Memorial Day in South Beach

Memorial Day in South Beach

I am NOT sticking up for anyone, but I hate injustices!

At the age of 16 I was pulled out of my ’62 Chevy Impala through the driver side window while still wearing my seat belt, the “officer” first punched me on the side of the head and then grabbed me by the neck and just yanked me out of my car, slammed me against the pavement, dropped on my lower back on his knee and handcuffed me, after I was handcuffed he kicked me in the ribs twice and all the while I had no idea why this was happening to me. As he told me a few minutes later after searching my car from end to end and not finding anything illegal, the reason he stopped me is because I was playing the radio too loudly. Now, let me tell you that my car radio was an AM only radio that came from factory, only one speaker was connected to the radio and it was in the dashboard, this speaker was cracked so if you raised the volume you just couldn’t hear the music, and besides that, my antenna had been torn off two days or so before this incident. This L.A.P.D. officer gave me a ticket for making an unsafe left turn and gave me a written warning of resisting arrest.

What could I do? It was my word against his. I had no parents to stick up for me, in a foreign country, speaking very little English and not knowing the law. Yes they abused me many times so I know firsthand what I am talking about, I don’t need anyone to tell me what the police in the big cities in this country does.

              Police officers in this country which is where I happen to live, are for the most part bullies, and therefor cowards. What I just related to you in the above paragraph is just one occasion I was unjustly stopped by the L.A.P.D. and abused, if I am not mistaken that was the sixth time and surely not the last time.

              The last 10 or more years during the Memorial Day weekend there is THE 12TH ANNUAL URBAN BEACH WEEK here in Miami Beach, Fl. I don’t know and don’t care who the organizers of these event are, but what are they thinking? Are these people stupid or what? Miami police is a proven known racist police department, hardly a week goes by that a black person doesn’t get shot, many are harassed and some are beaten as I was when I was a teen. By the way, I am not black, I am a white Cuban and as a “Hispanic” (none existent terminology for there is no Hispania) I encountered the wrath of racism in Los Angeles, Ca. and it was worse when it was “Hispanic” officers, just like here it’s worse for the blacks if it is a black officer; seems that they constantly want to prove to their white counterpart that they are tough on their own.

              Now, about the “BLACK” celebrations here: To the organizers of these events I want to say that you must look past the profits and look out for the welfare of the people attending these events, unless you see this as an opportunity to get rid of some more blacks. I know that City officials of Miami Beach assure you, the organizers that their officers are not racist, and that may be true in part, for things have come a long way since I moved here in 1994, but even if that is the case, whenever there is a celebration here in Miami Beach, they hire out from Miami police in order to have enough police presence and keep the crowds in check (drunks mostly).

              I wonder how many officers from Miami were involved in this last shooting in Miami Beach. As I watched the news report this morning I could not believe what I was watching, a car that had come to a complete stop and obviously had been placed in park was suddenly fired up on without regard to the bystanders on the street surrounding the area. Of course that at least one bystander was hit by “officers” bullets, thank God no one died as a result of the irresponsible act of these policemen. If you watch the video you will see that not only did they open fire on the car at close range once, but they did it and kept doing it. The news broadcast didn’t bother to say what happened to the occupants of the vehicle, how many occupants there were or anything else in regard to the ones being shot at; but they did make mention that the police were overwhelmed and found themselves forced to shoot. Well, the news stations here are terrified of the Miami police department and are very careful as to what they report when it comes to police behavior for they will pay the consequences in one way or another, but from what I saw in the privately recorded video of the events in this early morning shooting by the police, there was no need to endanger the life of innocent bystanders by shooting up this car, and the lack of information that has followed, it would not surprise me if they were shooting at the wrong vehicle, for as I understood it, there had been a drive-by shooting a couple of minutes before this incident and that is what the police responded to.

              I know that most of the violent crimes in South Florida are committed by Blacks and followed by Hispanics, but the killing by the police has to come to an end. Sure we are glad when a known killer is killed himself, but, how many others are also killed in the process of eliminating crime in our streets? Where does it stop?

