Blue Label Questions Side B

Greetings, true believers (please don’t sue Mr. Lee)!  Someone once said, all you need is a handful of good friends to get you through life.  I agree with this fervently because entourages are for celebrities and mafia bosses.  A man I greatly respect writes his own blog to try and input some of his adventures and advice into this world.  Not to embellish but it is a smashing success and he has a large fan base.  Some time ago, he implemented a running series for his blog entitled, “Blue Label Questions”.  This consists of an interview of close friends and family over a glass of Johnny Walker Blue Label Scotch and to open up about life experiences, friendly advice, and ultimately a portrayal of what makes the particular interviewee tick. 

Over the course of Labor Day weekend, I had the privilege to interview the creator of Blue Label Questions to find out what makes him tick and what kind of person he is.  I have known this man most of my life. 

Clearly we refuse to grow up

He has always striven to do the right thing and he has dedicated his life to teaching.  Without further ado, here is the interview I conducted with my best friend and one of the best men I have ever had the privilege of knowing.  I give you the man we call El (as in The), the myth, the legend, Sergio Espain. 

 

 

Lil blue label. Cheers. Ahh.  Let us get started

Tell us, where did you grow up?

I was born in Modesto, CA.  We lived in Turlock until I was 9.  Had some good memories there but did not make very many lasting friends and then we moved to Bakersfield. I have a rule if you spend the majority of your life in a town then it becomes your hometown.  Bakersfield became my hometown.  I grew up here.  I went to Laurelglenn Elementary. I went to Tevis junior high and it was two very forgettable years. Went to Stockdale high in the fall of 2001, met Tyler, and became best friends.  I honestly believe I didn’t grow up till I got out of high school. 

Snicker from me. I think that was 90% of our graduating class. If that.

Right, haha.  Once you get out of that safe warm blanket of adolescence and then you’re faced with the real world, which was a wakeup call. Having to get a real job. Go, oh man I have bills to pay. I grew up here and it’s hard because I used to have dreams of leaving Bakersfield but the more I stay here the more reasons I find to stay here. Part of me doesn’t think I’m going to leave while there’s another part of me yearning to leave.

How do you handle the dichotomy of those two sides?  How do you feel about both of them and does one tug at you more?

Yeah, I want to stay because this is my community. I am a product of Bakersfield; negatively and positively. I want to stay because I know if I stay I will make a difference.  But I know that in order to truly test my mettle I will have to leave the city limits. To truly test myself and implement my theories I would need to leave…comfort.   I’m more of a take me wherever the wind goes.

Who is your hero and what did he or she teach you?

Cliché answer, my first hero growing up was my dad. He was a hard worker. Hardly took any days off. He instilled a method of madness in me that hard work and drive will get you anywhere and everywhere. He instilled this in me before I could learn any different.  This started with chores, homework, and the idea hard work will pay off. The older I got the more I watched him succeed in his field and became evident he was very well respected in his field.  He is the MAN where he works. That prestige and reputation carried over to the home, where he is the man. He was the end all be all, this is the way it’s going to be.  He showed me the importance of having an opinion and backing it up. He is my hero because in the wake of his own mortality during his sickness he was and is still more of a man than most people I have ever met.  When you realize your father is human and not superman, that is when you start to re-evaluate everything, but that did not happen to me. He was still hard working, do the right thing, and always tells the truth. My dad is my hero.

Nice. Just to touch on something you mentioned, you did mention your father’s illness and not going into detail that was something which took a long time and was a big emotional strain on your family. Did you find yourself becoming more of the head of the household during that time, out of necessity of course, but did you find you fit the role well or did you feel it was too much of a burden. Did you feel like you were measuring up to your father?

My dad first got sick when I was 17. He was at a downtown hospital and I went to visit him after school.  He tried to be calm and cool. He said, while I’m here you’re the man of the house. Take care of things. Do as I would do. When I was 23 he got sick again and it was the same thing. While I’m here, take care of things, you are the man of the house. Then it happened again in 2012. He had very high expectations of me. He always had a list of marching orders. Do this. Pay this guy. Get the car smog checked. I took the place of his authority. Do I feel I lived up to it? I don’t know. When it came to doing the right thing and taking care of the house, I think I probably met them. As far as handling the stress of it, it was very stressful. I went through some dark emotional times. I was the rock of the family but I had no one to lean on myself. Not my dad. No one. The stress was back breaking but I found an outlet in my writing. I found an outlet in poetry, reading, and any fictional escape I could take I would.  I watched a lot of movies. Whatever I could do to say you know what, the terminator doesn’t feel anything. Rambo is a machine and whatever I could do I needed to feel that way. You know what I mean? I needed to not show weakness and I did that. Do I think I lived up to the expectations? I think so. I worked hard. I learned a lot about myself. I learned about growing up and about being a man.

