Page 5 - Florida Sentinel 11-17-15 Edition

Editorials
Honor: Don’t Deny It And Don’t Defy It
A Problem We Can’t Solve
Justice For Corey Jones
F olks say Palm Beach Gardens has never been the same since Corey Jones’ run-in with local police, last October that cost him his life. But just the other day, the agency who hired Police Officer Nouman Raja fired him for actions un- becoming a police officer. A quiet applause rose from Palm
Beach Gardens’ Black community.
But the fanfare was followed by an awkward silence and
then an even more awkward question: “Now what?”Now that he is fired, will the former officer, who by the way is not white, be charged with first degree murder, second degree murder, manslaughter or some other crime? Or might Raja, his family, and his former police agency be indicted in a civil rights suit?
Meanwhile, American society waits and watches, asking itself “Is this the spark that lights the clump of straw? In the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department’s mind at least, no question exists, but that Raja was wrong-minded when he shot an unarmed man who was simply trying to fix his car. But is the department’s action enough to calm an already skittish, social-media-drunk society that inches ever closer to becoming an internet-stoked, knee-jerked justice mob?
Might we one day turn on the television to see police of- ficers across America quitting by the thousands in protest of an increasingly bad press and mad public that seem to paint every man or woman with a badge as a murderer? Or will some hair-brained Hill-Billy or hate-filled Hip-Hopper strike the match that causes a race-war on the streets of the United States of America that kills millions of innocents . . . and all because of what happened in places like Ferguson, Balti- more, and yes, Palm Beach Gardens?
Before a fire starts that can’t be quelled, we suggest men and women of good conscience rally to the side of righteous- ness and common sense. Else there will have been no justice on the streets of America. And Corey Jones’ life and death will have been in vain.
Dignity consists not in possessing honors, but in the consciousness that we deserve them. –
Aristotle
Empowered Greetings. The people that you respect greatly or hold in high re- gard or esteem are the peo- ple that you honor. It is natural for us to honor peo- ple we admire. We honor people by naming streets after them and building monuments to show our honor. Veterans are honored because of their dedication to serving our country. Kings are honored because of their position. But how often do we honor those that are clos- est to us?
Parents don’t deny honor to your children. They de- serve it. Tell them how you
It was almost like watch- ing one of those high budget action thrillers. You know the kind where a super vil- lainous organization launches an attack on an un- suspecting city and then gives a demand for some crazy financial ransom in ex- change for not orchestrating any more mayhem on the world?
Only this wasn’t a Holly- wood production. When the attacks occurred Friday night in Paris, it was the work of real bad guys killing real innocent people who didn’t sign up to be extras in a slaughter fest.
Of course, if this were a movie, we wouldn’t have to worry. The next scene would involve a collection of heroic Jason Bourne and James Bond types who would de- vise a foolproof plan to take down the baddies. Unfortu- nately for us though, in this living script, the good guys we have to depend on don’t appear to have a clue of where to start.
This latest assault by ISIS, that killed 129 and critically injured 352 more, is just an- other example of how inef-
feel about them. Affirm their value to you. They need to know that they are worthy of your respect just as you are worthy of theirs. Children don’t defy honoring your parents. They deserve it. Keep your parents’ dignity by making right choices in life. Spouses should honor each other for Hebrew 13:4 says to let marriage be held in honor among all.
Veterans Day in the U. S. is the day we honor military veterans. In other parts of the world it is celebrated as Remembrance Day or Armistice Day. For it was at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month when the armistice that ended WWI was signed. I want to en- courage you that just as you honored veterans last week, also remember to honor
fective the strategy to cripple the terroristic group has been so far. On Friday morn- ing the Pentagon released a report confirming that they were sure military airstrikes were successful in killing an ISIS figurehead known as “Jihadi John.” Not 12 hours later ISIS responded with a level of violence in the French capital that was a lot more intimate.
When the killing was done the main question that, I imagine, found space in every American’s mind was, “Could the same thing hap- pen here?” And the troubling answer no one wants to hear is that, “it could happen any- where.”
The main problem with ISIS is that the people carry- ing out these vicious acts aren’t foreigners to the na- tions and cities they terror- ize. They are, more often than not, citizens of the countries targeted who’ve decided to assist psycho- pathic murderers with their blood thirsty agendas.
It isn’t the Arab brother at the corner convenience store who poses the biggest threat. More than likely, if and when
your loved ones.
Don’t let it be said that in
the 11th month in the 15th year of the 2000th millen- nium that you did not honor or defy honor to those that matter most in your life. Be the change you want to see. Give honor to whom honor is due, because they deserve it. This simple act of showing honor will cause you to have more productive, healthy and happy family relation- ships.
Let’s stay connected. Let me know who you will honor and give thanks to this month.
Call or text (813) 956- 0185 to invite Selphenia to speak or present a workshop or training for your next event.
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ISIS decides to pull off one of these brutal operations here, it’s going to be the person we least expect pulling the trig- ger or setting off the bomb. Don’t be surprised if it’s the lonely librarian, odd school teacher or the quiet weed- smoking college student, who allowed themselves to be brainwashed on social media, screaming “ALLAH- HU-AKBAR” before all hell breaks loose.
Who’s the man wearing the big beard and kufi gar- nering everyone’s attention? He’ll just be a guy trying to make it to a Jumuah service at the Mosque around the corner.
In the end there’s really nothing the F.B.I., C.I.A, or local law enforcement can do to prevent any one of the places we frequent from be- coming the latest sight of an execution inspired by reli- gious radicalization. And with that being the case, while we send up prayers for the lives lost in Paris, it prob- ably wouldn’t hurt to also ask the Lord Almighty to provide us a safe hiding place on the off chance that we find our- selves somewhere out in public when the bullets start flying again.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. Anyone wishing to contact Clarence Barr can email him at: realityonice@yahoo.com.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5
A Case For Paid Parental Leave
J ust by accident, could it be that paid maternity and parental leave could solve many of the problems of juve- nile delinquency and crime in America? For instance, since 2010, America is the only industrial nation that refuses to grant paid maternity leave for mothers (and fathers) of new born babies. At least 183 other countries carry some sort of paid maternity and parental leave funded through the em- ployers or social security. Indeed, many nations allow par- ents to share paid leave time and pay parents between 50 to
100 percent of their salaries.
However, the concept of paid parental leave is catching on
in America as a number of Fortune 500 companies now pro- vide the benefit to their employees. Among them are Google, Bank of America, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, Johnson and Johnson, and Netflix. Currently, only four states (California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island) have publicly funded paid maternity, while more than 20 studies have shown that engaged and involved nurturing, and interaction with newborns during the first year of their lives greatly af- fect children’s ability to form healthy relationships with their peers and others.
Furthermore, other benefits include the children’s ability to be more emotionally secure and confident as they grow into adolescence and adulthood. The children have less trou- ble at home and school, are more independent and higher achievers, and are less likely to use drugs and alcohol, and form trusting and lifelong attachments to their parents..
Therefore, when considering the daunting budget of more than $21 billion a year for juvenile delinquency and crime in this country, we say it makes more sense to support paid parental leave as a humane and democratic thing to do.