It is about facing death in the mirror everyday and vowing to overcome. Sometimes, one can’t help but dissolve into tears as the frustration and fear overwhelms even the strongest determination. It is hard enough in private, looking at the anxious faces of loved ones who are trying to hide their worry as they smile encouragingly. She ends up comforting them, desperately trying to allay their concerns. It is exhausting and contemplating another day just like this one, disheartening. And this lady is doing it publicly.

Not only does she have to deal with her own struggles, she must do it against cutting sarcasm and hurtful slander. Shame on you out there who can not leave your pettiness behind. Shame on you out there who can’t muster up a bit of compassion for a fellow human being in her darkest hour. She is a person. Just like you. Just like your mother. Just like your daughter. How dare you allow vitriol to spew from your lips, poisoning every good intention, every good effort? When you display such animosity and hateful behaviour, you do nothing against her, my friend, my lover of Belize. YOU show who YOU ARE and just what YOU ARE NOT.

I am sure that our First Lady, Kim Simplis Barrow, has already forgiven you. She has already come to terms with the idea that people will hate her because of her position and has come to accept it. BUT my lovers of Belize, that doesn’t make it okay. If you are guilty of such an egregious act, I challenge you to do something to make up for it. Get educated about cancer and its debilitating effects. Get educated about how you can be a part of the fight. I challenge you to walk a mile in her shoes and try to imagine how you would like to be treated and then do that, be that.

RESPECKKK!!!!!!! by Fayemarie Anderson Carter

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 “Respect your elders”. “Say ‘goodmawnin’ to your teacher“. “Say ‘yes, sir; no, sir'”. “Show some respect!” “Deya pickney nowadays nuh gat no respect!” “Who you tink you di talk to? Mind a slap u mouth suh haad, yu teeth wah march out!” “Nuh di backansah me heah? Caz ah jus fuklick yu lee rass!” “Lookya woman. Nuh di talk to me like dat heah? Befo ah bax yu crass and crass yu face! Yu own ma nuh wah know yu!”

Sounds familiar? Which Belizean has not had these words hurled at him/her or was the one yelling them? I heard these words my whole life growing up but what it instilled me was not respect, only fear and distrust. Where did we get these ideas from? Why is it so pervasive that even if someone tries to do differently; say, a teacher who asked you to call him/her by his/her given name; a parent who doesn’t believe in spanking; a woman who asserts her right to her opinion, he/she is admonished, shunned even and called weak, a “pushover”, “stupid stupid”? Yet, when a man beats his wife, “he di teach ah mannahs” or “she ask firit nuh, we tell ah fi cook hi food di way he like it; di man work haad. Whe she duh but stay home all day and watch novela?” or “every woman need fi get cuff now and again so she could remember who da boss”. What about the child who is slapped across the face in the street or pulled by the arms up the steps, or chased around the yard with a stick?

You thought slavery was over right? Heck! Belize boasts about how we weren’t really slaves to begin with and certainly not like what happened in Jamaica and the Caribbean. Oh no! We mi always run tings da dis country. Nobadi own we! Welllllll. Not quite. If you ascribe to anything I just described above, you are still a slave. All those behaviours came straight from “Massah, sah”. Slaves and indentured servants were kept in line by keeping them ignorant. They weren’t provided with proper education and even when one had access to a school, dropping out before finishing Standard VI was not cause for concern, even when I went to school. And that was in the ’80’s. When I gave my Valedictory speech to my Std VI class in the year 1987, my address went something like this: “Some of you will enter the workforce; some of you will  start your own families and some of you will join me in the furtherance of our education at high school“. Shocking? Not then it wasn’t. Half of my class did not come to high school with me. One girl had already had a baby and had dropped out the year before. The other way to keep slaves and indentured servants in line was to threaten them at the drop of a hat with whippings, maiming, isolation, deprivation. Then, there was the routine raping of the women and children, the name calling, the insults.

I hope by now your head is swimming with the images from that “Arawaks to Africans” book we all had to read; and I hope you are hearing the anger and violence in the voices of those people who screamed at you and called you names. We haven’t escaped any of it and as long as we don’t acknowledge first of all, that it did happen, and as long as we don’t acknowledge the impact it has had, we will continue to have the society we live in and we will continue to have the type of government we keep electing. Huuuuhhhhhh? Double take? What does this have to do with politics? Ah mi tink yu di talk bout ‘nuh lash u pickney’ and ‘nuh beat yu wife’. Wellllll…that could be part of the solution but I really am talking about how we choose the losers, I mean, leaders, we choose.