I liked how you mentioned how pop culture gave you ideas on how to get through the moment. Let me ask you a follow up question to the hero question, who is your favorite superhero?

It’s going to be fairly obvious, haha…

Really? I could never tell haha

Superman has always been my favorite superhero because he is infallible. He is un-corruptible. He is strong. He always does the right thing and I feel I have the same sense of morality. Doing right and wrong and Superman always does what is right. He is always truth justice and the American way. He is strength on a spectacular level and I applied that mentality to the way I lived. You punch him, nothing happens. Oh whatever, I’m the man of steel! I always felt a strong connection to that because you hit me, I bleed, but only if I let you see me bleed. This is the same way I dealt with my dad’s sickness. I only cried if I wanted you to see it. That is the way I approached my life from a very young age and how I live now. I believe emotionally I have a lot of strength now. He is my favorite because he is an idol and a role model incarnate. I relate to him a lot.

It’s interesting you mention Superman and all those things you mentioned are true but if you read works like Kingdom Come or New Earth you realize that Superman is this godlike figure but he still cannot be everywhere at once and this weighs on him.  Does it almost feel to you like, just save the ones you can?

I have some special people in my life who have told me many times, Sergio you cannot do everything. You have to pick and choose your battles. Now that I have graduated college I see the toll it has taken to try and fit everyone in and trying to do the right thing every single time in every situation.  It’s hard to say sometimes, I can’t help you today. I understand his struggle but I learned it too late.

What is the proudest moment of your life thus far?

Thus far, this is going to sound strange…

We’re all for that.

…at Chicano commencement for my college graduation I gave a speech to my parents telling them they were my heroes for always putting up with me. That was a proud moment because I got to speak directly to them. As great as graduating was with my class and friends…I skipped out 45 minutes early! I skipped out so we could get to breakfast. I could not wait to get out of there! For the Chicano commencement though, my mom, my dad, my girlfriend, and my uncles got to see me on stage dressed in my royal blue graduation garb with my championship belt and they got to see me thank them. I would not be able to do that at the traditional graduation.

Going off on that, did you at first want to do the Chicano commencement?

I did not want to do it because the application was awkward. On the application I had to answer which flag do you want to wear?  It was almost a question of which culture do you choose? 

Sorry to interrupt but can you clarify what you mean by flag?

Oh sure. When you apply for Chicano commencement you are given a sash and you can choose a flag to be on it. You get to choose between Central, Southern, and North American countries.  My dad wanted me to choose the red, white, and green because that is where my lineage comes from but I wanted to choose the red, white, and blue.  I relate more to the United States of America than to Mexico.  The U.S. is my home, this is where I grew up, and the culture I accepted. If I had chosen the Mexico flag over the U.S. flag I would have felt like a traitor. I did not want to do Chicano commencement because I did not want to have to make that decision.  In the end I chose red, white, and blue and I got a lot of grief for it. Quick story, I was one of the only people wearing those colors at Chicano commencement and a guy behind me in line asked why I wasn’t wearing different colors.  My honest response was, “have you been to Mexico”? No, that is not my home. That is not my culture. I had to be talked into it but I’m glad I did it.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Ponders this question for a few seconds…uhm…in ten years I want to be teaching remedial English at the university level. Part time.  I want to be teaching high school English because that is where you can mold the minds to accept a certain method of instruction and theory.  You can tell them commas go here and they remember that. The problem I have noticed doing my classroom observations is the teachers have around 240 students and I’ve been told by someone more wise than me that if you reach just one of them then you have succeeded. A lot of the students I have tutored at the college level don’t have the basic English skills they should have been taught in high school.  I don’t want to teach the same student in high school and then at the university level.  I want to impart a level of instruction that can be passed on.  Does that make sense?

