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Bigger Than Nino Brown
ust when you thought
that 2016's political sea- son couldn't get even more dramatic, the intensity level in- creased ten-fold last weekend after the surprise death of U. S. Supreme Court Justice An- tonin Scalia, the staunchest conservative of the judicial branch.
To place into context just how significant this event is to members of the Republican es- tablishment, Scalia's body wasn't even properly zipped up inside of a bodybag before con- servative pundits were all over television presenting their case for why President Barack Obama, being in the final year of his last term in office, shouldn't be allowed to choose Scalia's replacement. They didn't bother to reflect on the life and accomplishments of the fallen Justice. Their only concern was for the matter at hand. Protecting the 44-year majority stranglehold the right wing of the political spectrum has had on this country's high- est court.
Right now the G.O.P. is ter- rified by who President Obama could place on the bench. That is because, with is- sues like immigration amnesty, gun rights, abortion, and affirmative action all on
the clock for Supreme Court interpretation, whoever it is, could potentially change the fabric of this nation for gener- ations to come.
In the immortal words of Wesley Snipes' character in the movie New Jack City, "This is way bigger than Nino Brown." And it's exactly why this will be the toughest chal- lenge President Obama has faced during his tenure.
Republicans aren't ready to give up that amount of power by allowing the legal pendu- lum to swing to the far left. And they are preparing to do whatever it takes to keep it from happening.
The fact that Justice Scalia's death is such a game changer is also the reason why there's so much suspicion sur- rounding the incident. The idea that Scalia died on a Texas ranch owned by a sup- porter of President Obama, along with the report that a pil- low was found over his head and no autopsy was ordered, has conspiracy theorists won- dering if Scalia was an obsta- cle removed for the President's benefit?
I guess Scalia, being a morbidly obese 79-year-old with chronic health problems was just convenient enough to
mask a more sinister plot? Which reminds me, with Jus- tice Anthony Kennedy, 79, and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, 82, both a part of the advanced geriatric society, I imagine it won't be long be- fore we'll be trying to figure out who killed them as well?
Lost in this political tur- moil is the very real problem facing Justice Clarence Thomas. With his best buddy Scalia now deceased, whose shoes will he take up shining in between his tap-dancing gigs?
All of this, of course, means nothing to President Obama, who will more than likely, nominate the most qual- ified, fully vetted, liberal he can find while daring them to court controversy by disap- proving his choice in a key election year. It will be his dig- nified way of giving the legisla- tors, who've taken every opportunity to oppose him, the double middle finger salute on his way out the door.
What we are witnessing is a prime example of why politics is so often compared to the game of chess.
And, if President Obama can pull off a victory against an opponent trying desperately to force a stalemate, he'll prove once and for all that he truly is the greatest grand master of the matrix that we've ever seen.
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.
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John, Legg-O Our School Recess!
ohn Legg has a hiccup. Even though he’s a Republican- in-good-standing of the Florida Senate and has been both a successful teacher and principal of his own char-
ter elementary school and even though John has a leg up on most people when it comes to the issue of school recess, and loves the idea, that’s the problem. He loves it so much that he can’t stand it if it’s mandated by state government.
And that’s where the hiccups come down. Like Rooster Cogburn (in the movie True Grit), Good Old John has placed himself four-square in front of the Florida mandate that all schools, especially elementary schools, must have at least a 20-minute recess.
But what’s wrong with recess? As we said earlier, John Legg loves recess. No doubt, he has it invested in his charter elementary school, and quite certainly he’s aware that the great educators of humanity including Aristotle and Socrates were champions of that childhood tradition. But one word messes the whole thing up for Dr. John. And that word is “must.”
Like all good GOP conservatives he hates it and would rather the sentence read, “All Florida elementary schools “SHOULD be allowed to consider school recess on their own terms.” ‘Sounds like the beginning of a state’s rights fili- buster, doesn’t it? Could it be that with a government man- date for recess, even charter schools would have to toe the line and pay the extra bill if necessary? Whatsoever the rea- son, Legg won’t let go of what appears to be his ego.
So, we guess, from a school perspective, his unreason- able stance must make John Legg a traditional symbol of a fixture found on every playground: a bully.