              We as a society have to take steps to protect the innocent, and as I have said many times in the past, when it comes to police officers we have to screen every person that we are going to entrust with a firearm and give him/her the permission to use that firearm. Training must include psychological training under stressful situations, not gang tactics which is what is being used currently, and screening of candidates cannot be strictly if they have a criminal record and if they have good standing credit, because much more is involved in the protection of citizens and the control of criminals. The aptitude of a person must be evaluated for lack of self-steam, prejudice, bravery, fear, respect and human evaluation as character reading abilities. We fall short when it comes to who we pay to protect us and many innocent people can attest to that fact.

              When you hear that a police man got shot, don’t just say that the guy is a cop killer, because if he is a black man in south Florida and he knows that the police is looking for him, then he honestly believes that he will be shot on site if the “man” catches up with him. The police in South Florida are not held accountable for any shooting, because the law says that they are allowed to shoot anyone if they feel threatened, so all they have to claim and they always do is that the felt threatened.

              I am not afraid because I have very little to lose, so I dare to write these things, but I know for a fact that I could suffer an “accident” or who knows what fate the future/police will have in store for me.

              Or now, I have this warning: IF YOU ARE BLACK AND DON’T LIVE IN SOUTH FLORIDA, STAY AWAY FROM HERE OR RISK GETTING JUSTIFIABLY SHOT AND IF YOU DO LIVE HERE, DO AS YOU ARE TOLD BY THE POLICE AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE WITNESSES FOR YOUR OWN PROTECTION.

Jorge

Letter to Oprah

Letter to Oprah

To begin by congratulating the most successful woman on TV and maybe even the planet may sound corny, but honest congratulations are in order; you have done more for more people in this world than anyone else before or since.

As I seat this morning in my living room watching the news, I hear that your last show is today and I wonder what the future will bring to your notoriety; will you retain your growth as a human being, or will you become one of the honchos sitting behind a desk dishing out instructions and decisions? I am sure that regardless of what it is you decide to do, you will be financially successful at it, because you were born for a purpose and with the gift of triumph. Still, I want to ask you if you really know what your purpose is with certainty.  I also wonder if you have considered what will be of the millions of people that have faithfully watched you through the years that now can’t afford to see you any more due to the high cable charges and their personal economic crisis. I am sure you have given every single aspect of this change in your life plenty of thought, and after evaluating the do’s and don’ts, you have made the most profitable decision possible without working yourself sick or to death.

When is enough money/power enough? And when it’s never enough; what do you accomplish or what good use can you give all this money/power? As I am sure you know, you have unique opportunities to help people and get others to stand with you in assisting with helping out. Don’t stop reading, I am not asking for anything! As I was saying, you have the ability to do what no one else can do, not the President of the U.S., not the richest man in the world (‘cause they are not inclined to), not even any religion, but you can get all these entities to come together and make a difference in improving the life of millions all over the world. Think big, think enormous! No it is not a huge task; a huge task would be growing up black and poor in this; a racist country and still becoming the most powerful woman in the world.

Here are a couple of suggestions from someone that didn’t even graduate from high school: First, find a way to film a show once weekly for those of us that can’t afford cable, and syndicate it as you did with the regular show. And number two and this one is much more complicated, hire on a strictly commission based according to performance and results, a team of “idea men/women” to fix the economic situation not just in this country, but around the world, by creating industry, improving living conditions, creating affordable housing, growing their own food. The sky is the limit when you have the will to help others and if the ones doing the work get paid only if they accomplish the goals set for them. Don’t get fooled by wise guys that charge a lot for their experience and at the end are a disappointment, like 99.9% of the executives in all facets of industry including sports.

Think about it Oprah, you could get all these people that you know that have the financial means and all the ones that want to have their names associated with your name involved in participating in the improvement of human life throughout the planet. When you go to bed tonight, give this matter some thought and dare to dream, dreaming is free as the air we breathe.

Maybe you will never read this letter, and then again maybe you will, but if it gets to your eyes, whether is this week or ten years from now, I want you to realize that you have the inclination to help and helping one or helping many is the same task with the exception that to help many you must dare to become the change every one everywhere craves. The improvements of human condition by helping others help themselves in a positive and lasting manner.

Thank you for 25 years of worth watching television!

Just another fan

Jorge Rodriguez

Rock Bottom

Rock Bottom

              So, how do you know when you hit rock bottom? Most people will tell you that rock bottom is when it can’t get any worse. But think about; it can always get worse. You can be homeless, no job, no food, no family or the ones you have don’t want to know about you, you can even sick, and you still haven’t hit rock bottom; you are still breathing…

              In some countries I would be considered a rich man: I live in a one bedroom apartment by the beach, I have gold jewelry, I have food to eat and nice clothes to wear, I have transportation and I have family. That’s right, for some people I am blessed.