From the very first moment we have the least bit of comprehension, we are being told to “behave”. “Don’t do this; don’t do that…OR ELSE”. Then we go to school,  more “don’t do this and don’t so that…OR ELSE”. How about that lovely rhetorical question everybody and dey granny will ask you at some time or the other: ” who di hell/fuk u tink u soh?” or the statement “u only like tek up yourself” or “yu only cud ek”. AND AT THE SAME TIME we are being told “You are a Belizean! This is your beautiful country. Show the world that our education is superior. Show the world that our way of life is better than theirs” or “gial, nuh tolerate hi nuh! If he beat you? kick ih rass tu di curb!” or “Stand up for yourself! Demand better! Vote out dis govahment! Vote for people who care about the people! You matter! Nuh mek dey sell out yu land and yu futcha!” Talk about CRAZY MAKING!!!!

How can we know what respect is if we are not shown respect? This is not something we will learn as an adult or when we get an education in some fancy college. Respect is taught (or rather, not taught) in the home everyday. It is in the way you treat your wife, your husband, your mother, your father, your in-laws, your children. If you hit, scream derogatory things at your family, talk about “dey stupid teacha”; “di nasty Indian  neighbour, ah wudda nevah eat fah dey, dey nuh like wash dey hand”;”di stupid politician, alla dey lyad!”; “di tiefin chineyman”; “di ugly white people, dey smell like wet fowl feather”; “look pan da pickey head gial- goonie goo goo”;  AND then tell your children “nuh give trouble da school nuh, listen to u teachah and get ur education!”, “nuh sell drugs nuh, you gwein da jail”, “black is beauty, white is chalk”, (my head hurts already) I hope you get the drift. But in case you didn’t yet, how about “God says to love everybody” then you say “dey battyman need fi goh da jail” OR “dey bloody alien need fi goh back home whe dey come from” OR “yu need fi be a man and get a job!” then “but why you wa grow fruit? left dat fi di alien dey! Yu need fi be a lawyer or a doctor!” OR “gial goh tek out yu food fi yu breddah!” then “you can be anything you want to be, nuh mek no man rule you!” Your children learn disrespect from you and then they learn to disrespect you too. And so it is that we have no idea what respect is, and how to show it. Hence, politicians can get away with every immoral, unethical and illegal thing because we don’t know that that is disrespectful and that we deserve better.

Imagine a Belize where we knew what respect really means. Imagine we don’t demand respect, the threat of a big stick hiding behind our backs, but rather, we inspire it. Imagine people actually treating you with respect. The police would protect you instead of intimidate you. Your significant other would be your partner, not your nemesis, someone to go behind or around. Your in-laws would appreciate your efforts and speak well of your attempts to share new ways of raising your children.  Your shop keepers would sell you quality products at a fair price (no more rat shit in your bread and expired cans of peas). Teachers would teach and foster independent thinking rather than play with people’s grades and threaten their futures. Religious leaders would encourage tolerance and love for each other instead of demonizing difference and acting as  agents of terror and fear mongering. And our politicians would stop treating us like children who can’t make good decisions or like we don’t know bullshit when we hear it or see it.

Problem is…we won’t experience this Belize until we know what respect is supposed to look like. It starts with ourselves. We have to respect ourselves. We have to know our worth. You know that little voice that told you your parents were being hypocrites when you were a kid? You know, the voice that made you ask “why?” and den you got slapped so you stopped listening to it? THAT IS THE VOICE YOU NEED TO RAISE FROM ITS SLUMBER.  That was your internal bullshit meter calling out, telling you that something isn’t quite right. When you can respect yourself, your ideas and your beliefs, you will  raise your expectations of others. You will not tolerate put downs and dismissals. You will not tolerate this thievery and rape of every good thing we have as a nation. You will not tolerate bigots threatening your neighbours. You will not tolerate loud mouth wenches putting you down so they can feel important. You will not tolerate politicians enslaving you with ridiculous international loan payments while telling you “it’s for your own good”. You will not tolerate other people forcing their agendas down your throat because you will know that your ideas are just as good, if not better, and deserve consideration as well.