A Look At The First Family
he family living in the
White House today is an unusual one. The reason they are so unusual is because they are African Americans and no other Black has been Presi- dent of the United States. The current First Family consists of five people who deeply love and care for each other. This is a fact, in spite of the many naysayer rumor spreaders. There are two lovely lady-like daughters, the wife, a mother- in-in law and the President himself.
We will start our look with the two daughters, 14-year-old Miss Sasha and 16-year-old Miss Malia. Both of them at- tend the same school and they have enough hobbies to keep the Obamas busy for awhile.
For Sasha, it is gymnastics and taps. Malia likes dance, drama and soccer. Piano and tennis are the hobbies of both girls. Malia is the real busy one. Her first problem is to con- centrate on finishing high school. Then she must select the college she will attend, com- pleting her driving ability to a high level of proficiency and fi- nally the pressure of being the daughter of an ex president.
Sasha will have all eyes
upon her with big sister gone off to school, but the Obamas will be able to handle that.
Now it’s time to look at the wife of the President and the mother of Malia and Sasha. That person is Michelle Obama.
She is beautiful, intelligent, articulate, creative and shows great leadership ability. Many think that she would have made as good a president as her hus- band. By profession Mrs. Obama is a lawyer. Before be- coming First Lady she was vice president of a Chicago hospital. As First Lady, Mrs. Obama has changed the image of the White House like no other First Lady has done. She has truly made it the People’s House. People from all walks of life and from all financial levels have been invited to the White House for special occasions. Her clothes line has become the talk of the nation.
The fourth one is the mother-in-law. That would be Ms. Marian Robinson.
Ms. Robinson raised Michelle and her brother while working as a secretary. Ms. Robinson did not have much to give beyond the basics. She was a strict disciplinarian,
and she believed in and stressed a solid education. She made it clear that she wanted and expected her children to be somebody. When Mr. Obama got elected President she moved into the White House. She then became the mother- in-law, the Obamas built in baby sitter and The First Grandma.
And now for the fifth person in the house, the President, Barack Obama.
The President grew up in Chicago. He had the opportu- nity to attend some of the best schools in the nation and the smarts necessary answering to take advantage of that. After Mr. Obama graduated he moved back to Chicago and took a job as a community or- ganizer. There he met and mar- ried the brilliant Michelle Robinson.
Mr. Obama loved his job, but the political bug began to beckon him. In answer to this call, Barack ran for a state seat and lost. But, Mr. Obama was not through. He later ran for a U. S. Senate seat and won. Be- fore Mr. Obama could find his way around the House of Sen- ate the fool ran for President of the United States
Yes, you got it right, the President. He knew no person of color had won that valued position. It is said, that the screamingly particular Mr. Obama put together the great- est ground game in history .The rest is history.
Supreme Court Nomination Can’t Wait For A New President
onsider the situation.
The Supreme Court is confronted by a litany of firestorm issues including a humane immigration process, women’s reproductive rights, the defense of affirmative ac- tion, and the reigning in of the 2nd Constitutional Amend- ment among others. The Supreme Court Justices vote, but realize a 4-to-4 deadlock on most of their decisions.
The outcome is chilling: In a 4-to-4 vote without a ninth person to break the tie, the American Constitution and the democracy that goes with it come to a screeching halt. Our society would die. Imagine such is about to happen on Capi- tol Hill and you would be right.
Why? Republican Senators have let it be known that if President Obama nominates a Supreme Court Justice to fill the vacancy left by the late Antonin Scalia. The Senate ma- jority) promise to oppose the President, no matter who he sends. Unethical? Unconstitutional? Of course!
But because Capitol Hill believe they no longer need to hide the “N”-word in their dealings with a lame-duck “First- Black” President, have dropped their trousers, bared their cheeks and dared anybody from waiting until a new presi- dent is sworn in.
But here’s a snag most arrogant Tea-Partiers may not have considered: What if Trump loses and Hillary wins? If so, then SHE (not HE) will have the right to pick a new jus- tice. And the last time we checked, the rumor was Hillary was very much leaning toward nominating (Guess who?) Former President Barack Obama as new Supreme Court Justice.
As Grandma used to say, “If you’re gonna dig a hole, you’d better dig two . . !”
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