Makes perfect sense, but, it also sounds like you want to catch the kids you missed in high school who did not go to your school or simply were not in your class.

Yep, that is it. You said it better than I did.

That is extremely interesting…

I see myself having something published as well. Whether it is a poem or an essay or a story, just something to my name printed somewhere.

Now we’ve gotten through the vegetables so, let’s get to the dessert and ask some fun questions.

Tell me, what sound or noise do you love?

It’s two fold.  The first is the sound of sizzling meat when I’m cooking. The next sound is an empty glass of scotch being filled.

Cheers to that! *clink glasses

Now that I’m hungry, what sound or noise do you hate?

I don’t like negativity. It does not help anyone. With that being said, I do not like the sound of someone saying no.

What is your favorite cuss word and why?

I’ll give you two. Damn, because you can get away with it.  You can say it just about anywhere and it will be okay.  My other favorite word…fuck. It is so versatile and same as damn. You can use it once and you have proven your point and you can say it in a PG-13 movie…just once.

Use both of those words in a single sentence.

Dammit, stay the fuck out of my way!

Haha! Sounds like something you would say at Lowe’s to a really annoying customer service person.

I know what I’m looking for dammit!

Good one.

If heaven exists what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

You did your best.

Very wise, solemn, answer from God. Almost the Catholic answer.

Now, if God were a prankster he would ask, why did you bet it all on red?!

Hysterical drunken laughter ensues.

What would your last meal be?

Takes forever to decide as if he is on death row and then says…..

 No, wait!  Pound and a half cut of the best prime rib, cooked just to pink. Green beans. Mashed potatoes.  Appetizer, my mom’s nachos.

Room left for dessert?

Dessert would be a slice of New York cheese cake from New York…with a glass of blue label which would be the last thing I would taste.

Last query, what advice would you give to you ten years ago?

This isn’t the end. You are going to do so much with so little. Always take risks and don’t be afraid to say yes.

That’s advice we would all like to give ourselves and take ourselves.  Anything else you want to mention last minute?

Nope, not unless you want to know where all the bodies are are buried…..?

This interview was discovered several months later. The author’s body has not been found.

Mexican Standoff

According to Holy Scripture, God blessed Texas with his own hands (Maybe. I don’t know I’m not a creation scientist).  I mentioned in an earlier piece how I have come to enjoy living in this state and how nice the people are here but, occasionally some jackass will ruin the moment.  This time it is not some late to the party state representative but the Governor of Texas himself, Rick Perry.   I am not going to talk about the “questionable” things he has done before.  Like his failed Presidential run or his racist ranch decorations.  This is a different matter all together and I encourage you to finish or this will not make sense and make me look like a fool (I know it is not hard to make me look oafish but shut it).  Here it is: Rick Perry allowed the state of Texas to execute a cop killer. 

In 1994, officer Guy Gaddis arrested Edgar Tamayo Arias for theft outside of a Houston nightclub.  While in custody (I.E. handcuffed in the back of a squad car), Edgar pulled a firearm he had concealed in his pants and shot officer Gaddis three times in the neck and head.  What happened to officer Guy Gaddis is a senseless tragedy and cannot be forgiven.  Shooting someone in the back is a cowardly act and I wish nothing but the worst of times in every circle of hell for Edgar Arias, which he is probably getting a feel for after his execution was enacted on February 19^th.  Let me be even more blunt, I hold no sympathy for this human piece of garbage and I do not feel bad he is no longer with us.  Which begs the question, why am I upset the state of Texas put him to death?  Interesting question and an even more interesting answer waits.

Edgar Tamayo Arias was a Mexican national.  He could barely speak English at the time of his arrest and did not understand the rights afforded someone who has committed a crime on American soil.  The Mexican Consulate did not learn of the situation until a week before his trial.  Keep in mind, he was charged and held in custody for months before his trial date.  One week is not nearly long enough to prepare for a capital murder case, especially if you are not a citizen or speak the language of the country you are being tried in.  Still do not sympathize with Edgar? Good.  We are fresh out of sympathy and this is not the point.  Now, what could the Mexican consulate have revealed at trial were they given the proper time?  It would have been revealed Edgar Arias had an IQ of 67 and possibly other mental illnesses.   Here is the kicker; this does not excuse what happened but it does matter.  Why?

