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Features
President Obama Talks About Terrorism During
Visit To MacDill AFB
KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
In one of his last speeches as commander-in-chief, Pres- ident Barack Obama on Tuesday detailed the suc- cesses of his administration’s counter-terrorism program and warned his successor to follow a “smart strategy” against terrorists.
President Obama gave his last major national secu- rity speech before hundreds of servicemen and women at MacDill Air Force Base, telling the audience as president his most “solemn responsibility” has been “keeping the Ameri- can people safe,” and then of- fered multiple examples of how this has been accom- plished in the last eight years.
When the President first came into office on the heels of the Iraq War, American troops were concentrated in the Middle Eastern country, but Al-Qaeda – the most threatening terrorist network at the time – was organizing itself in Afghanistan and plan- ning attacks against the U. S.
Working with Afghanistan’s government, the U. S. has reduced Al- Qaeda to a shell of its former self by disrupting its terrorism plots and killing off its leader- ship – including Osama bin Laden, President Obama said.
When terrorist organiza- tion ISIS emerged in the shadow of Al-Qaeda, U. S. troops once again took the fight to Iraq and Syria with the help of local forces. The result has been ISIS retreating from its territory, its recruitment has “dried up”, and citizens are turning against it, the President said.
While ISIS retains a pres- ence in some pockets of the Middle East and Southeast Asia, it and other terrorist net- works have been weakened se- verely thanks to U. S. military efforts and the U. S. and its al- lies cracking down on the spread of terrorist ideologies via social media, he said.
President Obama told the servicemen and women
that these accomplishments – including no terrorist attacks on U. S. soil – were made pos- sible thanks to them.
“This is your work,” he said. “We should take great pride in the progress we’ve made over the last eight years.”
But there is more work to be done, and he made it clear that the new administration scheduled to come into the White House in a matter of weeks would do best to avoid “false promises” of eliminat- ing terrorism through sheer military might and bombing and instead “pursue a smart strategy that can be sus- tained,” he said.
The first step is having a thorough understanding of the enemy and its perspective. Terrorists want to paint them- selves as “vanguards of a new world order” but they are “thugs and murderers and should be treated that way.”
The President also warned against “over-reach” with mil- itary troops and touted his own policy of only using force when “only sending our troops into harm’s way when there is a clear mission that is achiev- able and when it is absolutely necessary.”
Torture tactics like water- boarding must remain prohib- ited and transparency and
accountability are paramount, he said.
The U.S. must also uphold protection of civil liberties and not abuse the practices used to apprehend terrorists, like searching and retaining records and communications.
President Obama ended his speech with a list of re- minders about what American stands for: freedom of reli- gion, freedom of speech, and the rule of law.
He implored the service- men and women to remember the country’s history and the meaning of the American flag.
“I trust that you will fulfill that mission, as you have ful- filled all others,” he con- cluded.
President Obama spoke to servicemen and women at MacDill Air Force Base on Tuesday. (Photo by Julia Jackson).
Dentist Chosen To Address Health Forum Audience
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
The Monthly Health Forum, hosted by the Men’s Group, will take place this month on Friday, December 9th, beginning at 11 a.m. It will be held at College Hill Church Of God In Christ, 6414 N. 30th Street, (corner of N. 30th Street and E. Diana). Super- intendent Charles Davis is the host pastor.
The forum is usually held the last Friday of the month. However, it is being held ear- lier this month in recognition of the Christmas holidays.
The guest speaker is Dr. Omari Sheehy, a Tampa dentist. He will cover topics pertaining to maintaining healthy gums, proper brush- ing, and total dental care.
A native of Atlanta, Geor- gia, Dr. Sheehy graduated from Hampton University as a Pre-Medicine major. He changed his focus to dentistry while still in school. He is a graduate of Meharry School
DR. OMARI SHEEHY
of Medicine.
Dr. Sheehy gained expe-
rience in the field before opening his own office in Tampa. He opened the Bayshore Dental Center, 810 W. Dr. M. L. King, Jr., Blvd., in Seffner, in June 2016.
The forum is free and open to the public. For addi- tional information about the forum contact Coach Billy Reed, at (813) 744-4923, or Chester White, Jr., at (813) 327-2804.
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