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Editorials/Columns
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f it had been for any other reason, we would have
barred the exit doors. Indeed, the idea of our chil- dren skipping school under any pretense, given the stiff competition of world technology and the honored tradition of American public education would them- selves be enough to keep public school students hard at work, 24-7.
But this is different.
Over the past decade, American public schools have too often morphed from places of basic education to junior shooting galleries. And just the other week, a de- ranged young man with an axe to grind armed with an AR-15 walked calmly into a South Florida high school, pulled a fire alarm, then calmly cut down 14 students and 3 adults as they scurried out of their classrooms.
Later, certain legislators throughout Florida and the rest of America played “hear-no-evil; see-no-evil, and speak-no-evil!” (three blind monkeys) game.
And for politicians’ blatant arrogance, hundreds of students in Tampa Bay and thousands of students across America put their pens down and marched out- side their classrooms. For the students who partici- pated and for the schools who allowed them to do so, we find no fault with their heroism and common sense.
Our question now is.. “What will it take to wake our nation up?”
Unfortunately, we’ve found the blood of our chil- dren doesn’t do the trick. So, maybe, what might work is the closing of our schools and the destruction of our democratic ideal of public education. Then America can return to education only for the rich and elite, which it has missed since the end of school segrega- tion.
Sorry, NRA and Trump supporters. No way, no how, because young Pandora has been let out of her box.
Perhaps, her confinement was Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Having been set loose, Pandora is now free to register to vote in the next election, and the errors of your ways WILL be dealt with.
A New Weapon For Teachers
ho would have ever
thought that the an- swer to the epidemic of mass school shootings would be to allow more guns into the buildings? But according to the twisted thinking of Don- ald Trump, who believes armed educators would be a deterrent to any deranged killer, that’s exactly what’s
needed.
By Trump’s logic, the
presence of armed school staff would make individuals leery of attacking learning institu- tions while also providing teachers with the means to gun down any assailant who enters into one of their class- rooms. Never mind the fact that three seasoned sheriff deputies, who were on the scene during the massacre last week at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, got cold feet when facing an active shooter situation.
In Trump’s funhouse view of things, the average math instructor wouldn’t hes- itate to turn into Clint East- wood once he or she is allowed to stash a .38 revolver inside of a drawer filled with #2 pencils.
The craziest thing about Trump’s suggestion isn’t just
the fact that he was dead seri- ous, it’s that his proposal was supported by more than a few intelligent politicians who did- n’t see it as a half-bad idea. I guess it didn’t occur to Trump or his flunkies the number of things that could go terribly wrong if teachers started showing up to classes strapped like mercenaries.
For starters, at whose feet will legal liabilities fall once bullets begin to fly and one of these teacher/snipers kills or maims someone’s child with friendly fire? Would there be any consequences for that teacher or would the casual- ties be considered “collateral damage” of a well-intentioned mission to keep kids safe?
And who exactly pays the bill once the dead or injured child family sues? The teacher? The school district? The principal? Trump?
How about the mentally challenged teenager who, knowing that there are hun- dreds of guns on school grounds, steals one from an ir- responsible employee and kills several people before he’s eventually taken out? What’s going to be the excuse and sto- ryline surrounding firearms then?
And, most concerning (es- pecially for families in minor- ity communities), what about the inevitable mistake that’s bound to happen at some point when one of these teach- ers loses his or her cool or overreacts to an incident with deadly force?
We’re already well aware of how easily a Black man can be killed on the streets by scary cops.
Once teachers are walking down school hallways with shoulder holsters, will Black parents have to worry about receiving an “our bad” apology from the local school board after their 10-year-old is shot and killed when a teacher mis- takes his lunch box for a weapon and claims that he or she thought his or her life was in jeopardy?
I’m sure that these are questions that neither Trump nor his partners in in- sanity thought about before injecting this bone-headed no- tion into the public conscious- ness. You want to believe that the leader of the free world would be capable enough to come up with a much better solution.
But if that’s not the case and this is the best that the so- called brightest minds in the country could muster, then I think it’s safe to say that the pile of s—- that this nation is in is far deeper than we could have ever imagined.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbar- ronice@gmail.com.
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Why We Support Student Walkouts
F. L. Y.
“First, love yourself, then everything and everyone else will fall in line.”
~Selphenia Nichols PART II OF II
4. Accept yourself for who you are. Love the skin you are in. Love your hair, your eyes, your lips, your nose, your feet, your hips and even your fingertips. Love the person God created you to be. Don’t wait until you lose weight, gain weight, perm your hair, wave your hair or any of the physical things you can’t change
about yourself. It’s ok to be ok not being what you con- sider as perfect. Trust me no one is perfect.
5. Be confident in yourself and your abili- ties. Build confidence in yourself by looking in the mirror and speaking posi- tive words to yourself daily. Tell yourself that you love you. Stay positive during good and not so good times. Always think the best is on its way to you. Keep up with you and not everyone else. Focus on you and don’t worry about what others have. Yours is coming.
Staying in your lane is a
good confidence booster be- cause you can become great doing what you do best in- stead of trying to do what others are doing.
Learning to First Love Yourself, aka F.L.Y., will bring you peace and joy. It’s not a sign of selfishness but it’s a clear path to happiness. As Andre Gide said, “Lov- ing yourself isn’t vanity, it’s sanity.”
Invite me to speak at your business, school, organization or church conference. I would love to be a part of your next event. I would love to coach you on your jour- ney of self- love. Call me so we can make that happen, 813-603-0088.
Let’s stay connected on social media:
Facebook: Selphenia Nichols Success Coach To Women Instagram: @Selphenia Twitter: @queenofsuc- cess1.
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5