My paternal grandmother thought of herself as poor. Whenever she used the phrase, “poor people,” she included herself, whether or not she added, “like us.” My grandparents were solid middle class. They owned their home outright, drove a late-model Pontiac, and bought a color TV before my parents did.
But to Grandma Sarah, they were poor. My grandparents were born in Tucson in the late 1880s. They were from the Hispanic community; both were native Spanish speakers. On March 20, 1880, the railroad came to Tucson and stitched the country together. People moved west, some stayed in Arizona, and Tucson began to change. Many of the new residents didn’t understand the culture, language, or traditions. Some regarded Hispanics as second-class citizens. My grandfather’s supervisor once admonished him to stop speaking Spanish at the workplace.
I suspect Grandma thought herself poor, at least in part, because of that bias. We sometimes swallow things we never fully digest. Many of our countrymen exude fear and anger. What awful thing did they swallow?
Fort Lowell Park
Our dog loves Fort Lowell Park. We always drive to the eastern parking lot, where the water feature is located. Recently, the pump was turned off. The stream was sad and still, but there was enough water for Zoey to wet her paws and take a drink.
We walked to The Loop, where we waved at cyclists until we descended a ramp into the Pantano Wash. The wash divides the west portion of Fort Lowell Park, where there is a swimming pool, tennis courts, and picnic ramadas, punctuated by ruins of the old fort, from a wilder eastern portion. The east side is natural and undeveloped, except for a dirt road.
The wash is a museum of human detritus. There is a shopping cart, articles of clothing, pieces of wood, other artifacts deposited by storm runoff. The Pantano was dry, as it usually is. But the scattering of civilization’s debris speaks to its potential ferocity. When the Pantano rages, it can kill.
When humans rage, they can kill. There is a lot of rage in the world right now. We see it in Ukraine, Gaza, and elsewhere. Will we see it in America?
The Rage Master
Donald Trump is the Rage Master. He meets his followers at the intersection with the Id and summons their darkest angels. "Our country is being destroyed, and the only thing standing between you and its obliteration is me," he told the Conservative Political Action Conference. "Nov. 5 will be our new Liberation Day," he added, "It will be their judgment day."
He says he is their protector. "In the end, they're not coming after me,” he told a crowd after being indicted in Georgia. “They're coming after you — and I'm just standing in their way." He is their Savior. Jesus, what an egomaniac.
The Metate Stone
We walked across the Pantano and onto the east portion. The bank is steep, but we know a place where it invitingly slopes and lets us in. We follow a trail to the graded road that leads to a crossing near the water feature. There is a large stone next to the road. An indentation makes it resemble a huge metate stone.
Natives would grind seeds and grain in metates. There are remnants of pit houses in Ft. Lowell Park, as well as ancient acequias. Both the Pantano and Tanque Verde washes used to flow year-round. That is why natives settled there and why the government located Fort Lowell there in the 19th century. My grandfather was born thirteen years after the Fort was established.
People lived and prospered in the area. They fought the elements and, too frequently, each other – much like modern humans do. But they differed from us in a meaningful way: with their limited weaponry, they could hurt and kill each other, but nothing more. With the weaponry available to us, we can annihilate ourselves.
I saw an interview with a Trump supporter. What did she think of a brutal dictator, Vladimir Putin, invading a neighboring country and slaughtering thousands of innocent people? Her answer: “I don’t care.” Other Trump supporters spoke hatefully of immigrants and some predicted civil war would break out if Trump lost the election.
Humans get annoyed when they think somebody is taking advantage of them. Politicians have long used fear and anger as political tools. (“They’re taking what is rightfully yours!”) Sometimes hatred becomes a drug and they need a fix. The Rage Master satisfies their craving. Many are addicted to his potion. They swallow it, but cannot digest it.
If they become a raging river, will the levee hold?
This is how my grandfather responded when his supervisor told him to stop speaking Spanish: “If I want to call you a son-of-a-bitch,” he said, “I’ll do it in a language you understand.”
Later that evening, I sip my brandy and quietly honor his legacy.