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Editorials/Columns
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Clarence, We Need You Now
udge Clarence
Thomas travel with me back to 2004 when you were nominated to the Supreme Court. You were being nomi- nated to replace the beloved Thurgood Marshall who was the lone Black on the court. Justice Marshall had a reputation for fighting for the welfare of Blacks.
We had heard about your questionable reputation when it came to standing up for the rights of Blacks. In spite of this, we lead ourselves to be- lieve you would change once you got on the Supreme Court. Blacks pulled like all get out for you at the confirmation hearing. Blacks celebrated when you were confirmed.
Boy, was we wrong about you. Clarence, you have turned out to be the worst thing that has happened to us by the Supreme Court.
I don’t know whether you
are aware of it of not but the Court has made a lot of rulings that went against Blacks. The rulings have all come since you have been on the Court. These rulings have come by a 5 to 4 vote. Sadly, the fifth vote was yours.
Mr. Thomas in case you don’t care to remember you are still Black, too. If you don’t believe ask any White person. Oh, they know you and it isn’t because of your skin color ei- ther.
Your vote has overturned most of the all important Civil Rights gains made. It is appar- ent that there is no shame in your game and that you have forgotten the program that got you where you are today. We can’t forgive you for all of the things you have done to us, but we need you to stand up and be a man for Blacks.
As you are aware, the Supreme Court will rule any
day on parts of the Affordable Healthcare Act. Judge, you know what that is don’t you? A lot of you Republicans not only know what the Act is, and they don’t want it repealed because they have their families en- rolled. Being a Republican they can’t say the Act is good and should be saved in its en- tirety.
But back to you Your Honor. There is a section of the Affordable Healthcare Act that really makes it affordable. That is the section where the federal government pays part of the premium based on need. The Court will decide whether or not this is Constitutional.
Mr. Thomas, we need you. A no vote by the Court could spell the end for the Act. Millions of poor people and es- pecially Blacks, will be left with no health insurance. The rul- ing may go against the Act by 5 to 4 vote, but we don’t need your vote to be one of the five. We need you to do all you can do to save the Act.
Lobby other members of the Court to vote with you. Your efforts will mark the first time your vote has made Blacks happy. Try it, you like it and you may be moved to more of it.
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“Racially Human: Culturally Black”
he results are finally in: Rachel Dolezal has come
partially clean about her so-called ethnicity. Using her son’s description of his mom’s being “racially human, but culturally Black,” Dolezal opted out of her NAACP chair position though she retained her teaching post in the African Studies Department at a local univer- sity and made no mention of denying her experience as a Howard University certified African American intellec- tual.
In fact, this new eye-opener (a white person wanting to be black) would seem to have taken America by storm. However, History is not excited. For example, it offers another ethnic-shape-shifter by the name of Cleopatra Ptolemy, Queen of Egypt whose parents were Greek, but whose political ethnicity was African (just ask Mark Antony).
Then there was Queen Charlotte Sophia, consort of George, III, King of England. One look at Charlotte would certify her whiteness had slightness. Indeed, our ances- tral world is overfull with individuals who have slid as easily from one color to another as would a fresh-caught catfish on a wet plate. And when all is said and done, how could we forget Tiger Woods who still proudly describes himself as “Cablinasian?” (Now, try that on for size, NAACP!)
But the brutal truth remains for all to see: “As we are human, all things human are common and connected to all of us,” whether we like it or not.
He’s Not Bad; He’s Just Country
et me start by saying
that I really like Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie quar- terback Jameis Winston. He is, without a doubt, a top tier pick at his position. With that being said, I'll also be the first to admit, some of the things he does off the field leave me more than a little concerned.
Initially, I wrote off all of the trouble he had at Florida State as part of the typical mischief engaged in by college students, particularly athletes. But, since he's been drafted, a few red flags have surfaced involving his behavior that make me wonder if he's truly moved on from his pre-grad shenani- gans?
