CUBES

By Dr. Henry W. Anderson

CUBES is set in the work-Cube of a call center and is a serious discourse, sometimes light, sometimes funny, otherwise sad and worrisome, also stimulating and provoking, on issues of importance and relevance in today's United States of America. CUBES delves into the plight of the Indigenous Peoples of America, the suppression by Corporate-USA and the Rich, Democratic Socialism, the state of Mental Health treatment, the high cost of Medical Care, the Pandemic, the Abuse of Freedom and the Constitution, Slavery, the Deterioration of Society, Immigration and the role of the USA in its origin, the Wars of Central America, the Revolution in Cuba, Politics, Unionism, the role of Advertising in wasteful spending, many other topics, even Poetry and a Prince, all set within the framework of the CUBE, the workplace prison. It is a book that will make you reevaluate your life and the role you play in these United States of America.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jul 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9789769619647

Book preview

Application Description automatically generated with low confidence

Set in the work-cube of a Call Center, CUBES is a serious discourse, sometimes light, sometimes funny, otherwise sad and worrisome, also stimulating and provoking, on issues of importance and relevance to the Peoples of today’s United States of America.

Published by:

Jabiru Books Belize LLC

Website: http://jabirubooksbelize.com

First Published 2021.

Copyright © 2021 Henry W. Anderson MBBS, Stephanie D. Anderson, and Jabiru Books Belize LLC.

Covers, Print Layout, Formatting, and Typesetting: Stephanie D. Anderson and Dr. Henry W. Anderson, Jabiru Books Belize.

Printed Book and E-book conversion by BookBaby, U.S.A.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers and/or storyteller.

This is a work of fiction, but there are references to certain incidents and personalities that form part of the storyline. Some names are authentic and are used to acknowledge the persons and places named. Otherwise, names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the storyteller’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. Most of the information presented by the characters is generally available on the internet. Its accuracy has not been otherwise substantiated.

Printed Book ISBN: 978-976-96196-3-0

EAN: 9789769619630

E-Book ISBN: 978-976-96196-4-7

EAN: 9789769619647

CONTENTS

Words about the Storyteller

The American Dream by Vinnie Rose

Legend

Foreword

Dedication

THE FIRST VISITOR - Tahatan, the Lakota. The First Historian.

THE SECOND VISITOR: Benjamin - Customer Service Representative Hopeful - USA born.

THE THIRD VISITOR: Eratosthenes, the Greek - The Geographer.

THE FOURTH VISITOR: Indira, the Indian – An Aspiring Politician.

THE FIFTH VISITOR: John, the Englishman - The Poet.

THE SIXTH VISITOR: Emelia, the German - The Psychiatrist.

REMEMBERING GOREE ISLAND - Poem by F. Daniel Brackett, the Belizean.

THE SEVENTH VISITOR: Igo, the Nigerian - The Second Historian.

THE EIGHT VISITOR: Leonetto, the Frenchman, originally from Italy - The Advertiser.

THE NINETH VISITOR: Simón, the Venezuelan - The Freedom Fighter.

THE TENTH VISITOR: D’Andre Miguel, the Jamaican - The Reggae-Man.

THE ELEVENTH VISITOR: Kevin-Frank, The Posterman - USA born.

THE TWELFTH VISITOR: Nala-Arlene, The Unionist - USA born.

THE END OF THE SHIFT FOR ALFRED BEJAMIN CUBUS.

Note: The nationalities indicate countries of origin. The Visitors are USA citizens or legal residents.

Words about the Storyteller

Chargé d’affaires. Embassy of Belize, Guatemala City.

Dr. Henry W. Anderson was born in Dangriga, Belize. He received his medical degree from the University of the West Indies, Jamaica.

After medical internship in Nassau, The Bahamas, he returned home to practice where he had his Private-Practice Clinic for over twenty years. He was also posted as District Medical Officer for the Stann Creek District. He has served Belize in other ways. He was a soldier in the British Honduras Volunteer Guards. In politics, he contested both municipal and general elections. As a diplomat, he was stationed in Washington D.C. and in Guatemala City. He has been nominated to several Boards and is a Justice of the Peace.

Ten of Dr. Anderson’s works have been published and are available as printed books, print-on-demand books, and e-books. For more information, please go to http://jabirubooksbelize.com.

The late Ambassador Edward A. Laing wrote: Mastery over form and catholic technique are staples in this poet’s work, which is very accessible. Belizean writer Emory King contributed: Your poems indicate a depth of thought and a way with words that is rare in this age of sound-bytes and digest opinions. The Reporter Press stated: Every now and then, a Belizean writer produces a cerebral work that is so intellectually stimulating that it leaves one staring beyond the book and into space. Minister of Education, C. B. Hyde wrote on Ode to the One-Eyed Lady: I have come to the conclusion that this is a great book, not because it is enjoyable and easy to read, although it is, but it is, perhaps, the best book ever written on the subject with which it deals.

Dr. Anderson was the first medical student to be awarded the ‘Use of English Prize’ at the University of the West Indies.

Dr. Anderson is married to Stephanie, née Gegg-Grange. They have four children, fourteen grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Presently, they reside in Minnesota, U.S.A.

Books by Dr. Henry W. Anderson

The Son Of Kinich - Illustrated Poetical Works.

The Eddy: A collection of short stories.

Ode to the One-Eyed Lady: A novel about a hurricane moving over Belize.

Ode to the One-Eyed Lady - Youth Edition: A novel about a hurricane moving over Belize, written from an adolescent’s perspective.

Sisimito I - Ox Witz Ha: First novel of the Sisimito Series, Second Edition. The First Edition is titled Sisimito, but is no longer in print.

