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Editorials/Columns
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‘Real Niggas’ Don’t Die
he celebration started
with more than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter of the NBA Finals on Monday night. It began innocently enough with a Golden State Warriors fan sitting near me mockingly singing the tune, "NAH-NAH-NAH-NAH....NAH- NAH-NAH-NAH....HEY-HEY- HEY....GOODBYE."
Then, as the clock ticked closer to zero, and it was clear that the Warriors were about to beat LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavalier teammates for the championship, the hate came flowing full blast.
"DOWN GOES THE QUEEN." "F--- LeBRON." "NOW HE CAN TAKE HIS PUNK A-- BACK TO CLEVE- LAND." Needless to say, it was ugly.
Sadly, as a longtime fan of Le- Bron, I can't say that my ears were virgin to hearing those types of foul sentiments. Wit- nessing this kind of blatant dis- respect after his loss comes with the territory.
What I could never under- stand during those moments, though, was where that level of
animosity stemmed from? I get that, in the sports world, people become fatigued with seeing the same team or person hogging the spotlight.
But, when it comes to the man who's been nicknamed “King James” since he was seventeen, the contempt is different. It seems to derive from a much darker place, somewhere that could almost be considered evil in its nature.
I mean, people strongly dis- like the Dallas Cowboys. They can't stand the New York Yan- kees. And just the thought of Tom Brady hoisting another Super Bowl trophy makes more than a few football fans want to vomit.
But, with LeBron? For some individuals, nothing less than his body in a casket will suffice.
When I tried to place my fin- ger on a cause for such vitriol, it occurred to me that their hatred toward LeBron might be a by- product of what's commonly known as the "Nigga Mentality." That much maligned psycholog- ical condition that causes a per- son to behave in a crab-like fashion.
And, the thing is, it has ab- solutely nothing to do with skin color. Whether a person is Black, white, Latino or Asian this "nig- ganess" makes them turn against anyone who isn't a mir- ror image of themselves.
To put it plainly, because Le- Bron is a proven winner, has a beautiful family, is highly re- spected, stands on his principles as a man and doesn't engage in buffoonery, "niggas" hate him because he's nothing like them and everything they wish they were.
For them, the joy they felt the other night wasn't so much about the Warriors being victo- rious as it was about LeBron taking an "L." In their eyes it didn't matter who placed Le- Bron in the loser's bracket as long as they believed his disap- pointment would force him to join them in their pitiful, "nigga" misery.
Does this mean that everyone who rooted for Golden State falls into this "niggarized" category? Not ncessarily.
But, if you hate LeBron and can't figure out exactly why, then this shoe, custom made for every "real nigga," should fit perfectly.
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Removing A Confederate Statue: Should The Dead Bury The Dead?
AConfederate statue stands outside the Hillsborough County Courthouse in Downtown Tampa.
The lanky, grey-stone sentry (soldier) has been there since
1911. Placed there by the last living relatives of what many in the American South still call “the Lost Cause.”
Now, some in the more progressive Hillsborough County are asking, “after more than 100 years, isn’t it time to sit the Confederate soldier down?” Especially since HE represents only the faces, souls and spirits of racists that wanted to con- tinue to own, whip, chain, rape, sell and suppress the rights of another group of human beings.
When the Courthouse Confederate statue was erected, the war it represented had y been over almost 50 years. Even though a major portion of our county’s citizenry still could not vote when the statue was first erected, say many, the statue still stood for memories, not maliciousness.
And herein lies the conflict: The truth cannot be forgot- ten. And history of the American South is also the truth of our nation
Yes, tear the statues down! Let them all go! But in so doing, will we have sufficiently dealt with the countless nightmares and misunderstandings that hide under our beds?
Yes, dismantle the Confederate statue, and as you do so, explain to school children why they no longer need to know his face nor his story. Better still; educate them so that the statue need never come back from the past to harass the present and haunt the future.
In other words, “Let the dead bury the dead.”
Let There Be...
mpowered Greetings.
The words “Let there be” is found in the Genesis of the creation of the world as we know it. Just as God called things into existence, so can you. In brief, to “let” is to give permission to or not to forbid. While be means to exist.
There are those of you read- ing this column that need to give permission to yourself to live your best life now! Despite the troubles that you’ve experienced or the heartaches that you’ve had, there is something better in store for you. Will you LET yourself grab hold to it? If you will something to be, coupled with taking the necessary ac- tions to bring it about, it will be. It will manifest itself. It will take
root in your life.
What have you been sitting
back waiting, wanting and hop- ing for? It can be yours, if you let it. Open your mouth and begin to activate the creative power of the LET principle.
Let there be light or illumi- nation on how to take your ideas from concept to materialization. Let there be a separation in your life from the people, places and things that represent dark times, dark thoughts and dark activi- ties that previously kept you liv- ing a life that was chaotic, void and without form or purpose.
Let the dry places in your life begin to flourish and overflow. Let there be much fruit in your business and ministry. Let there be finances, wealth and riches in
your household. Let there be peace, love, happiness and joy in your relationships. Let every en- deavor you undertake produce success.
Let your clientele multiply and replenish your bank ac- count. Let everything you do, say and speak not just be good but very good.
Let what you’ve read today become a part of your daily rou- tine. Join our LET Challenge. For the next 17 days, we will be making daily LET declarations to speak over your life, business and ministry. You’ll also receive actionable steps and daily videos in our free LET Challenge group. Details at successcoach- towomen.com
Let’s stay connected! Sign up to receive my free E-zine Suc- cess Made Simple at Success- CoachToWomen.com
Follow me on Social Media: Facebook: Selphenia Nichols Success Coach to Women; IG:@selphenia
Twitter:@queenofsuccess1.
The Pied Pipers Of Washington, D. C.
ecent events in the nation’s capitol, Washington, D. C.,
have led us to compare the children’s nursery rhyme, The Pied Piper of Hamelin.
Why else is there not mass protest or national outcry by Americans who are insured under the Affordable Care Act (ACA); who lost their 401Ks and pensions, or their homes; and whose lives were turned upside down during the 2008 national financial crises?
Remembering, Republicans created that fiasco with their deregulation agenda.
First of all, the American Health Care Act passed by the U. S. House of Representatives in May is now being called “MEAN” by President Trump even though he celebrated the passage of the bill with House members the afternoon the bill passed by a four-vote margin.
The Act as written will increase the cost of insurance pre- miums; will result in fewer healthy people buying insur-
ance; will not provide income-based subsides; will reduce federal funds for states to expand Medicaid; will raise the cost of insurance premiums for seniors between the ages 50 to 64; will cut funding for Planned Parenthood; and will discriminate against people with pre-exist- ing conditions such as cancer, diabetes, etc.
Also, in early June, the House of Representatives voted to remove strict regulations enacted by the Obama Administration after the 2008 financial crisis.
This means Wall Street, big banks and investment firms and other corporate giants will be able to operate with minimum oversight.
And to top it off, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will become powerless to pro- tect Americans. Meanwhile, many of us continue to follow the music of the Republican Pied Pipers, mindlessly head towards the steep cliff and the deep waters we’re happily being led to.
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PAGE 6-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 2017