Fayemarie A Carter

Hitler Who? by Fayemarie Anderson (yes, that one) Carter

/ Twocanview LLC / 13 Comments

Look again. These are bodies.

What are you looking at?

Lately, as political debates reach ever higher summits of the ridiculous and maniacal, a common name hurled at people we don’t like is “Hitler“.  Now, we can all understand getting passionate about issues. The strength of our convictions and raging adrenaline gives us overwhelming courage to raise our voices and pump our fists. But to call your nemesis “Hitler” just because you don’t like him/her or don’t agree with his/her ideology is very immature, reactionary and truly tasteless.

It is very concerning to see OUR leaders act in such an  irresponsible and inflammatory manner. It almost always plays out the same way no matter if it happens in lee Belize or the big ole United States. Some high profile politico calls an opponent “Hitler”; it causes fierce controversy; the aggressor backs down but by then, the damage is done. That name, that image is forever linked in the voters’ minds.

Even people who are shocked and aghast at such vitriol, like the Germans in the 1930’s, we tell ourselves, “Oh, he didn’t mean that. It won’t turn into anything. After all, I know him. He is my cousin. He is a nice guy.” But that is the frog boiling. You know the metaphor: A frog, dropped into boiling water, will frantically try to escape. But if you place that same frog in a pot of tepid water and gradually raise the temperature, he will languish in stupor and smile his way to death. Is that what is going on here? I think so.

People with malintent and less than stellar ethics, are trying to colour our vernacular with the blood of millions of people who were murdered under the directive of a  lone, evil %$#&@!$*!@^#. Do you understand that when you use the name “Hitler” in vain, you insult the victims and the survivors of the most monstrous acts committed against humanity, EVER?  When we call others “Hitler” we minimize the horrors the whole world had to fight to overcome.

Imagine YOUR family portrait. Do you see your mother; your grandmothers; your father; your grandfathers; your aunts and uncles; your cousins; your baby brothers; your four year old sister. Do you see your mischievous 10 year old cousin pulling his sister’s hair? She is the one with her mouth formed in an “O” in surprise and pain. And then there is your tomboy of a 12 year old sister making googly  eyes at the camera.  Are you smiling? Now imagine putting an “X” on each and every face and telling your grandchild, “Hitler killed him”; “Hitler killed her”; “Hitler”; “Hitler”.

Lemme ask you something: Has any one of our leaders ever told millions of people they had to identify themselves by wearing a distinctive symbol signifying that they are the scourge of their nation? Have you ever had to watch your children being taken from you and put on a train to a concentration camp, your son is 4 and your daughter is a screaming 2 year old? Did you have to watch as soldiers lined up hundreds of the old and sick, each one being riddled with bullets in the blink of an eye? Did you have to watch your mother shrivel up from hunger and die slowly from the simple flu because she has no medicine or the strength to fight? Did you have your gold teeth ripped out of your mouth so some bastard can take the gold and melt it down? How about skinning your neighbour so a General can have a lamp shade made of his skin? Did you have to watch your daughters/sisters rounded up and sent to labs where there insides were mutilated and injected with poisons in “experiments”? Were you made to give up all your clothes and warm shoes then left to shiver in negative 30 degree Fahrenheit bitter cold winters?  And you better not stop working because you will be butted in the head by a gun.

No. You haven’t. And you won’t.

And before you dismiss my plea because you are telling yourself that it will never get to this point so why bother discussing it? It didn’t start with the gassing and the shooting. It started with toxic rhetoric. Beware words like: dictator, imperialist, unilateral, uncaring, supremacist, socialist,  or phrases like “threat to our freedom”; “if you are not with us, you are against us”; “it’s us versus them”; “take back our country”. And whenever you are not allowed to criticise a political proponent’s ideology and in turn are accused of being a “traitor” or identified as being partisan and blind, that is a huge signal that true democracy is NOT that proponent’s intent. Then, there is the actual poster with our Prime Minister dressed as Hitler himself. I’m not showing that picture here. That would give it more press and I refuse to be a part of that. Go look for it yourself.

It is a shame that politicos with self serving agendas are playing on people’s fears and emotions. Hitler took advantage of a depressed Germany to push his hate filled objectives. At first, the Germans didn’t even like him. He was unsuccessful at his early attempts. As the environment became more desperate and people sought a leader, he became their saviour, their knight in shining armour. None of them realized what they were heading for. Is this what we want for our people? More hate? More violence? More devastation? Check yourself. Check your motives. Check your tactics because it might turn out that “Hitler” is YOU.