Sisimito II - Xibalba: Second novel of the Sisimito Series.

Sisimito III - Topoxte: Third novel of the Sisimito Series.

Sisimito IV – The Realms of Oxlahuntikú and Bolontikú: Fourth novel of the Sisimito Series.

Christ Son of Man - The Voyage to Araboth II: A Science Fiction/Religious novel.

Cubes – A novel based on issued the peoples of the USA face today.

For information on where these books are available–includes E-books and Print-on-Demand–please go to our website: http://jabirubooksbelize.com.

Happy

I’ve got a wife,

2.5 kids,

a big fancy car,

work a 9 to 5 shift;

I’m living the American dream,

but I’m not happy at all.

I drink $5 coffee,

with a side of biscotti,

I dress real trendy,

and my wife is hottie,

got everything a man could need,

but I’m not happy at all.

We’ve been sold on a dream that isn’t real

Were told consume and

buy everything to make us feel,

good renting a lifestyle that we cannot afford,

just to be cool;

But I’m not happy at all.

I drink lots of bottled water,

and I eat organic food,

got a membership to the gym,

but it doesn’t get used

I just bought a boat!

Maybe that will make me happy.

I got the latest smart phone

and all the technical gadgets,

the new game console,

and a flat screen to match it;

My credit cards are all maxed out;

shouldn’t be happy?

We’ve been sold on a dream that isn’t real,

billboards and advertisements

telling us you’ve got to consume and buy stuff,

And the too bigs too fail are making all the cash,

while the rest of us are being screwed;

but I’m not happy at all,

but I’m not happy at all

Now I hate my job,

my marriage is a wreck,

kids don’t like me,

my cars repossessed.

And I’m stuck with all this debt;

but I’m living the American dream,

but I’m living the American dream.

LEGEND

Brayers are the people who make up the Common Herd. Bray refers to the loud, harsh cry of the donkey.

Common Herd is a term used in Cubes in reference to people who decide that they know what is the best for everyone.

Cubeite is the term used for one who works in the confines of a Cube.

Equus asinus asinus is the scientific name for the domestic jackass. In Cubes, it refers to someone who may be regarded as such.

Harkonnens: These are members of House Harkonnen, the fictional noble family in

the Dune series of novels and films. In Cubes, the term refers to the Rich families who own Corporate-USA.

Irrumabo is the Latin word approved by the Call Center for the four-letter cuss word ‘F**k.’

Middle-USA refers to the middle-class peoples of the USA.

Quadratum Publicae is Latin for Public Square. In Cubes, it is the place in the village, town, or city where offenders are taken. They are stripped naked, whipped, then put in stocks so that passersby can stone them with rotten fruit like apples and tomatoes.

Stercore is the Latin word approved by the Call Center for the four-letter cuss word ‘S**t.’

Stop the flow refers to stopping the drinking of champagne by the Rich at the bow of their yachts. Generally, the flow also refers to the social and financial injustices practiced by Corporate-USA and the Rich upon lower income brackets of society.

Suffocans abyssum irent is the Latin phrase used in reference to the HOLE, the Suffocating Abyss that the people of Middle-USA have allowed to be built around them by Corporate-USA and the Rich.

Visitor: This refers to a Caller into the Call Centre, ‘All in One Conversation Service.’

FOREWORD

Fayemarie Anderson-Carter, MA

Originally, when asked by my father to write a foreword, we thought that it would be an overview of the psychological profile of the typical relationship between the United States of America and its workforce. This evolved as it hardly seemed possible to condense the complexities of this relationship into a mere few paragraphs. Instead, I find myself writing this on the day of the inauguration of the forty-sixth president of the United States of America, Joseph R. Biden. That wasn’t by design nor is it a political statement; however, it seems rather serendipitous. Had I written this a few weeks ago, when my father had expected it, would it have had a different tone? Would it have been more cynical? Perhaps.

The last four years have made us witnesses to so much, but more than anything, it forced us to see the flesh and blood of this country, revealing the virus eating it from the inside. This revelation was not surprising to many, but the relentless nature of its unveiling proved devastating to our spirits, our beliefs, and what was a sacrosanct image of ourselves. The world watched aghast as we were denuded, made to confront the hypocrisy woven into every stitch making up the tapestry that is the culture of the United States of America.

We have never had to consider that we were our own enemy. We have enjoyed the rank of superpower, proclaimed the beacon of hope and democracy for the rest of the world. We brag that we are the place where dreams are born and where they come true. If you can think it and work hard enough, anything can be achieved, anyone can be president except, in one ironic twist, that came true and didn’t come true at the same time, when Donald J. Trump became our forty-fifth president and Hillary R. Clinton didn’t. Hearts were broken as the glass ceiling, once again, wasn’t. Pink hats were donned in stark opposition to confederate flags raised by armed white supremacists. Then, to further drive the wedge, a pandemic, that should have brought us together, was weaponized and we watched as hundreds of thousands died and continue to die.

This novel, Cubes, speaks to the realities faced by the average American just trying to make a dollar out of fifteen cents. As early as pages sixteen and seventeen, Cubes captures the contradicting and self-defeating values stymying the realization of America for Americans. The commentary on the last generation versus new generation is personified in the conversation between the interviewer and the prospective employee. This begs the question, do we do what we have always done or do we eschew useless dehumanizing policies and practices, embrace the ideology we have proffered but miserably failed to actualize and so become, once and for all, the United States of America, of the people, by the people, for the people?

CUBES

In the Days of a Pandemic.

An

Exhortation

to

Middle-USA.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Charles Dickens – A Tale of Two Cities.

INAUGURATION DAY

Wednesday, January 20, 2021.

