Insecurity Guards

The best security guard I've every known was a man named Sir T.  He was our guard at my old building, and also worked the door at Pete's Kitchen on Colfax (in Denver).  At the office, he would have music blasting as soon as you walked through the door (Motown music) and he'd be dancing, but you knew if something were to happen,  he would beat someone down.  If he couldn't beat them down, then he would've shot them...and he was technically an unarmed guard...technically.  They don't make security guards like that anymore.

I am reminded of a tale when a lady at a major company in Atlanta was terminated from her job and made the statement "maybe I should go get my gun and come back and teach everyone a lesson".  Upon hearing this, the employer did the responsible thing and replaced the security guard that was let go about a year earlier.  The thing that may have not been so responsible is that the guard was 95 years old.  They essentially hired the first potential victim.  As the story goes, people would badge in and walk past him while he was sleeping or he would introduce himself to them multiple times.

Here in Denver, we have similar situations across the city and I am also a victim of this trend...the trend of the insecurity guard.  I was having a conversation with one of our newest security guards and during the conversation, she told me that she was 75 years old.  She told me not to worry about my motorsicle because if anyone tried to touch it, she'd stop them...she's on the job.  I guess at least she stays awake.  We have another guard that isn't that old, but I think her circulatory system runs off of 50% blood and 50% Propofol.  We had another guard that was from Nigeria and was super sweet, but had some issues grasping colloquialisms.  She told someone that another guard had been fired.  The other person responded "shut up, get out of here".  She told the person if she ever told her to shut up again, that she would kick her ass.  She also said "you can not tell me where to go...I will not get out of anywhere".

On the other side of our building, we have a security guard who is almost 100 and blind.  I don't think it says he's blind on his drivers license, but the fact that he has a drivers license is a sign of what is wrong with the world today. I have never seen glasses that thick before in my life.  He is Mr. Magoo personified.  Whenever he reads something, he has to hold it to where it's touching his glasses.  One time I told him my badge wasn't working and he grabbed it, looked at it, scanned it, and let me go through.  That really wouldn't be an issue, except for the fact that my friend and I had switched badges and she's a Chinese woman.

As always, I have a solution.  Let us work from home.  As employers, if it's too expensive to protect us, let us work from a location where we can protect ourselves.

Sir T, this Fat Tire's for you.

Time to play chicken

  Just because a person isn't venomous when they express their belief that you don't deserve the right to live as every other human on Earth, it doesn't make it any easier to accept.  I have friends on both sides of the aisle of the Great Chick-Fil-A debate of 2012, and I've been glancing at points and counterpoints for what seems like forever.  Of course this is only my opinion (obviously...it's my blog), but it seems to me that the issue is the people that are the most upset, and the catalyst for the most attention, are ones that are upset at same sex marriage supporters for being upset with Dan Cathy.

  My close friends know that I boycott a lot of venues and businesses and did it at the drop of a hat for a lot less than their leaders not acknowledging my civil rights.  Why don't I shop at Walmart?  Whenever you see that little smiley face whistling and telling you that you can buy a 50 pound bag of apples for $2.50, someone is suffering behind it.  There is a Mexican in Northern California somewhere with 1 less scoop of macaroni and cheese on his plate and no one to complain to because the people that allow Walmart to sell dirt cheap apples will threaten this guy with a call to INS.

  I haven't been to the Aurora Mall in about 5 years.  Why?  Because someone in their leadership was recorded saying that he would rather not have young Black customers.  At that time, I was still relatively young, so I threw up my symbolic middle finger and have not been back since.  He had the right to believe what he said, and had a right to say what he said, so am I wrong for not shopping there?    Enough about me and my personal experiences, let's talk about the issue at hand.

  For the life of me, I can't understand why people are rushing to support Chick-Fil-A because the CEO has a certain set of values and out of the other sides of their mouths, poo-poo on the people on the opposite side of the argument.  Is it because The Bible says that marriage is between a man and a woman?  The Bible says a lot of stuff and people can twist it to mean whatever their agenda supports.  I  wanted to choke someone the other day and found a verse that allowed me to do it.  The Bible also says you can have slaves as long as you don't beat them to death.  If you beat them to death, then you have to die.  If you just beat the Hell out of them and they're able to stand up in 2 days, then you're good to go.  The Bible also says that just because I'm married, doesn't mean that I can't have a few side pieces.  I'm sure we all know how that would go over for most of us.  "Oh, don't worry baby, turns out this is perfectly ok.  Why don't you run down and grab the 3 of us some chicken sandwiches and waffle fries and I should be done by the time you get back.  Oh yeah, I don't want pickles on my sandwich...thanks Babe, love you".

  I don't know if the people that support Chick-Fil-A/Dan Cathy are actually against same sex marriage, or supporting free speech.  I would be willing to lean towards them being against same sex marriage.  If they were supporting free speech, then they would actually have nothing to say in this case.  If we all have freedom of speech and the right to peaceably assemble, then why are we all involved?  As Richard Pryor's Dad said in Which Way Is Up, "that ain't none of your concern, that's twince the Mexicans and them White folks".  Why not just let gay people and CFA fight it out?   Why are people using their freedom of speech, to attack another group's freedom of speech, for being upset at a guy that used his freedom of speech to question their civil rights?  Key word, CIVIL RIGHTS!

  This is what upsets me about the entire situation and the reason I finally decided to voice my opinion.  I don't claim to have lived an oppressed life where my rights have constantly been violated.  My parents on the other hand did, and their parents had it even worse.  What if the people whose rights weren't being violated (White people) didn't march in the streets and boycott and risk (and lose) their lives and simply ignored what was going on?  What if there was no Underground Railroad?  There are still pockets of people that don't accept my marriage and not that long ago, would've felt comfortable saying  something to me about it.  My stance is if a person wants to do something that isn't hurting another person or society, why can't they do it?  What business is it of ours to prohibit people from doing something that doesn't affect us?  The majority of the people that oppose same sex marriage would be the same ones to argue for the the right to bear arms.  Maybe that's the solution...gay people should by a bunch of guns and march in the streets of D.C. like the Tea Party did.  I'd march in that, because that after party would be sick...gay people party like rock stars.

  In the end, it's not about chicken or people supporting freedom of speech.  It's about limiting the rights of a group of Americans.  If it's allowed to go on this way, and we all don't have the same rights, what's next?