Daily Dingleberry 03-22-12 We Are One

/ Twocanview LLC / 1 Comment

In every society, there will be poor people for various reasons.  In every rich family, there will be poor of spirit and weak constitutions.   In every Church, there will be bigots and the self serving. In every school, there will be ignorant teachers with authoritarian attitudes. In every corporation, there will be greed and embezzlement. In every court, there will be bribery and injustice. In every government, there will be inefficiencies and bureaucratic obstacles. My point? Every institution has rules, protocol, ideologies BUT every institution is only as good as the people who work within them. Just because we face challenges, does that mean we should holler and scream insults? Spread accusations? Hurl slander? Overthrow everything? Incite division?

Oi….it is painful to watch all the fighting going on, because all that energy is being wasted. It is one thing to criticise. What is the purpose though? Is it toward betterment? More success? OR are we just saboteurs and greifers? Observations are crucial for development. We have to know what is wrong in order to fix it, right? But what I’m seeing out here is just counterproductive to everything we all claim to want for our beautiful Belize.

If you have an issue with something our leaders are doing, why call them names and wreak havoc? Can’t we act civilly and towards a productive end? If there is corruption, then gather the evidence and do your civic duty by reporting crime or participating in some sort of advocacy group. If there is crime that is reaching your homes and neighbourhoods, report your child, your husband, your friend. If you worry about your children’s future, work with your church, your PTA, your city council to make sure schools have what they need. If you worry about health issues, get educated. Find out what you need to know, what you can do and how to prevent everything you can.

Do you hear what I am telling you? You are the only one who knows what you need. You are the only one who can do the best for you. You have to work with what you have and then reach for more. But all that yelling and hollering….will soon fall on deaf ears and you will still not have what you want and need. You have to work for it. So start at home with your kids. Teach them to be fair and honest. Confront wrongdoing and prejudiced thinking. Ask of yourself all the things you ask of others.

GET INVOLVED. LET’S REBUILD BELIZE TOGETHER

Daily Dingleberry 03-21-12 I Told You So

/ Twocanview LLC / 19 Comments

Ok I really didn’t think that this was gonna be this fast….Remember when I said that if the MLA kept making an issue out of nothing the backlash wouldn’t be nice? According to a statement made yesterday, it would seem the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples is already dropped. Kaput. Gone.

The following is a direct quote from: http://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=22017

And while we are still on the subject, we have one more bit of news. We note that the announcement on the Moratorium came from the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development. What’s odd about that? Well, there’s no Indigenous People in it! That title appears to have been excised – only days after it was announced.

And it’s not a typo. We checked with senior government sources who indicated Government is rethinking its position of creating such a title after the Mayan Leaders Alliance slammed them last week for doing so without prior consultation. So, the plan now is to first consult, and then proceed – not quite butter for fat, or fish, but apparently a concession by government that it is too early in its term to start quarrelling.

And now there is even more backlash: http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/68274 where it is being reported that a busload of Maya, on the way to a protest, was turned back for NOT having a charter permit. Of course, no matter that they broke a rule, the incident will no doubt be billed as further proof that the GOB is being disrespectful to the Maya.

So, a ministry that COULD have brought attention and funding to a previously under served sector of our population seems to have been effectively eliminated and now you done gone pissed off the powers that be so they are not gonna let anything you do slide. Classic case of shooting yourself in the foot, cutting your nose off to spite your face, throwing out the baby with the bath water…..

O well…whoever was advising the MLA needs to rethink his/her tactics caz they SUCKED the big one and accomplished nothing but more grief. Yeah for big ass egos!

 

 

 

 

Are you Sheep? by: Aria Lightfoot

/ Twocanview LLC / 3 Comments

What is Propaganda?

Propaganda is literally translated into the “dissemination of information” and is the deliberate spreading of rumors to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution,  nation etc. to influence a person or community toward a certain position.  The information is many times geared towards telling the audience what to think about the issue or many times innuendos are used in a strategic way to get the audience to come to their desired conclusion.  Many times the propagandist appeals to your sense of emotions rather than intellect.

Where does the term come from?

The term originates from a committee of cardinals established in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV, having supervision over foreign ministries and the training of priests for these missions. After Pope Gregory XV passed away, he was succeeded by Pope Urban VII who established a school for the education of priest for foreign missions called the College of Propaganda.  Pope Urban VII waged war and propaganda to spread the “good news” …today, the Catholic Religion is still the most powerful religion in the world.