Moon Phase: First Quarter, the end of the Waxing Crescent and the beginning of the Waxing Gibbous. There will be a feeling of uncertainty which can make one solve problems faster than is natural. One should not rush as if there were a deadline, but try to slow down so that one can decide what one wants to do and proceed at one’s own comfortable pace. However, the Moon appears as though it has been cut into half signifying that action is ready to be taken.

Alfred Bejamin Cubus’ Shift.

8:00 AM Central Standard Time.

9:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

7:00 AM Mountain Standard Time

6:00 AM Pacific Standard Time

5:00 AM Alaska Time Zone

3:00 AM Hawaii Time Zone

1:00 PM Greenwich Mean Time

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

Please note that the conversations of the Visitor (Caller)are in quotation marks. The conversations of Alfred Bejamin Cubus, Customer Service Representative, are not.

THE FIRST VISITOR

TAHATAN, the Lakota. A Historian.

Ring–Ring! Ring–Ring!

Good day and welcome to ‘All In One Conversation Service’ for professionals, non-professionals, people who just want to talk or pass the time, everyday people, for everyone.

We listen,

We discuss,

We talk,

We don’t cuss;

We may give an opinion

As we listen to yours,

We don’t call names

And no one swears;

Nothing derogatory

Do we deliberate,

Religious or Racist,

Political or Sexist;

So, let’s begin

Have some fun,

Learn a thing or two,

Before we’re done.

This is Alfred Bejamin Cubus. How …

Bejamin?

Yes. Bejamin. It means ‘courageous.’

Interesting choice of spelling. Some poem you recited there. Sounds as if we won’t have much to discuss.

I’m sure we’ll find some good topics. How can I help?

Cubus? Is that your work surname?

It’s Latin and it is my work surname. I preferred it to Triplicata.

"I’m afraid I don’t know what triplicata means; neither Cubus, as a matter of fact."

They mean the same thing.

And?

What?

What do the words mean? My goodness! This is like taking out a hook that’s stuck in a fish’s gills.

They’re Latin for ‘Cube.’

Hmmm. Did you choose that name?

Yes. It is my work name; I chose it. It represents where I work.

Hmmm. Well, I don’t know why you would have chosen such a name as it reminds you where you work, but I better leave that alone, at least for now. It won’t have much relevance to what I want to talk about.

Good, but before I can help you, there are a few things I am required to state? Can I go ahead?

Do I have a choice? Can’t we just omit it. I’ve called before and know exactly what you’re going to say.

I’m afraid, I must.

Protocol, supposedly some legal requirement. Afraid of the usual threatening lawsuit?

It is a prerequisite. The company …"

Okay. Just go ahead. I’ll sit and wait. At least, you’re a live person and not some machine regurgitating information that’s absolutely useless to me, often telling me of some upgrade that will make things easier, that we will love, when all it does is make things worse; and there’s always some excuse or the other when the worse happens. Just go ahead, Alfred Bejamin Cubus.

Thank you. We do not allow cuss words, but at the same time, we recognize that some of our visitors may be under undue stress so we try to accommodate them with some kind of cussing. If you feel the need to say the four-letter ‘F’ word …

I don’t usually cuss, so please let’s get ahead with what I want to discuss.

Sir, it is a requirement that I must inform you of everything I’m supposed to. I must follow the established protocol.

I did not see any reason why I would want to cuss, until now that is, but I will assure you that I will try my best not to cuss. That should be enough for your protocol.

"For any modification of protocol, I will have to check with my Supervisor. Could you hold a moment?

Holy ĺŋyaŋ! Are you for real?

Please hold.

(Pause.)

Thank you so much for holding.

Holding what? How do you know I’m holding anything, but, if I were, would you like to know what I’m holding?

I’m, I’mjust …

"Hold on, Alfred. Hold on. I’m, I’mjust … teasing you, Alfred Bejamin Cubus. That’s allowed, isn’t it?"

Yes, to a certain degree. May I ask who is ĺŋyaŋ?

He is the primordial creator Spirit of the Lakota. I am Lakota.

Thank you. And, again, thank you for holding.

Talk about ‘holding.’ In this pandemic, ‘prolonged holding’ is more like it, a way of life. Have you tried to call any business lately? Getting through the prompts is often long enough, but I suppose they now have an excuse to keep you on ‘hold’ longer.

How did we do?

If I were a drinker, I’d probably finished a case of beer, but I don’t drink. I read a book.

Hahaha! That’s a good one. I’ll continue. My Supervisor says we’ll make an exception and I don’t have to go into the details of our ‘cussing’ protocol … this time, since you’ve stated that you called before. I must also mention, however, that we refrain, as much as possible, from mentioning the names of persons and businesses as it may be regarded, among other things, as advertising. We may now proceed. How can I help you? And so that you know, I’m always ready to go the extra mile.

"Amen!"

How, howcan I help you and with whom am I speaking?

This is Tahatan.

And what can I do for you, Tahatan? What would you like to talk about today?

You pronounced my name properly, exactly as I said it. Thank you. The names of my people are very important to us as they contain meaning, they define who we are, encompassing what and who each of us is. The essence of a name is at the very heart of one’s existence. Your name is utterly powerful and significant as it represents you in everything you do. Very often, people pronounce a name as they wish. Some even go further and tell you how it should be pronounced. Of course, many don’t even care whether a name is pronounced rightly or not, especially if one is from a different race or comes from another country.

It seems that you suffer some discontent. I do hope, however, that today’s visit will be a pleasant one. Some days, there is substantial disgruntlement. It is good to have a happy visit, but, sometimes, unfortunately, it can be that every Visitor, one after the other, have problems that put them in a foul mood. That makes me feel that I’m not helping, that there’s nothing good happening out there. Let’s make this visit happy. It will be good for both of us.