So, start today with your children. If you want them to know how to choose good leadership, you got to BE good leadership. You have to show your kids that they are valuable. You have to show respect for their ideas, questions and voice. You can’t wait until they are grown ups to treat them as equals. They were born your equal. If you wait, that tree will be bent and you can’t straighten it once it’s grown that way. Apologize when you are wrong. Make reparations to show your good faith and to rebuild trust. Don’t use anger to hurt and punish. Nurture and discipline. Demonstrate commitment and loyalty by maintaining your home and your family. Stand against negativity. Examine your own part in everything that happens and be accountable for your beliefs and actions. Ask yourself. “What is my legacy? What scars do I bear on my heart? What vestiges of slavery have I unwittingly embraced? What is my children’s legacy?” Demonstrate the principles of democracy in your own house by allowing your children to share their opinions and make certain decisions. And follow through with the consequences you have set for them when they fail to honour their obligations. And follow your own damn rules.

Daily Dingleberry 01-29-12

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It’s Sunday. A day of tradition for many…church…Sunday dinner…family time. What are you doing today? I’m looking out my window at some gorgeous fresh snow on the ground.  We still have not gotten the  “up to your knees kind’, but there’s still enough to inspire a sense of calm and peace. I wish I could send that feeling of serenity to you, out there, with fettered hearts and buried souls.

There is a bubbling tension and the rising stench of animosity in the Facebook world. There is a growing tendency for some to measure their good works against the perceived failings of others, coupled with derisive criticism of what is deemed apathy or lack of true loyalty to Belize. That is so mean spirited and self glorifying and divisive. I don’t understand why people feel the need to put down others. It’s like taking a big stick and whopping it across someone’s face. It’s humiliating and violent and most of all, useless and unnecessary. Most people are inherently good and want to feel appreciated and needed. Most of us would love to work for a cause and feel pride in our efforts. Our problem is, we have no one we admire enough to follow, no entity trustworthy and deserving of our deference.

Not everybody can be leaders. Not everyone wants be to a leader. So why does it seem that Belizean leaders get on their over inflated egos, like some big old BULLFROG and spit in the eyes of those who would want to follow them? You “leaders” out there, why insult others because they won’t, can’t do as you do? Do you really want the competition? Think about that for a second. You really want a bunch of leaders and no followers? You need somebody to lead, right?

Just because someone is not like you, doesn’t make him/her weak, inferior or less committed (*insert cuss word here). And not all of us can work tirelessly and with intense dedication at the same time that you might be. Not all of us have the same kind of intelligence or gifts. Nothing angers me more than when someone who is obviously exceptional in some way, uses it to thump others on the head. Don’t you understand it is an accident of birth? It is due to thousand of years of evolution and tireless culling of our genetic fiber that created you? You don’t belong to just you. You belong to every single human being who contributed to your particular DNA. In that way, you have every obligation to use your talents, your gifts towards the betterance of humanity.

So, instead of touting your good deeds, puffing out your chest like a BULLFROG, and decrying the lack of reward or recognition, understand that you are always part of something larger. In other words, get over yourself and get to work. And you, out there, who will benefit from the brilliant work of these exceptional people, do not mock them when they stumble. Do not lose faith when they make a wrong turn. We will make mistakes all of us, but, the failure is not the one who tried and failed. The failure is the one who never tried at all.

Insert Name Here by Fayemarie Anderson Carter

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It’s mid-morning in the Jewel. Bernie is sitting on the wire alone and she can smell coconut oil and frying onions and hear pressure cookers rattling. Usually, she is in her office writing or doing light book keeping for her husband; but, today she feels closed in by all her thoughts and feelings. She tries not to show it to her friend, Dodes, just how much she is concerned about the state of their country.  That is just not the dynamic of their friendship. Dodes has always clung to Bernie’s every word and reserved a special benefit of the doubt for her.  It got to the point that Bernie had to gently admonish her friend against putting her on such a lofty pedestal. She becomes  especially uncomfortable when Dodes puts herself down and defers  to her because of her education and position in society. No matter how much she tries to show egalitarian consideration, Dodes refuses to act like her equal. In this way, Bernie can’t ever truly be herself around Dodes.  Dodes has put her in the position of mentor and guide. It would not do to show any sort of weakness as the disappointment would upset Dodes’ estimation of her. Bernie is Dodes’ rock, a compass in this crazy, overwhelming world. If Bernie should voice any misgivings or uncertainty, Dodes would be sure to overreact and feel like the sky is truly falling. Bernie doesn’t mind being this for Dodes. She understands that Dodes is alone and needs her to be that stabilizing force in her life. She plays the role well and is nurturing, supportive and even motherly as Dodes sometimes needs her to be.  The downside is  that it left Bernie without a confidante and that makes her feel lonely at times. She could only be her true self with her husband, Joe and her friend, Judith. But, Judith does not live here and is often busy herself and Bernie hates talking on telephones so essentially, that leaves her with herself, thoughts swimming and fears unabated. 