What are the tactics?

  1. Repeating information several times in different mediums until it is accepted as a fact without actually producing facts.
  2. Using catch words such as “reliable information”  or unconfirmed reports or “someone very close to me says” are telltale signs of the propagandist.
  3. Being vague, suggestive and illusive
  4. No evidence is offered
  5. The tone is accusatory
  6. Questions are rhetorical

How to overcome propaganda?

Remember, the propagandist may be your parents, who have held on to age old belief systems;  or your political parties, whose agenda is to win elections; or your priest or pastor, who interpret the Bible for you;  or your spouse that tell you how to think;  or some trouble maker gossiper.  Propaganda fails when the audience demands accountability and facts.  Simply by asking questions instead of tacitly accepting information one can undo the propagandist. If you ask too many questions the propagandist may become unraveled and unleash negative comments your way because they may not even know they are repeating unsubstantiated information.   When we begin as a society to demand sources and evidence we will begin to appreciate real integrity in communication.   When we accept propaganda, we diminish our capacity to think critically.  So my questions are…Do you accept everything you hear?  Do you ask for proof? Or are you sheep?

Daily Dingleberry 03-17-12 Methinks the Jealous do Protest too Much

/ Twocanview LLC / 3 Comments

We will stand alone.

LMAO! So, wild accusations are flying about causing much consternation for my co-blogger Aria. Her every ethical and honest bone is being rattled by all these blatant attempts to discredit her and my intentions. BUT I frankly don’t give a damn. As the saying goes, “Any press is good press”. I welcome the spin doctors and the naysayers because you are doing exactly  what I want you to do. You are bringing attention to my efforts to provide honest critiques of the goings on in Belize. Every time you say my name, you give me legitimacy.

Let’s practice: twocanview, twocanview, twocanview. OOOOPS! You done sed it 3 times!!!!! You in trouble now!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHA!

The only reason nasty people get nasty is because they feel their own power being usurped. What’s the best thing to do to someone who is gaining ground? You try to remove the ground- in this case, accuse us of bribery and calling us unethical and biased. But that will prove to be  a misguided move because I’m standing on diamonds, my convictions are that strong and pure. You will only reinforce my stance and expose for the world to see that I really am who and what I say I am.

I could get caught up in being disappointed in people and their attempts to destroy a good thing that really could have a positive impact on politics in Belize but I’m  not gonna belabour it. To be honest, things like this are to be expected and it’s sort of anti-climatic for me, because I thought it would  have come a lot sooner.

So keep spinning and repeat 3X: twocanview, twocanview, twocanview!!!!!!!!!

Listen To This Shit

/ Twocanview LLC / 2 Comments

Anthony “Boots” Martinez – Minister Human Development
“No man, come down – various equipment – my main focus was people. I was in charge of an amount of people of which, literally under the Ministry of Works, we were acting as a great degree, as the Ministry of Social Services and Human Development. The amount of single mothers we had employed, the amount of at-risk people we had employed, I was of the thinking that the name of the ministry is not important. The function of the ministry is what is important. I see that as a huge upgrade.”

Jules Vasquez
“So you actually – wait, because most people say it’s a downgrade, you actually see it as an upgrade?”

Anthony “Boots” Martinez
“Yes, that’s a huge upgrade. You have the Ministry of Human Development, Social Transformation, and Poverty Alleviation.”

 

I can’t believe that the perception of Human Development, Social Transformation and Poverty Alleviation is “a step down”. WOW and we wonder why our people are disillusioned and feeling hopeless? Do you understand what that means? We couldn’t be bothered to invest in our greatest asset? US????? Thank you Mr. Boots for putting Jules Vasquez in his place…Maybe Jules thinks that this ministry is too lame and is more like “woman’s work” huh? What the hell prompted his dumbassedness? If this wasn’t a seriously disturbing reflection on our society, it would be funny. But sadly, I can’t laugh. It’s more like I want to scream and rant and rail.

 

We need to take the weakest in our society seriously because a society which doesn’t is destined to fail miserably.

 

Very upset with Belizean mentality in this moment. Reminds me of when a certain dean of a certain school told me that they wouldn’t be giving out scholarships for psychology because it is not important. Shortsighted muthafuckahs.