If this information was introduced at trial and verified on the United States side, the worst that would have happened was Edgar Arias would still have been found guilty and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.  That is it. Biff bam boom.  If this still does not sound like justice then maybe this will help.  There is plenty ofresearch on the subject of the mentally ill in prisons and it is not encouraging.   There is no standard for the screening of mental illness upon induction into most prisons so prison personnel have no idea why an inmate will not cooperate or follow the rules except that he is a problem inmate.  This can lead to the revoking of privileges or being thrown into solitary confinement.  Many inmates who spend copious amounts of time in solitary confinement are believed to suffer from one or more mental illnesses.  Isolation in a concrete slab with nothing but an itchy blanket is not pleasant and there is reason to believe this drives inmates (normal ones) insane.

Again, why does all of this matter?  It matters because the state of Texas violated the only rule of international law no one ever violates; if someone is arrested and charged with a crime in a foreign country you contact the country which they are a citizen of.  You allow them a proper defense and nothing more is required.  When all is said and done, Edgar Arias probably, again probably, would have received life in prison without the possibility of parole and spent the rest of his life being shuttled back and forth from general population to solitary confinement.  Growing more isolated and confused everyday with no allies and no privileges because corrections officers don’t do cop killers favors.  Instead, he was housed in a special cell for sixteen years with privileges, guards taking good care of him, and no chance of running into other inmates.  

American citizens should be worried about this because it affects them as well.  Who among us has not been down to Mexico and made a few bad decisions?  Lord knows I have and now there is retribution to be had for annoying Americans who get arrested in Mexico on real or fake charges.  This is not just me blustering:

Mexican authorities have a duty to the millions of Mexicans who live in the U.S. to turn on the political and diplomatic pressure. 

Texas has executed a Mexican citizen and Americans may suffer as a result. Americans can now be executed without receiving access to their consulates and the U.S. lacks the moral standing to complain.

Those were editorials from two of the highest selling newspapers in Mexico, El Universal and La Jornada.

The United States of America is a part of the world community or not.  We either abide by international law like the rest of the world or we do not.  We cannot have it both ways and we are quickly losing our moral standing in this world and the ability to be what John Winthrop hoped our fledgling nation would be, “a city upon a hill, watched by the world”.  I do not know what justice really encompasses and I do not know what would have been just in this situation.  What I do know is Edgar Arias deserved to die in anonymity and we as a nation deserve better.

The Christmas Truce

Note: This piece was written during Christmas time and some of the language is extremely present tense.  Just pretend it is still Christmas time and enjoy the feeling it brings.

Alas, it is Christmas time once again.  Christmas is the one time of year where you are discouraged from acting like an asshole for at least 48 hours and most people do.  Also, it is the one time of year where we are constantly asked what our favorite Christmas time mediums are.  What’s your favorite Christmas song?  What’s your favorite Christmas movie?  What’s your favorite Christmas location?  As a society we have come to accept there are a handful of activities and interests which are only relevant to one month out of the year.  Seriously, have you ever heard someone listening to Christmas carols in June and not thought they were out of their mind?  You know who I am talking about.

I had to work for most of the day on Christmas Eve this year and my coworkers and I were extremely productive while everybody was already on vacation.  By productive, I mean we ate Chinese takeout and watched Ghostbusters, so, best Christmas Eve ever?  While being “productive”, I was comparing my Christmas favorites with one of my coworkers and I was asked what my favorite Christmas story was.  This question is not asked often and I had to think about it for a few minutes.  Most people might pick works of fiction such as A Christmas Carol or a Charlie Brown Christmas.  I find reality to be more interesting than fiction and my favorite Christmas story is a large dose of reality.  Before continuing, please know while this is a happy story it does have a depressing context and ending.  If you do not want a slice of anguish to ruin your Christmas palate then please stop reading.  My favorite holiday story takes place on December 25^th, 1914 and is called the Christmas Truce. 