Disgruntlement is too trifling a word, Alfred, to express my state of mind.

I was not referring specifically to you, Tahatan. But what can we talk about? Any topic you wish, in any order you wish.

To tell you the truth, Alfred, I’m tired of all the talking, but I thought speaking with someone I didn’t know and who would just listen, without interruption, hopefully, would be good, even if you, probably, would not care about what I said anyway.

I, most likely, will care.

So your protocol dictates, Alfred, even though you don’t have an inkling about what I’ll be talking about. There is always a lot of talking; perhaps, the time for talking is over and the time for action has come.

Well, action is a good thing depending on what type of action it is. There can be positive action and there can be negative action.

That’s too general a statement to express anything worthwhile and workable. Positivity and negativity depend on the interpretation of the doer and the receiver. Even the standard definitions do not define the words accurately. There are wide areas left open for individual interpretation and with respect to ‘positivity’, the word ‘positive’ is often used in the definition itself. That is not good. That is like asking someone, ‘Who are you? and the persons answers, ‘I am who I am’. That doesn’t help much, does it?

Ehyeh asher ehyeh, Hebrew for ‘I am Who I am’. Exodus 3:14. I suppose it doesn’t help unless you’re talking about God and our protocol does not allow us to discuss religion or things of religious significance.

Well, we’re not discussing God and who God is varies from culture to culture. Anyway, usually, I must agree that one does get the trend of a discussion when the words positive and negative are used. With respect to action, however, there are four kinds, physical, social, mental, and emotional and these can be used to do good or to do harm. Of course, we often use the word ‘action’ only to mean physical action, as of legs, arms, torso, and other things like sexual activities.

Ahem!

Throughout history, however, it is seen that although physical action is important in building, as well as destroying I must add, as we have recently seen, unless such action is controlled by social, mental, and emotional principles that ensures the wellbeing of Man, the future of Man is placed in certain jeopardy.

Quite a statement.

Well, we’re having a discussion, aren’t we? If, however, the level of discourse is too much for you, let me know and I will adjust to your level, difficult as it may be for me.

That won’t be necessary, I assure you. So, Tahatan, you said that disgruntlement is too trifling a word to express your state of mind. What is your state of mind and, before answering that, could you tell me the meaning of your name? It sounds Indian."

"Indian? You refer to my name as being Indian. Using that word for the Indigenous People of the Americans is derogatory. I am Lakota."

I do sincerely apologize. I meant no disrespect.

"Accepted, Alfred, but the disrespect did begin a long time ago. What is troubling is that it persists. My people have been called many things, even Savages. I suppose what immediately brought that word to the Invaders lips was that on first seeing us we were dressed in breechcloths which, incidentally, was the sensible way to dress. Immediately, they compared our culture to theirs and made a decision about us based on their, theirdefinition of what is acceptable or not, what is moral or not, how one should dress. There are only two purposes clothes serve. The first is protection, the second is decoration; otherwise, we do not need clothes; and wearing breechcloths or suits, clothes in general, has nothing to do with morality, regardless what some may think. Generally, morality is defined as principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior. Wearing breechcloths has nothing to do with right or wrong, good or bad. The first Invaders certainly didn’t consider morality when they were committing genocide against my people."

I’m sorry that I provoked you in any way. I must mention, however, that talking about morality may lead us to religion and God. We try to stay away from those topics.

So you refer to God as a topic?

I, Idid …

"It’s okay, Alfred. I do not specifically want to talk about God, but if He or She gets in the way during our discourse, It is what it is–current popular phraseology. I just want to talk, get some things off my chest. Is that okay with your protocols?"

Generally, yes. We will proceed. What would you like to talk about?

History. The truth, that is.

Good. Please, go ahead.

I hope you’ll contribute, not overpoweringly, of course.

As much as you wish.

"Good. I will begin with my people’s history which, as often presented, does not always state that the North American Invaders’ warfare against my people were often horrifyingly brutal. It was. Can you imagine the gifting of blankets and linens contaminated with smallpox, a disease that inflicts disfiguring scars, blindness and death? Even though crude, this was probably one of the first forms of biological warfare. Then there was alcohol, something my people were not used to. It’s effects on my people still provides amusement in many Western movies. As far as I can grasp it, this was one of the first forms of chemical warfare. When I see one of my people drunk today, sitting or lying on a sidewalk, I feel as if my chest is being torn apart. There is pain, not the satisfying pain from the grueling but Sacred ordeal, the Wiwanke Wachipi, the Sun-Dance, when our young braves danced around a pole for many days, fastened by rawhide thongs pegged through the skin of their chests, offering this physical and spiritual test in sacrifice for the benefit of their people, their tiyospaye, fasting for many days in the open air, enduring whatever weather occurred. When I see one of my people drunk today, I am made very sad and very angry. That is what causes the pain."

I’m sorry that this has come about, Tahatan. What is the tiyospaye?

"In the Lakota culture, the word tiyospaye encompasses the conviction that family is not only made up of immediate blood relatives, but also extends to all those within their clan; all of us could learn from that principle. And, Alfred, just to remind you, I am Lakota. Please do not refer to me as an Indian, ever again. I am not. My people are not. Do you know where that term Indian comes from?"

Sort of, Tahatan. I suppose, however, I just use it like everybody else.

"Like everybody else. The demonym Indian today applies to nationals of the Republic of India, but it is not new. Many European languages, since Greek and Roman times, used variations of the term ‘Indian’ to describe the peoples of the Indian subcontinent, more than a millennium before the voyages of Columbus even set sail."

Oh! Goodness. Interesting. I always thought it was Columbus who named the native peoples of America ‘Indians.’