Daily Dingleberry 03-15-12

/ Twocanview LLC

Lots of criticism flying around about the new cabinet and CEO’s…what’s this rumour about Cordel and Espat??? Anybody got the details? After today, I’m not gonna pay any attention to vague allusions and innuendo. It’s like little imps and evil fairies flitting and floating about causing mischief…if you have serious concerns about people say it please…out loud in intelligible sentences and with some spec of evidence! I would genuinely love to hear it but these cackling inferences serve no purpose but to temporarily distract and stir unnecessary controversy…put your money where your mouth is instead of shoving your foot in there!

Sore Losers by: Aria Lightfoot

/ Twocanview LLC / 13 Comments

 

Look, I don’t mean to be a sore loser, but when it’s done … if I’m dead … kill him!

— Butch Cassidy

The elections are over and it played out like the final seconds of a heated game. Supporters from both sides held a collective breath as the magic 16 was reached.    UDP emerged the winner.  It was a well fought race on both sides.  Neither side seemed to have the advantage, and the final results indicated same.  The questionable tactics used by both parties did highlight some failings in our system. Corruption has spilled out and is now so open that it no longer offends the conscience of the reasonable man.  The standard has been lowered in our society. With that said, there seem to be a new disturbing cultural trend emerging- little or no respect for the highest office of the land; the Prime Minister of Belize.

Obviously the propaganda machine did not stop when elections’ season ended.  In fact, Belizeans are being told there was voter fraud, election cheating and just about every allegations and enough misinformation to convince people that their vote did not count.   I am seeing unfounded allegations being dangerously spread via the internet trying to convince people that PUP was cheated and they should be the rightful government; that Belize is headed for a dictatorship (for the past 5 years);  that our PM resembles a monster who murdered 6 million people, namely Hitler.

During the elections, Belizeans passively accepted the entire deterioration of our electoral process; however, the election is over and so should the silly season.  Belizeans tolerated the most distasteful, disrespectful and personal commercials ever seen in the history of our elections and it seems the deterioration continues, except with a dangerous undertone now. It stinks of poor sportsmanship and PUP is emerging as a sore mean loser with the rhetoric and lies to instigate mischief.  All these  allegations by the way,  attack the credibility of our public officers who conducted the counting in front of both parties and observers; it shows a lack of integrity of the people spreading rumors and it ultimately teaches our people and children to be disrespectful and distrustful of our leaders.

One more thing, anyone ever wonder what is PUP’s unhealthy obsession with Dean Barrow? Methinks racism albeit subtle! How dare this black man talk to ‘us’ this way?  Doesn’t he know his place?   We are so colonial in our thinking that even some black people are taught to believe a black man should not be as powerful and as successful as Dean Barrow.  Dean Barrow is no more or less arrogant than Said Musa was.  Dean Barrow is as successful as any intelligent attorney in his field and there is no doubting his personal success.     In fact, PUP rhetoric is a script from the Tea party rhetoric against President Obama.  The same Hitler accusations; the same rumors about “taking away the country”; the same talk about Obama’s arrogance. I find the recent posting and allegations to be salacious, tasteless, divisive, racist and inflammatory.  The election is over. PUP has lost! Accept defeat gracefully and move on.  I am turned off with the divisive and disrespectful rhetoric.  Please let us move Belize forward for all Belizeans.   Not a good look PUP…Not a good look!

Allegedly unconfirmed by: Aria Lightfoot

/ Twocanview LLC

I can’t stomach anymore hypocrisy this election season!  Thank God there is less than a week left!     This morning a lady did her Facebook thing and went on a verbal rampage against one of the electoral candidates.  Unfortunately she was not legally sophisticated to understand that personal knowledge is not enough to type or say things about people. If there is no proof in hand,  one may be held liable for libel and slander.  No sooner had she said it, out pops party counsel to advise her that she can be sued for her statement and should remove it forthwith, which she did.  I know you are sitting there thinking…”Whatever!  I see political proponents mudslinging all day. If that was true, they would be sued too”…Beware!  For every lie or misinformation shared with you, it is normally preceded with “unconfirmed” or “allegedly”.  Be careful how you follow these politicians and attorneys my Belizeans.  Don’t be an information mule, because they are exhibiting bad examples of leadership and will set you up to make crazy allegations which you may be potentially liable for.  They also have the legal body of their party backing them up…So unu stop di repeat and re-post things whe unu can’t prove!   The trolls are on Facebook!  I found the entire incident quite hypocritical as another prominent attorney from the same party is all over Facebook tagging people into some salacious gossip preceded by the words “unconfirmed”.   Hold it together my Belizeans…don’t be pawns to this game cause as I have said before, this game bigga than you or me!