OUT OF THE MOUTH COME PRAISE AND CURSING
By David Triana
Sixteen years ago this month, a hate crime took place in Miramar Beach, Florida, not very far from where I live.
On February 26, 2009, at 1:45 a.m., 60-year-old Dannie Baker walked approximately 20 yards from his townhouse to another one in the complex he lived at. In his hand, he carried a loaded rifle and when he got to the other home, he peered through the window and opened fire into it!
By the time he was done, Racine Balbontin-Argandona, 22, and Nicolás Pablo Corp-Torres, 23, had been murdered. Additionally, Francisco Cofré had been critically injured and Sebastian Arizaga and David Bilbao were also wounded.
Investigators said that at the time of the shooting there were at least FOURTEEN other people in the home with the victims…all of them of Hispanic descent.
“It was a tremendously horrific scene,” one of the officers who responded said to a local newspaper.
Soon after the tragedy, I had the opportunity to visit that complex, to walk the path that Dannie Baker reportedly walked. I had a chance to “peer through the window” and met some of the neighbors. I also had the chance to meet Francisco, Sebastian, and David. Many great people in the community, Hispanic and Non-Hispanic, provided help and support to these three young men and their families.
Thankfully, Dannie Baker was convicted of his murder in March 2011. But, the scars from that night will forever be in the bodies and hearts of the individuals involved. To this date, I stay in touch with Francisco, Sebastian and David and have always been so impressed by their resilience and kind hearts. All of them living productive lives in their native Chile.
One of Baker’s neighbors, according to on-line and print media reports stated, “He did come up to me one time and asked me if I was ready for the revolution to begin and if I had any immigrants in my house to get them out.”
“Invaders, deport them all, they are destroying our country, etc., etc.”, those too were common words during the time leading to this tragedy so close to home. Especially during the Presidential election of 2008, in election seasons before that and in election periods since!
Unfortunately, the toxic words used against immigrants have gotten even worse and are now almost “acceptable” to be spewed by the Dannie Bakers amongst us and by hosts and interviewees in powerful media outlets and even more tragically and dangerous, by government officials and political office candidates at all levels.
Dannie Baker’s hate crime was not the only one that occurred during that timeframe in our nation, was not the last one and very likely, will continue to take place sometime, somewhere, in our great nation!
Here is a recent example of another one in Pennsylvania: https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/31/us/justin-mohn-father-beheaded-biden-video/index.html
The TOXIC RHETORIC was rampant during this recent general election and tragically, it continues to this day.
The tongue, it can be used to “praise” and also to “curse.” It seems that in our nation, we have lost the ability to debate respectfully, to calmly, respectfully and in an educated manner, discuss issues with those that we may not be totally in agreement with.
But, in my humble opinion, one of the things most of us have lost, is the ability and guts to tell those that spew venom and toxicity, that they are wrong are at least treat them like the pariahs some of them become! Silence is a sign of acceptance!
You see, it is proven that such rhetoric will either trigger individuals like Dannie Baker, or increase the radicalism of what one would consider a regular Joe or Jane. You don’t believe me? Look at what happened on January 6, 2021. Indeed, there were many hate filled individuals in that insurrectionist bunch, but, there were also a lot of regular Joes and Janes who would not have otherwise taken such actions without the words being spewed by the people who they considered their leaders.
My prayer, my hope is that all of us will ponder such things, that we will consider “taming the tongue” as it relates the issues that confront us. A divided nation will not survive for too long and, regardless of political affiliation, we must be ready to confront, politely but assertively, those whose words cross the line of civility.
Immigrants have been a key part of our nation since before it existed as such. It is TRUE when people mention that ALL OF US, unless you are of Native American descent, are immigrants.
I have lived in this area now since 2004 and I know this is not what our area is all about, indeed there are some amongst us who think like Dannie Baker, but the great majority do not. We are a multi-cultural, generous, mostly God fearing region of our great nation and filled with hard working, freedom loving Americans who will always try to do the right and honorable thing.
I pray that some reading this will understand the importance of “taming their tongues”, of being respectful, and of considering the terrible things that a hate-filled heard can do. May God bless our nation and may the good people of this land keep the words of James in mind!
“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in
God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.”
James 3, 9-1 (NIV)
