Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 10-23-15 Edition

Editorials/Letter To Editor
W’s And L’s
Those Resilient Rattlers
Another Young Man Dead
W e recognize that the secret of selling papers is diver- sity-of-subject matter. Invariably, the worst thing in the world a newspaper could do is publish the same thing over and over again, which would certainly cause
its readers to look elsewhere for entertainment.
That might be so. But with all such warnings in mind, we regret to recall the drive-by murder of another young Black man. (How many does that make, 44, this year?) Jeremy Williams, 24, was gunned down in Tampa, out- side the Tampa Park Apartments by an assailant that has now been arrested. The very young Black man, very sim- ilar in looks and likes to the man he murdered. Such is the horror and simplicity of Tampa’s most recent mur-
der-game.
In truth, it used to turn our readers’ stomachs. But
people tell us they’re numb to it now. Some people have even come to expect it, week-to-week. What might it be called? Genocide, carnage, holocaust, mass murder, massacre, slaughter, annihilation, decimation, ethnic cleansing, mass execution, and race extermination are all names it could go by. But what do they mean when you’re committing genocide against your own family?
Meanwhile, the epidemic spreads to pandemic pro- portions. Young men with slack pants continue to demonstrate their own self-hatred by killing anyone who remotely resembles them. Police wonder while the Klan laughs. And why not laugh? It isn’t every day that your enemy kills himself.
But here’s our promise. Each time a young Black man in Tampa-Hillsborough County is murdered, we will scream in our editorials until someone hears our cry and strips our young men of their ability to do themselves harm.
Yes, the lives of Black men matter, especially when they are being taken by people who could be their own brothers.
Over the years I’ve come to the conclusion that regardless of eth- nicity, race or gender there are essentially only two types of peo- ple on this planet, those who are winning and those who are los- ing.
The ones who are winning are usually the individuals who’ve made all of the right decisions. They chose the right profession, married the right person, ate all of the right foods and, for the most part, they were able to avoid placing themselves into harm’s way. The people currently living inside of the loser’s bracket, on the other hand, are simply those who chose to do the exact oppo- site.
They married for the wrong reasons, never truly applied themselves to any trade, science or occupation, destroyed their bodies with chemicals and took too many penitentiary chances. Now they’re 10 steps behind in the game and don’t have a clue as to how they can get back on track.
To me this is the most funda- mental aspect of our existence. The fact that our entire lives are governed by how well we succeed or how miserably we fail. no mid- dle ground. No grey area. Only the constant quest to score more
Letter To Editor
As this writer reflects on the midway point - - consid- ered the midway point even though seven games have been played because a bye week follows - - of the 2015 football season, this is probably the mentally toughest bunch of gridders to ever don the Rattler or- ange and green of Florida A & M University.
For the past 52 years since I have been following FAMU football, personal knowledge of the psycho- logical prowess of this team is registered.
Trial and tribulation for a majority of this bunch began before the season started in 2014, with then athletic director, Kellen Winslow, with acquies- cence from President Elmira Mangum, under- mining then Coach Earl Holmes. Due to personal dislike, Winslow did all he could to make Holmes fail, not caring that in the process he was hurting 60 young men.
The travail for the play- ers hit a crescendo when Holmes was fired during Homecoming week. To add insult to the situation, Winslow acted like a kindergartener when dis- pleasure was shown at the Homecoming convocation.
W’s than L’s.
For the last two generations I
think we’ve done our children a tremendous disservice by raising them to believe there’s room for mediocrity, that there’s some kind of merit to be achieved for just giving effort. As a result we’ve created a society of under- achievers who feel as though they deserve a pat on the back for every attempt they make at “try- ing.”
The truth we should be instill- ing into our youth is that, in the real world, no one cares how hard you work if that effort does- n’t lead to production. There are no “participation trophies” given to those who say, “at least I showed up.”
In the real world adult tro- phies like nice cars, nice homes and designer clothing are earned. They are the spoils enjoyed by the victors who did what they needed to do to accomplish their goals.
It always bothers me when I hear people, suffering in a loser’s rut, criticizing those who have succeeded. In their bitterness they always seem to find a down- side to prosperity.
