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Opinions
Readers Share Opinion About Melania Trump’s Speech
FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Earlier this week, at the Republican National Conven- tion being held in Cleveland, Ohio, Melania Trump, wife of Republican nominee Don- ald Trump, delivered a speech on opening night at Quicken Loans Arena.
However, a portion of her speech mirrored the com- ments made in 2008 by First Lady Michelle Obama, during President Barack Obama’s campaign for the White House.
Shortly after the delivery of the speech, an independent journalist discovered that Mrs. Trump used some of the exact words that Mrs. Obama used in 2008. Mrs. Trump’s speech sparked controversy and cries of pla- giarism.
Some Sentinel readers who heard the speech shared their comments.
Ronnie Moorer said, “When they compared First Lady Michelle Obama's speech to Melania Trump's speech, Melania was defi- nitely plagiarizing Michelle's speech. Michelle's speech was so good they had no choice but to copy it, if they wanted her to look good.
“As the old saying goes," If you can't beat them, join
them,” so they did. Her speech writer just added a few extra words to make it sound a little different. It did- n't work!”
Dr. George Foxx said, “It is obvious that a part of Michelle Obama’s speech was lifted. The problem is Mrs. Trump, simply should have given credit where credit was due. Speech writers had a responsibility to check the speech before approving it for delivery. Accountability is im- portant and it is clear that someone failed Mrs. Trump or perhaps she failed herself. Plagiarism is serious and a form of cheating.”
Dr. Samuel Wright
said, “It is unfortunate that she had to plagiarize First Lady Michelle Obama's speech she gave to the DNC in 2008, but this is only proof that the First Lady is remark- able and apparently Melania Trump would like to emu- late her in some way.
“It also speaks to the lack of creativity she and Donald Trump possess. Could it just be that they all are out of their league? One must have a VI- SION for public office and know the reasons why they seek such office.
Danny Green said, “I think Melania Trump used Michelle Obama’s speech from 2008, because it was a
DANNY GREEN
great speech. The Trump team does not have anyone on the team to write a great speech. Melania Trump has no clue about politics --- so, she did the right thing by using Michelle Obama's speech.”
Rev. Karen Jackson Sims said, “In looking at the definition of plagiarize, which is shared below, it is clear to see that yes, in fact she did give a speech that clearly was plagiarized.
“Trump supporters try to say that it was not, it was sim- ply a case of two women with similar experiences. Another lie told....all you have to do is what CNN did; play the two side by side. She actually used the identical words that our First Lady used. So, fi- nally the Republican Party has acknowledged what we have known all along --- we have a smart and articulate First Lady. We told you so!”
Howard Harris said, “It is smart for Melania
Trump to emulate Michelle Obama, even to the point of stealing her words. After all, Mrs. Obama is a trend set- ter with a law degree from Harvard.
“Perhaps, if by some cruel twist of fate, Donald Trump becomes president, Melania might convince her husband to plagiarize Presi- dent Obama’s policies. After all, under President Obama, the stock market is at an all-time high; more than 10 million jobs have been added with job openings at a 15-year high; the unem- ployment rate is well below historical norms; interest rates are extremely low; buy- ing power of the average worker is up 4.4 percent; and 15.2 million more people have health insurance.”
Billy Wheeler said, “Un- deniably. It was plagiarism when Melania Trump used Michelle Obama’s words, after claiming in a TV inter- view with Matt Lauer that she wrote them herself, “with as little help as possible.” Those who deny it are pur- posely deluding themselves while attempting to mislead the public as well.
“The entire Trump can- didacy exists in direct re- sponse to Barack Obama’s successful presidency. Nu- merous issues remain, but Mr. Obama has fulfilled the duties of his office with profi- ciency, dignity, and tact.
“Many whites feel threat- ened and angry as they watch the evaporation of their unre- stricted, undeserved privi- lege. It seems particularly
MELANIA TRUMP
accurate regarding the racist element, and the poorer un- dereducated demographic who are most vulnerable to economic and political chal- lenges. This reality allows them to support a totally un- qualified candidate whose only appeal is a vague prom- ise to make the America of their imaginings “great again.”
Ms. Sherna Blair Rich
said, “For all clarification pur- poses, to plagiarize means to "copy from (someone) and pass it off as one's own." If memory serves me correctly, I learned the meaning of this word in junior high school. Unless the definitive and lit- eral definition of this partic- ular term has changed since then to this current day, to plagiarize was an offense then as much as it is today, if dic- tionaries across the globe agree.
“To all the educators, stu- dents, writers, readers, infor- mationalists, lovers of the English language, and the like, we do hope to reach most, but we know there will be those whom we will not. For to construct a composi- tion, of any kind, takes cre- ativity, decisive thought, genuine effort, and straight- up input--the sum total of great and singular workman- ship.”
Special West Tampa Community Meeting
On Saturday, July 30th, a special West Tampa community meeting will be held, with the topic of discussion being “Black on Black Crime and Police on Black Crime.”
The Center for Nonprofit and Community De- velopment is hosting the meeting, moving from marching, to moving, to action.
The summit and forum will be on race, crime, and poverty, and will be held at the West Tampa Li- brary, Howard Avenue and Union Street, and will begin at 1 p.m.
The topics that will be discussed:
What are the best practices from around the nation on police/Black encounters?
Developing the first community-led citi- zen oversight police committee: The solu- tion to any problem is within the community in which the problem exists. Change has come through people and not an
organization that claims it represents the people. (The key to accountability)
Taking ownership: Black on Black crime: A pathway out of us killing us.
The Comprehensive approach to ending poverty from lessons learned from around the nation.
The people encouraged to attend this community meeting are parents or family members that have lost a loved one to violence; anyone seeking solu- tions to poverty; community leaders both faith- based and other nonprofits or individuals; youth that want to share their stories of encounters with the police; people of all races that believe in justice, and members of the criminal justice system, social services, health, and civil rights.
Seating is limited, and you must email for a seat. If you plan to attend, email your request to cen-
terfornonprofitand community@gmailcom.
FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 11-A