It isn't that I believe he's a bad guy preparing to rack up a series of felonies. It is, more or less, his continued poor deci- sion-making that I can see causing him problems in the future.
From the night he was drafted he's done a number of things that had me scratching my head and thinking, "what's wrong with this dude?"
First there was the Insta-
gram photo he sent posing with a plate of crab legs, mock- ing his arrest for stealing the seafood from a grocery store. Then there was the video that popped up showing a televi- sion reality star cursing him out after, she claims, he could- n't catch the hint that she was- n't interested. And this week it became news that he was de- nied entry into an upscale Tampa nightclub because he arrived at the door dressed for a backyard barbecue.
Obviously, on the surface, these three incidents come off as minor unfortunate occur- rences involving a young man, new to wealth, who also hap- pens to be immature, "swag- less" and hopelessly country. And therein lies the issue.
I don't have a problem with the quarterback of my football team being green and lame everyday of the week as long as he scores touchdowns and wins games on Sunday After- noons. But when you mix these types of characteristics with a high profile personality who also enjoys being on every scene in a city like Tampa, that potentially makes Winston
something else as well..... a mark.
Right now it's funny watch- ing Jameis' corniness become fodder for jokes on TMZ and ESPN. But sooner or later, he's going to want to prove to the world that he's not as square as people believe. And, of course, at that point things have the potential to become ugly.
His pride, and the money that he believes makes him more than what he actually is, will cause him to forget the fact that he's no longer in Besse- mer, Alabama or even Talla- hassee for that matter. And that's when he'll become prey to the Bay Area wolves and tricks who have a tendency to feed on the suckers whose egos get the best of them.
Hopefully, someone in his inner circle will put him up on game or at least teach the boy how to dress the part before any of this happens (I mean, c'mon man, jean shorts to the Blue Martini? Really?).
Until then, I guess, those of us with an invested interest in the Buccaneer franchise will have to hope that Winston ei- ther mans up really quick or becomes so ridiculously goofy that no one bothers to take him seriously. Happy Father's Day.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. Anyone wishing to contact Clarence Barr can email him at: realityon- ice@yahoo.com.
No Lies, This Election Year!
ell, here we wait, 17 months from our nation’s
next presidential election, and already the lies and counter-lies are flying like love-bugs. Indeed, the 2012 election campaign was a year of insults and lies to the extent the Politifacts meter was dropped off at Olin Mott auto repair. But from all appearances, the 2016 election campaign year just might be a bigger car crash than anything in previous American history, featuring possible Republicans and Democrats pick-me’s going toe- to-toe in a bare-knuckled lie-athon.
And may we remind politicians that voters aren’t the least bit interested in determining who can tell the biggest whopper. Instead, voters want to know what politicians plan for improving issues related to our econ- omy, to affordable health care for everyone, to ending our intrusion into other nations’ cat-fights, to arrest and reverse global warming, and to clean up our most pre- cious commodity: breathable air.
We also want to know what you plan to do about off- shore drilling, ethical and unbiased policing, transparent political campaign fundraising, and other ethical and hu- mane issues. In fact, as soon as campaigners begin to be- little other candidates without reason, or start to spin one of those gigantic Big-Brother half-truths, or continue criticizing other candidates as if they were poll-parrots on mescaline, voters should shout down such candidates with a good ol’ fashion “YOU LAAAAH!” or a blunt Detec- tive Joe Friday (Dragnet) “Just the facts . . . nothing but the facts.”
Unfortunately, too many voters believe the rooster-like campaign crows of oppor- tunistic candidates without bothering to check the facts.
Thus, we urge all serious 2015 presidential, state, and local campaigners to conduct clean, ethical, and truthful campaigns. After all, a lying, half-truth-telling political can- didate won’t earn the trust of thinking, reading and aware voters . . . unless his name is Nero.
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PAGE 6-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015