The happily married man has to be a cross-dresser who cheats on his wife. The highly accom-
Fearing no consequence, the antics were committed in the presence of Presi- dent Mangum and no con- sequences resulted.
Before the 2014 season, the team learned that it failed to satisfy NCAA aca- demic progress standards which resulted in sanc- tions. The sanctions in- cluded reduced practice time and ineligibility for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) title, as well as the FCS (formerly Division I-AA) playoffs.
It should be noted that academic progress deficits do not mean players are not succeeding in class. Usually, and principally in FAMU’s circumstance, standards are unmet be- cause as coaches turnover, player turnover follows.
Since the end of the eleven years Billy Joe perennially-playoff bound era in 2004, FAMU has had four head coaches. The group included two interim head coaches, a position maintained by Holmes for two games to complete the 2012 season.
In January 2015, Alex Wood became the fourth head coach in as many years for the senior play- ers. For many others, Wood is the third coach
plished woman had to sleep her way to the top. And, of course, the extremely wealthy have to be miserable because, as they say, “money can’t buy you happi- ness.” I am willing to wager any- thing that it was a loser who coined that metaphor.
These are the thoughts ex- pressed by those who’ve laid down and accepted the notion that they will never..ever.. win. Anytime you hear someone dis- paraging a person that they don’t know solely on the basis of that person excelling on some level, nine times out of ten, you’re in the presence of a loser having a pity party. In their mind, throw- ing shade at someone else’s ac- complishments makes the losses they’ve accumulated more toler- able.
What those accustomed to los- ing never realize though is that their reality can change. That is because the only real losers are those who’ve given up on them- selves.
Regardless of how many times you come up short, as long as there is breath inside of your lungs, you can find your way to the other side of the equation. Like playing basketball or chess it’s just a matter of tightening up your game and calculating every move you make as if your life is on the line because, in actuality, it is.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bulletin Publishing Company. Any- one wishing to contact Clarence Barr can email him at: realityonice@yahoo.com.
since October 2014. During spring practice
of 2015, Wood and his staff worked feverishly to imple- ment his blueprint in the limited practice time. As a part of the partnership, the players labored just as hard.
The season commenced with a first-half ray of hope in the opening game against the University of South Florida, a FBS (for- merly Division I) member. The first quarter score was 3-0, and 16-0, at the half, leading the faithful to be- lieve early that this sea- son’s Rattlers could compete with any team.
This group could have given up after the Samford debacle, the devastating loss to Savannah Sate, and the heartbreaker to North Carolina Central, and been given a pass by the faithful for all they have had to en- dure. Yet, they have played their hearts out approach- ing each game expecting to win.
These players are revel- ing in a much-needed and well-deserved rest. Re- gardless of how the season transpires after the bye- week, this is a mentally tough outfit. When Coach Wood gets the remainder of his program in place, the Rattlers will again be a force to reckon.
ATTY. TED TAYLOR
Safe Havens For Older Children
O ur hearts are saddened whenever someone dies, es- pecially young children. But recent Tampa Bay news accounts of the deaths of young children killed by their parents’ causes an even deeper dismay. Considering that nearly one million children are found to have been “abused” or “neglected” each year based on Department of Health and Human Services statistics regarding child protective service agencies throughout America and its territories, child abuse is pandemic throughout the
United States.
Though American child protective services investigate
at least 3.2 million cases of child abuse and neglect each year and confirm nearly a third of the cases, this figure does not include unreported cases. On average, 450 chil- dren are slaughtered each year by their parents, and the average age of the victims is under 5 years old.
While parents who fear harming their infants, or who cannot take care of their babies are able to leave their children at hospitals, fire stations or police stations under Safe-Haven or Baby Moses laws, parents of older children may be prosecuted for abandoning older chil- dren. Therefore, we believe it is time to extend the age limit of children eligible for protection under these laws.
Certainly, giving custody of endangered children to other relatives, friends or to the state is better than abus- ing and killing them. How many more babies must die be- fore we extend Safe Haven laws to them? How much more of America must we lose before we regain our sense of humanity?
PAGE 6-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2015