"Yes, it was he, but as I told you, the term was not original; it was already in use. When he landed in The Bahamas, on an island called Guanahani by the Indigenous People, but renamed San Salvador by Columbus, he referred to the resident peoples he encountered there as ‘Indians’ reflecting his purported belief that he had reached the Indian Ocean. The name stuck and for centuries the native people of the Americas were collectively called ‘Indians’ in various then current European languages. This misnomer was perpetuated as places were named. Take the islands of the Caribbean, they were named and are still known as the West Indies."

If I remember rightly, it was in 1492 Columbus discovered America.

Some historian you are.

Okay, Tahatan. You do not have to mock me.

I’m not. I’m just playing around. You did say that it’s good to have a happy visit.

Sorry.

"That’s okay. Columbus landed on October 12th. I once read, I won’t categorize the author, that Columbus did not discover America because he never set foot in North America. Poor whatever that author is. Some people want to argue that Columbus didn’t discover America at all. For what purpose? I will give him that accomplishment. America stretches from Northern Canada to Southern Argentina and includes the Caribbean Islands. I tell you, the things a historian like me has to put up with. The Western World knew nothing of America. To the Western World, America was discovered by Columbus and that’s that. Any discussion over it is really silly. What I think is a significant omission when scholars talk about Columbus, for whatever purpose, is that the sailors are rarely mentioned. Those sailors were very brave men, willingly going into the absolute unknown, not knowing if they were going to live or die. Can you imagine what they went through? Many times, we are so busy talking about this and that, pushing our own agenda, good or bad or neither, that we overlook the endurance of the human spirit. Those sailors had that endurance."

Their arrival in the New World established that tenacity. As you said, it’s a pity that their bravery has been overshadowed.

That’s because many of us will not look at the whole; we choose a segment and deal only with that, presenting it as if it were the whole. Much of history is lost, erased, because of that.

I saw a good movie about Columbus. It was called Columbus 1492: The Conquest of Paradise.

"I saw it too. It was okay, a bit too drawn-out for me. And that hurricane scene. My God! Someone obviously didn’t do their research. All that lightning and thunder and, suddenly, crrrack-crash-boom, the Holy Cross is hit and bursts into flames. Too much. Around the same time, Christopher Columbus: The Discovery was released. I didn’t go to see that one as the reviews weren’t very good and I didn’t want to risk another hurricane scene. Did you see that one?"

No, I didn’t. I know a little poem about Columbus.

Oh! A poet, as well. Please, say it.

I’ll ignore your tone, Tahatan. Here goes:

In 1492,

Columbus had nothing to do,

He sat on the grass and scratched his ass,

In 1492.

Well, it’s almost funny even if it isn’t true. Where did you get that from?

Hmmm! I don’t remember.

"I’ll continue if you have no more poetry to offer.

Didn’t you like it?

"Well, it’s not really poetry, is it?

(Pause.)

When he landed in The Bahamas, it may have been one small step for Columbus, but it was one giant leap towards genocide in the Americas. Do you know what happened to the Arawak people? You know who they are … were, don’t you?

(Pause.)

Yes. The Arawak were a group of Indigenous Peoples of South America and of the Caribbean.

You looked it up?

Yes! I can check on things I may not be sure of, on my computer. We have download and upload speeds of 2,000 megabits-per-second. I have to be certain that I know what I’m talking about, at least have a reasonable degree of accuracy.

I suppose you check often. Well, at least, you’re not like a lot of people who talk freely and they know little or nothing about what they’re talking. At any rate, you check. May I go on, unless you want to continue the subject since you have checked?

Please, you go on.

"Specifically, the term Arawak has been applied, at various times, to the Lokono of South America, and the Taíno who historically lived in the Greater Antilles and Northern Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. All these groups spoke related Arawakan languages. With the establishment of La Isabella, a town on the island of Hispaniola, and the discovery of gold deposits on the island, the Spanish Invaders population on Hispaniola started to grow substantially, while disease, and conflict with the Spanish, began to kill tens of thousands of Taíno every year."

I note that you call them ‘invaders’ rather than ‘settlers.’

"Because that’s what they were. One settles in an unpopulated land; one invades a populated land. It was during Columbus’ second voyage in 1493 that the first Spanish town in the Americas, La Isabela, was formed. After his first voyage to and from the New World, Columbus returned to Hispaniola, his second voyage, with seventeen ships. The Invaders built houses, storerooms, a Roman Catholic church, and a large house for Columbus. More than a thousand men came, including sailors, soldiers, carpenters, stonemasons and other workers, priests and Nobles as well. They brought pigs, horses, wheat, sugarcane, and guns; unfortunately, rats and microbes came with them as well."

What about women?

Aha! Women. There are no mention of women or Africans in historical records.

It’s hard to believe that they brought no women.

"The voyages were very difficult. Anyway, they found and took women from among the Indigenous Peoples. The first Mass was celebrated on 6 January, 1494, at which time the town of La Isabela included 200 thatch huts, a plaza, Columbus’ stone house, and an arsenal. The area is now a National Historic Park and shows where Columbus’s large stone house stood.

"There had been a first attempt of a permanent settlement, the Fort of La Navidad, which was established by Columbus a year earlier to the west of La Isabela, but that had been totally destroyed by the native Taíno people when he returned on his second voyage. The Taíno, local natives living in the mountains near La Isabela, lived on fish and staples such as pineapple, which they introduced to the Spaniards. The food that they provided was important to the Spaniards and Columbus said that there were no finer people in the world. But that was quickly forgotten for La Isabela was established to search for precious metals. When little gold was found, Columbus proceeded to enslave the people of the island."

That was unthankful, immoral.

