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Editorials/Column
FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN
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It Won’t Be Long Now
week after the Septem- ber 11th attacks in 2001, I remember going to dinner at a restaurant inside of the Channelside complex. Right outside of the window by my table I'll never forget seeing a gunboat patrolling the water around the Port Authority and Army humvees driving along
the port.
It was a surreal scene that
left me wondering if this was what we had to look forward to on a regular basis as the war on terror was just beginning.
That was almost 15 years ago. Back then the threat of the day was the group known as al-Qaeda. But just like the evil spawn it gave birth to, ISIL, the level of anxiety it provoked kept the entire planet shaking in fear.
The memory of that night at Channelside came back to me Tuesday after seeing yet another terrorist attack taking place. This time it was at an airport in Istanbul where three gunmen strapped with explo- sives killed 41 people and in- jured 234 more.
While watching the news footage of the carnage and chaos I couldn't escape the eerie thought that this inci- dent, coming so closely on the heels of the shooting in Or-
lando, could ultimately con- vince those calling the shots that the only way to keep these types of tragedies from contin- uing to happen is through con- stant military protection.
The same overwhelming presence we were briefly ex- posed to when the Twin Tow- ers fell, but on a much larger and longer scale.
This time, though, the gov- ernment policing would prob- ably also include elements such as strictly enforced cur- fews, controlled movements of civilians, heavy surveillance of all communication and sus- pension of whatever constitu- tional rights we thought we had. In other words, Marshall Law in full effect.
The thought process of the individuals in charge could take the form of believing that personal freedoms are not as important as the safety of the masses. They may even begin to look at countries like Russia, North Korea, Cuba, Iran and China, states that rule with iron fists and who have very few incidents of terrorism, as examples of effective ways to contain a situation that is, in- creasingly, growing out of con- trol.
I know it sounds far-fetched to imagine the United States
ever following the lead of na- tions under communist or fas- cist rule. But is it really that unrealistic?
Every time an attack occurs new bills are introduced that would further erode the free- doms most of us take for granted. Whether it's legisla- tion dealing with tighter gun laws, warrant-less wire-tap- ping, stemming the tide of im- migration or easing the probable cause requirements for law enforcement in per- forming search and seizures, there are lawmakers who con- sistently attempt to hinder in- dividual liberties in the name of "national security," slowly erecting a new-millennium iron curtain behind the facade of a Democratic Republic.
Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have already mentioned that they're each in favor of censoring the internet in an effort to stop ISIL's re- cruiting efforts. What makes anyone believe that they will stop there if it means keeping America out of harm's way?
The slope we're standing on is indeed a slippery one. And, for those in power looking for the green light to bring drastic changes in an effort to stifle our way of life, all it would take is a little push, in the form of another 9/11 styled event, to send us screaming over the edge.
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TBX: What A Little Girl In Pajamas Said
irst of all, TBX simply means “Tampa Bay Express,” an
umbrella phrase for a projected Tampa transportation initiative. However, on the subject of transportation, columnist Rass Bariaw writes, “Kindly study on a map how the Cross Bronx, the Brooklyn Queens, the Bruckner, and the Long Island expressways traverse directly through and across densely populated neighborhoods in Upper Manhat- tan, the South Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens.”
The argument is that New York City was used as the blue- print to establish America’s Autobahn-inspired highway sys- tem. Says Bariaw, “You see the power of eminent domain applied uniformly in poor neighborhoods where masses of poor people were forcibly and arbitrarily evicted from their homes before these highways were constructed.”
Concludes the writer, “You also see how the highways were constructed for the convenience of the well-to-do. [Consequently,] the ghettoes of all major cities in America have direct and indirect relations to these highways.”
No doubt Bariaw refers to I-95 in Miami, which cuts di- rectly through the heart of the once thriving Black commu- nity Overtown . . . or maybe he’s referring to The Century Express of Los Angeles, only one of 7 thoroughfares causing the decay of formerly healthy minority enclaves. . . either that or Seattle’s I-5, Augusta, Georgia’s I-95 that shears its Black community neatly in half, or (of course) Tampa, Florida’s I-275, which crosses West Tampa with a blind knife, and the city’s I-4, which plows down the back of what was Central Avenue.
Space would not permit a further discussion on Black and Latino communities literally wiped-out by what was supposed to have been transportation progress. Maybe, that’s why a little girl in pajamas stepped up before a recent MPO Metropolitan Planning meeting and said, “TBX is bad news.” Given what you now know, what would you have ex- pected her to say?
Why Your Vote Does Matter
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
The turnout for the up- coming Primary Election is expected to be a little higher next month. More people generally vote when it’s time to elect a new president.
For some reason, people seem to think that voting for the President of the United States is more important than voting for local officials. But, they couldn’t be further from the truth.
Of course, the presiden- tial election is important. It is vital that the right person is chosen to lead the country. Therefore, every single per- son who can, should com- plete their research on the candidates, make a decision, then follow through by vot- ing.
But what about the other people campaigning to hold office? Isn’t it just as impor-
tant, if not moreso, to get the right person in that office as well?
In my opinion, voting for local officials is just as, if not more, important than voting for individuals to serve in federal positions.
In the state election, vot- ers determine who will repre- sent them in both the State Senate and the House of Rep- resentatives. These individu- als are the people who pass the laws that you and I must abide by. Therefore, it is vital that the person chosen to serve have your best interest at heart.
In this upcoming election, there are several positions that can determine the path our lives take. For instance, County Commissioners de- termine just how money that comes from the federal gov- ernment, as well as from local taxes are spent.
County Commissioners
determine which roads will be repaired first. They deter- mine where tax dollars will be spent. So, if you live in un- incorporated Hillsborough County, this Board will deter- mine what happens in your neighborhood.
Another area of concern is the Hillsborough County School Board. These seven members determine what is best for your children, grand- children, godchildren, and neighbors. They make deci- sions today that affect what happens tomorrow.
So, while you are sitting around saying that your vote doesn’t count, you may want to think about this.
The President of the United States does not deter- mine if the flooding in your neighborhood will be ad- dressed or if the potholes in your street will be filled --- local elected officials do!
Supreme Court Rules On Challenge To Police Search And Seizures
In a recent ruling, the U. S. Supreme Court set the stage to allow police officers to violate people’s right. The 5-3 decision (with justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ruth Bader dissenting), states that evidence of a crime in certain cases may be used in court against a defendant, even if the arresting officer has used unlawful tactics to procure it.
Voting to reverse a Utah Supreme Court decision that threw out drug possession evidence seized from Edward Strieff during a 2006 South Salt Lake police pretextual stop (a stop made for a reason other than the one which is given) on a warrant for a minor traffic violation, the Court ruled that the arrest and search of Strieff that subsequently led to the discovery of drugs was legitimate. Strieff was stopped as he exited a house under watch for suspected drug activity.
Justice Sotomayor, however, is to be congratulated for her dissent of the Strieff ruling because of its potential to en-
courage police to violate civil rights, especially the civil rights of Black people and Latinos who are disproportionate victims of pretextual stops. This she did, despite the fact Strieff was white.
Furthermore, because the ruling nullifies a citizen’s right of protection against unlawful search and seizure without a reasonable or legitimate rationale, we too are convinced the rul- ing is detrimental to the rights of Black people and Latinos. It should, therefore, be challenged by defense attorneys, scrutinized by criminal courts, and considered by state and federal leg- islators as an encroachment against the constitutional tradition that a person is innocent until proven guilty.
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