In case you do not have a grasp of dates, this story takes place on the Western Front during World War One (told you this would ruin your day so stop complaining).  British troops along the front were removing the bodies of their comrades who had fallen during the month long Battle of Ypres in Belgium.  This was the largest battle the British army had engaged in since the war began in August and was an utter disaster.  British soldiers were senselessly mowed down because of their commander’s lack of understanding of modern warfare or how to change tactics which clearly were not working.  The bravery and the tenacity of soldiers left a large impression on the German army and one commander famously commented, “never have I seen such lions led by such lambs”. 

Every major power fighting this war promised their citizens the troops would be home by Christmas.  After five months of brutal fighting there were eight millions casualties and an entire front where the armies measured advancements by feet instead of miles; no one was going to be home for Christmas.  British soldiers had these thoughts in the back of their minds on this Christmas day when they were locating the remains of their fallen brethren.  It was during this time they heard something which was not gun fire or artillery shells flying through the air.  They heard their counterparts on the German side singing “Stille Nacht” (Silent Night).  German soldiers as homesick and battle weary as the British were celebrating Christmas the only way they could with the only family they had.  In a well defined military manner the British responded in kind, by singing O’ Come All Ye Faithful.  A dare by the Germans for a British soldier to brave No Man’s Land to trade a bottle of wine for a big cake led to a truce along the lines for the duration of Christmas Day.

An unofficial truce began taking place among the line troops and mid-level officers on both sides.  These were soldiers who had been trying to wipe each other out for months and all of a sudden they were shaking hands and wishing each other a Merry Christmas.  Troopers were trading items both sides needed such as cigarettes, coffee, and other food items.  There are several accounts of British and German soldiers swapping stories (mostly personal stories about families) and conversing as if they had known each other for years.  Several impromptu soccer matches sprung up even with a lack of basic equipment, like soccer balls.  Empty corn beef cans for balls and spiked German helmets for goal posts would be used in small games but there was one professional match which would put them all to shame and provide some extra flair for this historical footnote.  A soldier appeared out of nowhere with a real soccer ball and a match between an elite German unit and some Scottish soldiers took place with officials keeping the game civil. Should be noted the Scots were playing in Tartan Kilts.  The Germans found this amusing when gusts of wind would reveal they were wearing nothing under their kilts. 

Ack! There's no shame in what God gave me ya Puritan pukes!

 

The German side of me is happy to report the Germans won that game 3-2. 

 

 

The truce would end as amiably and as suddenly as it had begun.  Commanding generals on both sides were furious when they learned of the truce and ordered an all out offensive on both sides to take place at midnight. German soldiers sent their British counterparts notes detailing that the violence was about to begin again and it was their honor to warn them of this. Alright, you have had your dessert and now it is time for the damn veggies.

Problem? Didn't think so.

 

The Germans and the British share a common ancestry and were not historical enemies which is why they could share Christmas together, for the most part.  The truce was not universal even among those lines.  A Scottish regiment warned German troops they would be shot if they crossed the lines.  A truce did not break out on the French lines because of their history and the slight fact one-third of France was under German occupation.  There was no truce of any kind on the Eastern Front because the Russians were constantly being rolled back, also they do not celebrate Christmas until January 7^th (in Soviet Russia, Christmas celebrates you!).  One Austrian corporal who would later author Mein Kempf was quoted as saying, “Have you Germans no sense of honor left at all”?

The truce would last for one day and would never happen again.  Fraternization among the lines was never supposed to happen and the military leaders on all sides would see to that.  This is why major military offensives during that war would take place around winter time, so the soldiers would not have a chance to think about crossing the lines.  Many of the accounts of this truce were written by soldiers who would never make it home and would never celebrate another Christmas again.  What is the point of this you must be asking now?  If it was your intention to ruin my Christmas then mission accomplished jack-hole! 

 

More soldiers were killed in this war than the previous three hundred years of European wars combined.  This is was one of the first instances in modern history where people actively believed we were living in the end of days.  During this blackness and unspeakable violence, there was one moment of light.  Soldiers on both sides who simply wanted a reprieve from this evil were willing to break bread with their enemies over a common cultural belief. British and German soldiers understood they had more in common with each other than the leaders of their nations who had thrown them into a fight they could not understand or adapt to.  This one small, bright, moment in one of the darkest periods of modern history proves we have more in common with each other than with the leaders who represent us or we ourselves would like to admit.  I think about this and hope I can be as humane as possible to my fellow man.  Merry Christmas.