It had taken her a long time to realize that she was not meant to have many close friends as she had tried to force others to play that role. Eventually, they fell away and she never heard from them again, or worse, they would turn on her and misunderstand everything she tried to say or do. The catch is, even though she has her husband right there, all the time, he is very busy. He works non-stop on his various contracts and while they are lucrative, sometimes, the work just drained everything out of him. In that way, she becomes nurturer again and has to wait until he could be available to her. So here she was alone, trying to be patient. Patience had not come to her very easily. Her passion and youth had made every issue, every thought seem so important that she felt compelled to try and come to a resolution as quickly as possible. She had learned over the years, that, that was just not how the world works; and that while she could attempt to engage others into reaching resolutions to arguments, crises, and challenges, forcibly and loudly was not a way to maintain friendships and alliances, no matter how right she felt she was. Now, she had learned that her anxieties were her own to deal with and while others could try to be supportive, she couldn’t expect them to know what to do or how to do it. She and only she could make herself feel calm and determined to continue on. 

She felt a flap of air and turned towards it. It was Buster Piam Piam.

“Hey Bustah. What yu doin here? I thought you were at Robinson’s Point with Paulie.”

“I was Bernie but I came back earlier than planned. Granny Ivy is not doing to well so we came home to be with the family.”

“O Bustah, I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Well, she is doing better already, as usual.” Bustah laughed. “I swear, she does it on purpose. She heah we outta town, get jealous, play sick just fi ruin we good times.”  Bustah smiled at Bernie.

“Ahh Bustah. You and that morbid humour of yours. Nevah change, heah?” Bernie smiled at her friend but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Oh oh. I think I interrupt some deep thoughts here Bernie. You look like you gots your thinking cap on.”

“O Bustah. You are in the world of economics. What do you think about this supah bond business? As far as I can tell, it sounds like crippling debt that we can never repay and I get really perturbed at the thought that I absolutely have no idea where it all went!” Bernie lets out an exasperated sigh.

“Berns, it was a bad idea. I don’t know all the ins and outs of it but it would seem that yet again, for the fleeting moment of glory, we spilled our guts. And now everybody is scrambling to make this seem ok. Meanwhile, the politicians are fighting away pointing fingahs. Shit ah wish they would just get close enough to each other and poke each oddah  eye out…dah nuh like dey need dey eye! Dey all blind anyways!”  Bustah slapped Bernie on her back as he guffawed. Bernie was startled but she joined in since she wouldn’t want to send the wrong message and hurt Buster’s feelings. Problem was, she really didn’t feel like laughing. She felt to burdened by her fears and unanswered questions.

Changing the topic, Bernie asked Buster, “Wheh yu oddah half dey? Usually him nuh tuh far behind.”

“O lawd, gial Bernie. Paulie meet a gial da caye. She da di cook and every week she come een fi buy produce. Soh him deh wid her right now before she haffi goh back da caye. Da bwoi always got his head undah skirt ah tell yu!”  Bernie and Bustah laughed at the thought. “And di ting is, him soh desperately in love and ciant eat nar sleep. Him drive mi crazy wid all dah talk bout dis gial or dat gial. Right now I hafi heah bout ‘Allison has such lovely long legs. Allison’s voice is so musical. Allison is so smart.’ But di ting is las week dahmi Becky…next week it wha be di same tings…’insert name here’.”

Bernie laughed at the truth of that statement. Paulie was ridiculous in love. He would be the perfect romantic partner for some lucky girl, one day, maybe.  Unfortunately, his interest waned quickly and soon he was mooning over someone new. She likes the statement “insert name here”. It describes how she feels about all the politicians, just now. It doesn’t seem to matter who, which party, what the accusations are, who tief, who tek, who liad, who get outta facing consequences for committing crimes…just “insert name here”. Her mood started to deflate again.

“Bernie, Bernie!” Bustah’s voice rang in her ear, jolting her back to the conversation.

“Huh? Sorry Bustah. Ah midi tink again. Whe u midi seh?”

“Ah ask u if u have time fi a lee bite. Ih luk like u need some distraction befo da big head a yours explode,”  Bustah said with a kind, understanding smile.

“You know what Bustah? Long time ah haven’t been to Seaside Cafe. Ah always feel so peaceful there with the waves lapping and the breeze in my face. Can we go there? They have the freshest papaya you ever tasted.”