"That was typical of all European explorers and Invaders. La Isabela itself barely survived until 1496 when Columbus decided to abandon it in favor of a new settlement, now Santo Domingo. La Isabela was struck by the first known influenza epidemic to spread from Europe to the New World in 1493. The virus was introduced by the Cristóbal Cólon which docked on 10 December, 1493, carrying about 2,000 Spanish passengers. At that time, also, two of the earliest North Atlantic hurricanes observed by Europeans occurred in 1494 and 1495."

Do you know if they were as big as Katrina? That was really a disaster.

"I do not know. Katrina was a disaster, both a natural one and a governmental one. I’m sure, however, the flow was not interrupted."

The flow?

Oh, don’t worry about that, right now.

Sigh! When I think of Katrina, I think of the 1833 people, or more, that died, and the suffering the living endured after the hurricane. I certainly don’t want to go through one of those.

If you just think about what has happened and not of the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ and fix what went wrong, death and suffering will occur again and again. Katrina was in 2005. Look what happened in Puerto Rico in September 2017 when Maria hit the island. Almost 3000 people died and even at the end of January 2018, approximately 450,000 customers remained without power, island-wide. Have you noticed that reports on hurricanes usually state how many died immediately followed by the cost of the damages? Couldn’t they leave the cost for the last thing in the report? Always money.

Well, the cost is important. It does influence what happens in the aftermath.

Yes, it does, but should it? What needs to be done should be done. It shouldn’t be dependent on money. At least, Puerto Rico had a lot of paper towels after the storm.

Paper towels? You’re pulling my leg. How important could that be?

Oh, very important. You could sop up all the water leaking from your damaged roof, if you still had a roof that is.

You’re making a serious thing a joke.

"Not me, but the one who tossed the paper towels; but let’s get back to the Taíno and, for purposes of our discussion, keep in mind the number of people, 4833, who died in Katrina and Maria, no lack of respect meant to them. The Taíno were completely under enemy control by 1504 after which the Invaders subjugated the remaining Taíno on La Española, Hispaniola as it is now called, to years of suffered enslavement, massacres, and exposure to diseases. The Taíno population of Hispaniola at the point of first European contact is estimated at between several hundred thousand to over a million people, but by 1514 it had dropped to a mere 35,000. By 1509, the Spanish had successfully conquered Puerto Rico and subjugated the approximately 30,000 Taíno living there. By 1530 there were only 1148 Taíno left alive in Puerto Rico. Were the Europeans settlers or Invaders? Tell me."

That was horrific.

Horrific and historically accurate, even though you don’t hear about it.

So, it was the flu that killed many of the Taíno. There’s a lot written about the role of diseases brought from the Old World which caused the near extermination of the Indigenous Peoples. I have read, however, that with respect to syphilis, Columbus was not responsible for bringing the disease and that, in fact, he took it to Europe.

So, Columbus had syphilis. What is your source of that bit of information?

Sigh! I don’t mean Columbus himself, but his sailors. I read that a new examination of the origin of syphilis supports the theory that the sexually transmitted disease was carried to Europe aboard Christopher Columbus’ ships as they sailed home from the New World. The disease was not spread through sexual contact, at the time, but adapted to survive once it got to Europe. It has been around for 500 years and was one of the first global diseases. The research showed that syphilis did not exist in Europe until after Columbus’ historic voyage to the New World in 1492 but it rapidly evolved into the venereal disease it is today. The bacteria mutated into a sexually transmitted form in order to survive in the cooler and more sanitary conditions of Europe. It was an adaptive event.

More sanitary conditions in Europe?

That’s what was said.

You must be joking. The more sanitary conditions of Europe. I agree, if you meant only washing the hands and face in the morning. Only the reasonably well off could actually afford to own a bath of some sort and to supply it with hot water, so most people relied on bath houses, rivers, lakes, hot springs, and so forth. The poor, the peasants, could not afford to pay to go to a bath house and so mainly used washing basins, cleaning themselves with water and a rag. For that group of people, hygiene must have been extremely poor during the winter months. No one wants to freeze their balls or tits off.

Ahem!

"The next step up the social ladder usually drew one bath for the whole family, and they all used the same water. The eldest bathed first then the next oldest and so on. From this practice came the saying, don’t throw the baby out with the water. This bath was usually done once a week. For those who could afford it, it was off to the bath houses particularly after the 11th century when Crusaders returned."

Not until after the eleventh century? Why after the Crusaders returned?

"During the Crusades, the Crusaders had become accustomed to bathing and the excellent hygiene habits of Muslim and Jewish peoples. Of course, we don’t hear about that. It was not until after the Black Death in Europe that public officials created a system of sanitary control to combat contagious diseases and improve sanitation which included the development of pure water supplies, garbage and sewage disposal, and food inspection. These efforts were especially important in the cities where people lived in crowded conditions in a rural manner with many animals around their homes."

Animals around their homes? My goodness! What types?

Farm animals, of course. Animals that would provide some form of sustenance.

Well, I definitely wouldn’t have farm animals around my house.

You wouldn’t, would you, but some others are not too far off.

What do you mean?

Don’t you know that some people have animals other than birds, dogs, and cats? Some airline passengers are actually carrying animals on board planes as their flying companions?

There’re cases when that would be acceptable, as in the case of therapy animals. Some people need their therapy animals with them.

I think that in most, if not the very most, it all comes down to a personal sense of entitlement, extremism, and abuse of Freedom. There’s no concern for others on the flight and what happens during an emergency. Passengers can only take a handbag that can fit under the seat in front of them as nothing is to be a hazard if one has to leave the aircraft quickly. Yet, we can have a donkey running around the aisle because it relieves someone’s stress. How’s that for safety? And the braying? My God.

