Am I white, brown or what?

I know where I come from

Shortly after my graduation from college I worked briefly for an electronics firm in Dallas, Texas as advertising coordinator. My job was to design and produce advertising and placing it in publications. I had one very large project which required a presentation and I worked on it for weeks.

Finally the day came and I was prepared. I had charts and figures. I had facts and samples of the ads. If you were to ask me now what it was about I couldn’t tell you because of the incident that followed overshadowed all memories of this project.

I was articulate and very convincing. I finished the presentation and all around the conference table were sitting all the heavy hitters for our company. Applause followed my ending and then it happened: The sales manager, a forty something man who was portly and arrogant said to me: “You know railool, (he couldn’t pronounce Raul) you are beginning to think more like a white man everyday”.

I looked at the CEO and I see him sinking in his chair and his hand was now covering his eyes as if to hide the terrible shame. I suppose he was thinking “DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT”. I was still standing so I inched towards the edge of the table, placed both hands on it and got a hold of myself. I took a deep breath, looked down then raised my proud forehead, looking straight at Austin the sales manager and said: “You know Austin, you are probably right, but at least I know where my grandparents came from AND I AM WHITER THAN YOU WILL EVER HOPE TO BE AND I DON’T THINK YOU ARE INFERIOR FOR THAT”

I looked at him and he went from flushed red face to a blue then to a charcoal. The man changed colors right in front of our very eyes just like a chameleon. I realized right then and there that I was not going to go anywhere in that company and started to look for another job. I have dozens of incidents that are similar during all my working years.

Shortly after that incident I agonized over whether I should become an American Citizen. I finally made up my mind and thought that I should not let some bigot like him make up my mind for me, that I should consider the millions of other kind and accepting folks that compose this great land of ours. Now I am proud to be an American. I am still a Cuban by birth and will never be able to change that nor do I want to. I retain some of the best from my culture and have embraced some of the best that America has to offer but have made it my quest to fight bigotry and discrimination because there are many people like Austin still there. There are just far too many Tom Tancredos in America.

No profanity in California

The state Assembly passed a resolution Thursday that would establish the first week of March as "Cuss Free Week" throughout the state. If approved by the Senate next week, the measure would take effect immediately.

The resolution includes no enforcement mechanism and is simply meant to promote greater harmony and connectedness, said Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, a Democrat from La Cañada.

Now it does not have an enforcement mechanism but just you wait. Next thing you know we are going to get fined if we interject a “FUCK” or a “SHIT” in our everyday speech. This is one more example of how far government can interfere with the rights of the individuals to free speech while ignoring the more serious issues like health care.

Government is hell bent on passing laws that moralize, stigmatize and pass judgement according to what the prevailing majority deems to be the norm. It is particularly disturbing when it comes to the intrusion by government into our bedrooms.

When it comes to profanity; I have always said that “profanity is the salt and pepper of an otherwise bland and unsavory language; it is what makes the language stew tasty.” So I say: FUCK YOU, SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU GOODIE GODDIE TWO SHOES”