“Alright Bernie. You are on but I want a watermelon margarita too!”

“Well talk about ‘it’s five o’clock somewhere’!” chuckled Bernice. “I might just hafi join you. I need some fun Bustah. Do I ever need some fun right about now. Lemme just tell Joe and I’ll be right back.”

Buster watched his school friend fly up to her house with some sadness in his heart. He rarely ever saw Bernie so deflated and pensive. She was a thinker, even as a child but she was also a fun, quick witted provocateur. It got her into trouble with the stuffy, authoritative teachers when they were in school, but she hadn’t let that change her. She just got more spirited and challenging. Buster knew that Bernie was probably not worried for herself as much as she was worried for others who were already struggling. He knew that like himself, people sometimes doubted her sincerity because it was obvious she was wealthy and that she struggled to balance charity against pity. She had always voiced strong hopes that as Belize became more and more developed, that  those poverty stricken and seemingly forgotten areas would finally get electricity and the stagnant drains that were breeding grounds for mosquitoes and thus responsible for yearly outbreaks of malaria, would finally be connected to the city sewer systems. He knew that she was probably seeing all those dreams just crumble under the weight of the reality of the financial crisis facing Belize.

“Hey Bustah! Now dah yu di drift off. First round is on you! Let’s go have some fun, man.” Bernie smiled at her friend encouragingly.

“Alright Berns. But if you get tu tipsy tu fly, u pay fi di taxi!” And in his usual gentlemanly way, Bustah let Bernie fly off first, elegantly and sure, she headed towards the beach.

Daily Dingleberry 01-22-12

/ Twocanview LLC

OK PIPPLE!!!! This one REALLLLLLY bothers me. We are being damn hypocritical about the way we express our feelings about immigrants coming to Belize…I can hear the spit fly and bile swallow when we seh “deh pania”. But people, many of our family members are immigrants facing the same prejudice in other countries, yes? Especially, the US????? How can we show such animosity to a group many of us represent? And then, cussing how they take our jobs while we starve? Why di hell you nuh di pick fruit and calleck garbage? Why you nuh di chap cane and clean toilet? What? You tu good fi mek an honest dallah? YEAH….you much rather work the biggest industry we got in Belize right? WESTERN UNION! Well mek ah tell uno di straight up straight. YOUR relatives tyad ah you di beg fi money. YOUR relatives tyad ah heah bout deh alien whe tek uno job and das why  u bruk! Cause the irony is? You di depend pan wa immigrant di tek somebadi job ret yah da states tu! And it aint no fun to feel unwelcome and unwanted and treated less than. when we are developing and contributing to the communities within which we live.  Don’t be hatin’ on your neighbours, man. We are all part of one world, one human family. Show some compassion and in the meantime, stop lying to yourself about why you are in the situation you are in. Dah yuh paliticians tief! Dah yu son di sell weed! Da u nuh wa do jobs yu feel are beneath you! If you want your country to grow and become strong, you literally have to toil the soil you are so desperately fighting about and for.

Put that in your bong and smoke it!

Daily Dingleberry 01-21-12

/ Twocanview LLC

Is it really the 21st already???? Sheesh! Time is whizzing by! Pet peeve today IS: people causing hysteria on these here blogs/Facebook pages about EVERYTHING the government does…remember di likkle boy who cried wolf??? One day, when there really was a wolf, nobody listened. My point? You lose credibility when everything you say is biased. This type of halarism will lose my interest quick because it just sung like sour grapes, ovah and ovah again. People, even the ones you think are stupid, quickly tire of constantly being yelled at “the sky is falling, the sky is falling!” It’s a natural human response to just tune yo ass out. We can’t take it, ok? It takes too much energy to worry and stress out that much. And common sense intervenes to tell us, “hey, we nuh dead yet, let’s go bathe sea”. I love all my people, blue or red or just green with envy. Look around and just for a second, truly evaluate this situation. I’m not asking you to ignore corruption and blatant disregard for the law, BUT LOOK RUNG!!!! We have been chosen as a top tourist destination. Join forces together with other lovers and clean up this place. Do fu yuhself and cash in on the good publicity we are getting. Bank that lovers!

Reunion by Fayemarie A Carter

/ Twocanview LLC / 1 Comment

Faye 1Bernie Toucan and Doo Doo Chickadee are sitting on their usual spot by the junction of Fortification and Judgement Streets, having a bit of tea. It is a lovely afternoon and the long time friends are enjoying a lighthearted chat when they feel the wire dip. Both of them look over and give shrieks of surprise.