Really, Tahatan. I don’t think people carry donkeys on a flight. You’re absolutely joking.

I’m not. As can be found in John Heywood’s 1546 book of proverb, ‘Give him an inch and he will take a mile.’ People will do that.

John Heywood’s 1546 book of proverb?

I don’t quote without knowing about what I am quoting. And besides the general safety factors for taking animals on a flight, it is dangerous for the passengers. A flight-attendant has been bitten by an emotional support dog, other people as well. In 2017 a man was attacked; a five-year-old girl was allegedly mauled by a pit-bull. Can you imagine a pit-bull being an emotional support dog? Another child was bitten in 2018. These are the reported incidents. I am sure there are many others. Then they’re the miniature horses and they can be 34 to 38 inches in height. Oh yes. And then the peacocks, squirrels, and the cats. What about allergies the other passengers might have? And what happens when they all start shitting all over the place? Most unsanitary. It’s the personal sense of entitlement. It’s indifference. It breeds from a history of engaging in the abuse of others. Etcetera! Etcetera! Etcetera!

Personal sense of entitlement. That was a mouthful, Tahatan.

At least, I’m not holding it open for the Celebrity fly.

Celebrity fly?

Later. Later. So you see, Alfred, unsanitary conditions due to animals not only existed at the time of the Black Death, it also exists in this day and age, and now it’s not due to necessity. How many times have you seen people walking their dogs and not stop to pick up their shit? If you live in a place where it snows, how many times after the snow melts have you not seen the ground covered with a layer of shit?

Please, Tahatan, The ‘S’ word.

Yes. Tell me, Alfred, is saying the word more disgusting than leaving your dog’s shit on the grass?

Sigh!

"Okay. Going back to Europe and the Black Death, Public Health attempted to cope with the unsanitary conditions of the cities and, by means of quarantine, to limit the spread of disease. There was also the establishment of hospitals, the provision of medical care, and social assistance."

I suppose those improvements must have helped, especially the idea of quarantine.

"I’m sure they did. Amazing, isn’t it, that the Public Health measure of quarantine has been known since the Middle Ages; yet, there are people in our nation today whose intellectual capacity is way below that required to understanding what a quarantine is and its purpose to stop contagious disease spread and to save lives, as is the case of the current pandemic. I won’t even talk about the mental capacity of those who don’t want to take the Covid-19 vaccine. Unbelievable. A parson who was rallying support for the vaccine said about side-effects, Isn’t it better to have a cough than a coffin? Yet, some people don’t want to take it. So, murder reigns."

Murder?

Yes, murder. Look at it how you want. I have heard people saying that the reason for going to their family for Thanksgiving and Christmas is because family is important for the Holidays and they must get together. What they are actually saying is that they are willing to give their family the virus and kill them. But then, maybe, there’s an inheritance and some money will be coming.

That is rather callous, Tahatan. I’m more than a bit surprised that you’d say something like that.

When one’s people has been subjected to callous behavior for generations, I suppose a little does rub off.

Well, let’s leave that. Should we get back to the not-so-sanitary early Europeans?

You won’t hear about that, nor do you hear that the Šahíyena, now called by the French-Canadian word ‘Cheyenne’, would take a bath every morning, even in Winter, even when they had to break the ice. The Invaders who came here didn’t do that and they stunk, so much so that when they were around, the Šahíyena couldn’t smell the buffalo before the hunt. Haw-haw-hwa!

Very funny. I think it would be correct to say that if anyone didn’t bathe often in Winter, during those times, that would be understandable.

Being kind, are you? Let’s not get into summer when there was a lot of sweating.

I always try to be kind in what I say, so pardon me for not engaging further in how people smell. We have spoken about discoveries; do you know of anyone coming to the New World before Columbus? Somewhere in my brain, I seem to remember that there were.

Oh! Remarkable.

Please, just answer the question, if you wish, of course.

"A New World for Europeans, certainly not for the Indigenous Peoples. Humph! It is said that a Viking explorer did beat Columbus to America. His name was Leif Eriksson. That Norse explorer is believed to have led the first European expedition to North America nearly 500 years before the birth of Christopher Columbus. The only earlier European settlements in the Americas other than La Isabela in the Caribbean during the time of Columbus were settlements by the Vikings in Greenland and Newfoundland."

Very interesting.

"Yes. But it seems we have deviated from our path, very widely I must say. We were discussing that it was Columbus who called the Indigenous Peoples of America, Indians. In Canada, the Caribbean, and the United States of America, the term Asian Indian and East Indian is sometimes used to avoid confusion with First Nations in Canada, the Indigenous Peoples of the Caribbean, and Native Americans in the USA who are also commonly known by the misnomer ‘Indian."

And how do you feel about that, being Lakota and called Indian?

"You should have been able to work that out after what I told you. Not good, to say the least. The name does not accurately reflect the derivation of my people to whom it refers; and the term has absorbed negative and demeaning connotations through its historical usage and that renders it objectionable in context. Additionally, ‘American Indian’ is often understood to mean only the peoples of the mainland body of the USA, which excludes other Native Americans in the USA. These include the Haida, Tlingit, Athabascan, Inuit, Yup’ik, Iñupiat, Aleut, Marshallese, and Samoan, who are referred to collectively as either Alaskan Natives, First Nations, Native Hawaiians, or Siberians. In Canada, the Indigenous Peoples are referred to as Aborigines and the Canadian Constitution recognizes three groups of Aboriginal peoples. They are the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. These are three distinct peoples with unique histories, languages, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs."

Your knowledge is very impressive. How can you remember all that?

I live it. Didn’t I tell you I’m a Historian?

(Pause.)

I do have a computer … also.