              Of course, there are those, myself included, that recognize that in this country that is far from being rich, or even middle class, in fact, I am considered poor, dirt poor: Unemployed, unpaid debts, no car, no prospects, family far away, not receiving any government help, no health insurance and with ailments, and with eviction probability within the next ninety days.

              Rock bottom? No, not there yet, but I’m getting there. Yes slowly but surely I am approaching the line of no return, and it’s not ‘cause it would be irreversible, but it’s the fact that as you get older you begin to realize that all the mistakes of your youth catch up to you at the time when you are out of time. There is no fixing certain things and becoming a burden to others is way beyond my convictions. Then again, there is always the Lottery, for the last thing a human being loses is HOPE, and other than a miracle, which is what winning the Lottery would be, there is no future worth considering.

              When I was young, I overheard a conversation about a man that couldn’t get an erection with anyone because according to him, he was too old and sick. As I was listening, I thought to myself: “who would want to live life without sex? If that ever happens to me, I will shoot myself and get it over with.” I guess those are the priorities when a man is young. Then life happens and you realize that even when you can get an erection, you may not want to have sex in a month, for that is not so important any more. Priorities change…

              As a person gets older and the years are not so enjoyable to reminisce up on, you realize that the important things are the ones you can’t redo, the opportunities you missed with the ones you love, the friends you left behind, the times you wasted and didn’t stop to smell the roses. Then the whole outlook changes and it’s almost as if your mind experiences a metamorphosis of sort forcing the evaluation of life and brings up that most important question: “What is my purpose in life?”  For there has to be a reason why we were born and live a life, love, work, and go through all those things that most if not all go through.

              Maybe I am being selfish thinking that it’s all about me, but there has to be more; no wonder people believe in heaven as an outlet, or in reincarnation as a chance to fix their mistakes, there has to be something to look forward to in order to make us want to stick it out.

              It has always bothered me that old people in this country will spend their life savings living the last few months of life they have left in a hospital with no hope of ever getting not just better, but having any kind of a quality life to look forward to. And I don’t want to get into the doctors that attend to these people, draining their bank accounts with no regard to human dignity. Maybe I am more selfish than the next guy, but when the situation is hopeless, terminate it. If you are the one without hope, end it, and if you are the family member responsible for that soul laying there without hope, show them love and put an end to their existence. Let them go.

              For some reason and it may be because I grew up here, I put a lot of weight in financial situations, but the reality is that without money in this country you are nothing, nada. In other parts of the world if you find yourself in a bad economic situation you have your family and or your friend to fall back on and even help you in your recovery. Not so much here, and to prove my point, just look at the financial catastrophe the banks placed this country in, causing many people to move in with their parents or siblings, and after a while even though their financial situation was not recovered, a large portion of these renewed families were asking for their privacy back, in other words: MOVE OUT!

              So, in conclusion to this crazy blog, if I don’t hit the Lottery, I should be hitting rock bottom before the end of summer. If that is the case, I have a couple of words to the readers: Don’t screw up your future by screwing up in the present and find what is really important to you in your life and savor it. Build a strong tomorrow for you and your family, with rock solid foundation so it never crumbles and be true to yourself, for if not to you: to whom?

Jorge

PS: Feel sorry for the child that has to endure pain and suffering and do your part to improve their life. Never take pity for those who created their own hell.

The End of the World

The End of the World

I figured I better get this in before the end of the world today at six PM.

If the world ends today, I am sorry that I don’t have enough money to enjoy my last hours alive.

If the world ends today, I will regret not having made love to the many women I desire.

If the world ends today, I will not be around tomorrow to actually miss anything.

If the world ends today, I feel bad that my grandkids and all the children in this world didn’t get to enjoy and experience all that life can be.

If the world ends today, there will be no one to read this tomorrow.

So, today I will sit by the sea and take in all of the nature surrounding me as I celebrate the little time I got to share this life, the great moments, and the ability to feel love and joy.

But, if the world doesn’t end today, I will be here tomorrow probably wishing the world had ended Yesterday!

Hahaha

Jorge