“Milli!!!! Millicent Audrey Avocet!”, exclaimed Bernie.

“Blue Shanks! Gial! Whe u di du ya?” asked Dodes excitedly. The friends come together for a warm embrace and kisses.

“Well girls. I’m here to bury my grandmother, Aurelia Avocet, memba shi? Granny Ray? She passed a few days ago and I brought her home. She insisted that she be buried here in Belize. U membah how shi does goh? Always have to have shi own way,” Mili smiled wistfully.

“I’m sorry to hear that Milli. I hope it wasn’t too difficult for you and your family?” asked Bernie.

“Well, she was almost 100 so we knew this was coming and the past few months, she was going in and out of the hospital. That was hard because it felt like I never left work, you know? Nurse at work, nurse at home,” said Milli.

“I’m sure she appreciated it, Milli,” said Bernie as she touched her friend reassuring on the shoulder.

“Gial but hmmm! Comin home da neva no joke! Dey harass me every step ah di way. Dey act like ah midi try smuggle drugs or something. Dey nuh know dat if a midi do dat, di coffin mi gwein di opposite direction? What di hell ah wa smuggle into Belize from States?” Milli’s eyes danced as she giggled. “Yu wud tink dey glad dat the immigrant di lef di country, right? Dey stop my rass da every station! Ah neahly miss mi connecting flight home. Ah tell di lady if shi nevah let mi goh, mi granny miya haunt shi rass sake a lef ah fi travel by shi self,’ said Milli.

“Haha!” laughed Dodes.”U nuh change nuh gial. U still di give trouble, big time lady and all.”

“Well! Dey piss mi off man! Ih does be dat I mi glad fi have a Belizean passport. I used to joke that I would nevah want a American one cause dey wa tek mi mek hostage. But hell! Ah di change mi mind. Ah mean, who wahn go thru da process da states? You have to pay almost a thousand dollahs den you hafi study and tek exam. Hmph! But lately, I might prefer be American.”

“Well, u know Milli, lately, wha latta pipple di rail up bout fi we citizenship. How easy it is fi get it and dat anybody could get it fi leebit a money or a simple vote inna elections. Jus di oddah day, PM give hundreds a pipple citizenship. Pipple nevah tek tu kindly. Seh how dey only di du it fi get votes cause dey desperate.” Dodes shook her head. “Milli gial. You might glad u live da States fi tru. Dis country jus di go to rass. Ah mean, why d hell u wa give a bunch a Guatemalans citizenship? Dey don tink we da fi dey? Now dey could vote and buy land and send dey pickney da fi wi school. Ih just bun mi when ah tink bout it.”

“Shit! Ah neva know tings get so bad gial Dodes,” said Milli. But dis rass nuh new mein. When ah midi go da SJC, dey used to talk bout di Chiney di pay like $45,000 fuh wa passport. At least den wi mid get something firit, right? But dis? Dey just di come tek whe dey done tink da fi dey already and we jus give it to dey!” Milli looked over at Bernie who had gotten very quiet, just sipping her tea every now and again. “Bernie. Whe di goh tru da maze a yourns?”

“Ahh.” Bernie sighed.”Ah jus di tink fi tru Milli. Ah mean, what do you do when something like this happen? Who u call? Is there even a process of inquiry?”

“Hey Milli,” said Dodes. “Di one good thing whe come outta dis? Dey gat deya 2 gial name Aria Lightfoot and Fayemarie Carter. Dey two deh awn gial. You know whe Aria seh bout di passport ting? Shi call Belize a prostitute! Something bout open fi business with evibady!” Dodes’ body shakes as she heartily laughs.

“Buwahahahahaha!” laughed Milli. “Dat da wa gud one Dodes! Suh wi da still ‘soldier taffy’? Wi jus do it legal like now. Wow!” Milli sobered as the thoughts swirled around her head. The Belize of her Granny Ray’s days definitely seem to be gone with her. This is one of the major conflicts she struggles with deeply. How can she, Milli, say anything about what is happening in Belize when she lives in a nice house and has a nice job in sunny California? She thinks of coming home often but she knows she is not ready to face this type of life where politics and one’s existence were one and the same. She shook her head as if to shake the thoughts right out. “Anyway, Dodes. Tell mi bout whe deya gial di seh.”

The friends sat on the wire for the next hour, until the sun sprayed its golden tendrils across the land, closing one more day, signalling one more triumph of survival over continued difficulties and challenges to all the good these friends knew as home.