A necessity today.

Unfortunately, not all of us have one.

Hmmm! I don’t recall you telling me you were a historian.

Isn’t to recall what I have said important to your job?

Huh! Ahm … It is.

"I’ll not regard that bit of forgetfulness as a reflection on you, although someone else might. Ahm! An interesting little apocrypha is that when Columbus landed in The Bahamas, he wrote that the natives were a gentle people who accepted him and they were truly as the Children of God. It is said that the phrase ‘Children of God’, Los Ninos de la Endeo was later corrupted by the aberrant Spanish tongue as Los nineos de la Indio then, ultimately reaching contemporary ears as Indio, then, Indianer, and Indian. Who knows?"

So, they were a gentle people.

"Yes. While they remained alive. As I mentioned earlier, he also said of the Taíno that there were no finer people in the world. It seems he forgot rather quickly, or he didn’t impress that fact on his followers."

I detect much resentment and anger.

Why shouldn’t there be. Columbus was a great navigator and explorer, but is also a symbol of genocide against the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas.

Columbus was one man, a great navigator and explorer as you said. He may have had his faults and, as with all men, the expression of faults is dependent upon how much power that man has. We all have faults, don’t we? Many of us cannot cause chaos simply because we do not have the power with which to do it. If it wasn’t Columbus, it would have been someone else. America would have been discovered, or rediscovered, however you want to look at it. Columbus was just symbolic of the existing European principles and beliefs at the time.

"As you have said, Very interesting. As a proper Historian, I try to be very objective, but one cannot help being overwhelmed, at times. Bartholomé de las Casas made many trips back to Spain to plead with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella on behalf of the few surviving Indigenous Peoples of the Caribbean. His pleas were for the souls and lives of the Indigenous Peoples then swiftly disappearing under the subjugating sword, disease, and slavery of the Spaniards and Portuguese. I try to ignore the word ‘souls,’ knowing of the many atrocities committed under the guise of the necessity of becoming Christians in order to be saved and enter Heaven.

"Yet, no one knows of Bartholomé de las Casas. He is not spoken about. As Shakespeare said in Julius Caesar, The evil that men do lives after them, The good is oft interred with their bones. We know of Christopher Columbus. We know nothing of Bartholomé de las Casas. I often wonder why that is, if that is our own fault, if we intentionally or unintentionally promote evil instead of good yet, oftentimes, we find evil and or good where they do not actually exist."

From what you’ve said about Columbus, do you agree with all the negativity that has been hurled against him lately? His 10-foot bronze statue has been pulled down in Minnesota. Regardless what one believes, I regard actions like that nothing less than civil disobedience.

The Lieutenant Governor, who is a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, said that there is no honor in the legacy of Christopher Columbus. I agree. I also agree that we should not resort to civil disobedience; however, as I said earlier, it is the time for action. And a statue of Columbus in Minnesota. Unbelievable!

It may be, but as I also said earlier, there is positive and negative action. Uncontrolled action can lead to anarchy. One has to wonder, Tahatan, at the way the statue was pulled down. The protesters threw a rope around the neck of the statue, like a noose, an image that fills us with abhorrence for what has happened in the past, especially in the South.

At least, the noose was around the neck of a statute, and not around the neck of a living human being. The statute is inanimate, but the human about to be hanged suffers from the knowledge that he or she is about to die, will not see a loved one again, will not feel the warmth of a lover’s arms as they make love, will not hold or feed their child; they will feel nausea, their throat becomes dry, their chest pains, their heartbeats become rapid, they sweat, they tremble, they become chilled, then, suddenly, there’s nothing more.

(Pause.)

I don’t think I would like to discuss this subject anymore.

It’s a part of all of us, Tahatan.

I know it is.

And it’s showing it’s face again. Don’t ignore it. You know, the pulling down of statues and images is a worldwide demonstration of removing something one perceives as offensive and as a moral stain. Unfortunately, it also destroys an aid to historical memory, but that is by no means always a bad thing, removing the visual aspect, that is. It can be exhausting and demoralizing always to have to remember something or someone who represents an era of revulsion. Certain removals some people will agree with, some others won’t. Way back in time, over one hundred years ago, a gigantic statue of Russian Tsar Alexander III was ripped down soon after the 1917 revolution that led to Communist rule in Russia. Workers removed the sign from the former Adolf Hitler Street in Trier, Germany, in 1945 after the defeat of Nazi Germany. Josef Stalin’s head was left in a Budapest street after a statue to the Communist Dictator was torn from its plinth during the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. Men beat a statue of British politician Cecil Rhodes in Zimbabwe after the African country, formerly known as Rhodesia, was granted independence by Britain in 1980. Afghanistan’s famous giant Buddha that had stood for centuries were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, a move the group said was ‘in accordance with Islamic law.’ Activists pulled down Ukraine’s largest Vladimir Lenin monument, in the eastern city of Kharkiv, after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Iraqis toppled the statue of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein after the USA led invasion of the country in 2003. After the death of Soviet Dictator, Joseph Stalin, in 1953, successor Nikita Khrushchev launched a period of ‘de-Stalinization.’ As part of this, numerous cities and landmarks named after Stalin had their names changed, the most famous of which was the renaming of World War II battleground Stalingrad to Volgograd. Mention of Stalin was also purged from the Soviet National Anthem, and several statues of the dictator were pulled down.

Well, I can’t recall any public statues built, or cities and streets named after That Man Who Vacated The White House so, no work there. There is that multi-colored-lump-of-gold statue, but that won’t stand the test of time so nothing needs to be done there either.

And why do you think so?

The owner will soon have to melt it down to pay for living expenses. Hahaha!

Funny.

I do believe in having two strong