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Editorials/Columns
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Love Is In The Air, It’s Valentine Day
re you feeling like you
just wanted to hug some- body? Maybe just love some- one? Probably buy someone some candy or a dozen roses? Get someone a piece of jew- elry? How about eating a meal at a plush restaurant?
No, you haven’t lost your mind, nor is Christmas com- ing. It is February 14th. You re- member what is so special about this day? It is Valen- tine’s Day and love is in the air. It is your manly duty to do one or more of the above things and you better know it. Man, if you don’t, if you forget this day, your name will be mud and you’ll be on your way out.
Out of where, you ask? Man you’ve really got it bad if
you don’t know what I mean by on your way out. That girl or that lady that you call Baby, Sweetheart, or Darling will put you out of her house and her life if you forget her on this date.
If you forgot, put this paper down and get busy doing your job.
A lady would rather you forget her on Christmas than Valentine’s.
What make this day so spe- cial? I am not sure.
Valentine has a screwed up history that was connected to killings, Saints and pernicious women.
Men do not get any pres- ents that you can show your friends. I should say not. But,
you will say and show signs of the good times you had for Valentine’s Day.
It is typical for the male to start with a Valentine card and a box of chocolate candy as a getaway gift. Today that’s all those items are, getaway gifts.
Today women want more than a box of chocolate. They may not say anything, but they want more. With that in mind, I am writing this article a bit early to remind you absent- minded fellows of what day Valentine’s Day is and what you have to do.
I remember well when it came my day to shop. I was in college with no money and no way to obtain some anytime soon. I used a now you see it, now you don’t with a store- keeper and just like that my lady had a box of chocolate.
Men don’t try that today. It may not work. To do anything that will land the man in jail is sure to make the madam mad.
Look men, let’s face it, you will just have to stand up and be a man.
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Senate Should Kill House Bills 4001 And 163
hough Floridians Hazel and Mark are licensed con-
cealed weapon holders, they both are convinced they secured their permits too easily. Furthermore, they sus- pect the gun safety training they took included fellow classmates who should never have been licensed because of their immaturity and tendency to want to shoot people for minor or perceived insults.
What’s more, Hazel and Mark admit they never re- ceived any anger management training or underwent any psychological testing. For these reasons alone, the Florida Senate should kill the House Bills that allow citi- zens with concealed weapon permits to take guns onto college campuses and to openly carry such firearms in public.
Indeed, members of Florida’s House must not have spent any time watching Wyatt Earp, Matt Dillon (Gun- smoke) or any of the other Western movies depicting the era in America’s history when “open carry” was legal. We also wonder if House members have experienced the be- havior of impatient drivers during heavy traffic, or the behavior of annoyed customers waiting in long lines in the grocery or retail stores. We would hate to see some of these drivers or customers with open or concealed weapons permits.
Therefore, we urge our local Senate representatives to vote against both House Bill 4001 and House Bill 163. We also urge our readers to call our Senate representa- tives Joyner, Lee, and Legg to request they vote against both bills. To vote otherwise is a return to Dodge City.
Dying To Get In
hen I first heard
about the shooting that occurred at a Tampa strip club last weekend, where 8 people were shot (two of whom died from their in- juries), I was disturbed by the unnecessary loss of young life. But, the story became even more personal for me when I discovered that one of the victims killed in the inci- dent, 21-year-old Marvin Lancaster, III, was the son of a woman who I've known since we were both wearing diapers and sucking on paci- fiers inside of the same Cen-
tral Park Village apartment. The fact that her son, who was only a few years younger than my son, was taken from her under such tragic circum- stances made it register to me just how easily I could have been the one suffering the same heartbreak, had it been my child. That is mainly be- cause, while some may view not being forced to endure that kind of emotional devas- tation as a blessing, I can't help but wonder if it's not moreofacaseofmyturnto suffer being temporarily de-
layed.
I mean, what makes those
of us, who've been fortunate
enough not to lose a child, any more special?
By now you would think that we would be better equipped to handle these kinds of incidents due to the frequency in which they occur. But, the truth is, deal- ing with death and loss is never easy. And in this partic- ular case, where nearly all of the victims were innocent by- standers who were caught in a crossfire, it's even more dra- matic because it was com- pletely preventable.
The thing that bothers me about this episode more than the fact that some idiots thought it would be cool to shoot it out inside of a crowded establishment is the idea that guns were in the club in the first place. I mean, we all know that the potential of violence lurks around every corner. But I don't think any- one goes out thinking that they may be shot while having a good time inside of a place that they paid to enter.
To me, what happened in that strip club speaks directly to one of two things transpir- ing: club security being way too lax or the bouncers at the front door being so thirsty for a little extra cash that they al-
lowed these knuckleheads to bring their weapons inside undetected.
Either way, as far as I'm concerned, the manager and the crew he hired have just as much blood on their hands as the person who pulled the trigger. And the worst part is that, even after this club has its doors shut, they'll all even- tually find work at another nightspot where they'll be able to orchestrate the same amount of carnage.
Unfortunately, this stands as a prime example of the risks people take when they patronize places owned and operated by individuals who could care less about the safety of their customers. While violence is sometimes unavoidable, going to places that cater to violence is.
Going forward, I think it best that people who enjoy the nightlife begin to take this into consideration when choosing where to party be- cause the potential of dying should never be a part of the cost of admission.
I extend my deepest con- dolences to the Graham and Lancaster families, as well as to the family of Christo- pher Houston.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. Anyone wishing to contact Clarence Barr can email him at: reality- onice@ yahoo.com.
Hillary Clinton And New Hampshire; The Days After
e’re told, Hillary Clinton’s people did not expect
to win New Hampshire. If so, we’re certain Bob Buckhorn wished someone had cued him in before he left Tampa International Airport. Nevertheless, Bernie Sanders, sounding more like someone’s favorite uncle, stoked his campaign locomotive to run through the Black Democratic voter camp of South Carolina like he blew through Iowa and New Hampshire. But what happened to Hillary?
Let us try to explain.
There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Hillary Clin- ton is imminently qualified. Wife of America’s 42nd pres- ident, Senator from New York, Secretary of State for America’s first Black Commander-in-Chief, champion of countless causes, Clinton has already made her place in the books of history. . . and that seems to be the problem, especially with members of Generation X who haven’t read the books.
Consequently, it is a brutal possibility that such peo- ple as Hillary, who have done so much for the history of their society, are buried by the sheer weight of all the things they have done, and now confront a generation who flatly asks, “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME,
LATELY?” The sickening realization that amongst young voters, Clinton is not known, and among Leftist-Independents she is not trusted is also an open-wound that a vulture- like-media loves to peck.
So, shall Hillary Clinton’s legacy be the woman who was kissed by history only to be denied the greatest embrace of all (Presidency of the United States), or will Generation X finally see that Hillary has, indeed, paid her dues and deserves her place, not only in the yesterday, but in the now? Perhaps, when she comes to Florida, we’ll let her know we’ve read her books.
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PAGE 6-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016