Page 5 - Florida Sentinel 8-25-15 Edition

Editorials
Get Excited: Play The Game Of Business
A Question That Stopped A Nation (Or Should Have, Anyway)
Popular comic and radio-talk show host D. L. Hughley asked an interesting question the other day. Asked D. L., “Can you be both a good human being and a successful Amer-
ican president?”
Usually, telephones would have lit up like a Christmas
tree. But this time, silence dialed the line. At last, a solitary caller opened up the dialogue. She said, “I don’t believe you can be a good human being and then be a successful Ameri- can president . . . because you can’t serve two masters.”
Hughley roared his approval to what became an intense debate. So, we ask you, “Can a person be both a good human being and a successful president?”
G. K Chesterton says, ‘If a man were to shoot somebody at a range of five hundred yards, I should call him a good shot, but not necessarily a good man.” He concludes, “The word ‘good’ has many meanings.” We agree, as we also con- cur with the Great Book’s observation, “The contemporary discussion of good and evil draws its terminology from eco- nomics rather than theology.
That a president is kind, polite, loves their mother and sends Christmas cards is good. But is it the measure of a suc- cessful, hard-nosed chief executive who must send tens of thousands of young man and women to war.
If our president refuses, how can he or she be good? What does being good mean in times of austerity and conflict? So, as we canvas our heads of state, from Washington to Presi- dent Obama, realizing our history has only seen 17 years of peace, how can we answer D.L.’s question other than to say, “Presidents are only as good as the people they lead?”
We have a question: When did America stop being great? Indeed, every time we hear presidential candidates say, “I’m going to make America great again,” “I will make
America strong again,” or “Our president is weak,” we can’t help ask, are the accusers insinuating that America stopped being great in 2008 when President Barack Obama was elected?
Our readers want to know. Did America stop being great when President Obama rescued the auto industry and the banking and investment industries, saving America from the jaws of a 1920s era depression? Did America stop being great when the Obama administration brought Osama bin Laden, one of the most dangerous terrorists of the decade, to justice?
Or was America’s demise when President Obama brought American sons and daughters home from Middle East wars that should never have been started in the first place? Maybe, critics thought America stopped being great when President Obama gave women the equal pay they de- served for equal work? Since they are still trying to legislate what women do with their own wombs, maybe critics think America would be greater if women remained barefoot and pregnant. Now that practically every American who could not afford health insurance has options for preventive health care, is that when America lost its greatness?
Perhaps, America stopped being great when President Obama chose to negotiate with Iran and Cuba instead of building a Chinese Wall along the Rio Grande. Or maybe, the President’s major goof was not allowing rich old men to ig- nite World War III.
Then again, perhaps the real reason America is no longer great is because its president is not white?
Exhausting all reasonable possibilities we are forced to admit, America is as great as it has ever been.
“Money was never a big motivation for me except as a way to keep score. The real excitement is playing the game.” ~ Don- ald Trump
Empowered Greetings.
Many of you get excited over a sports team that you have no stake in. You sit en- thusiastically in the stands or in front of the TV, cheering your team to victory. You know the game. You love the game. Whenever possible, you play the game. Although you may not want to admit it,
By Marc H. Morial
President and CEO National Urban League
“The country has lost one of its most passionate and elo- quent voices for the cause of justice. He advocated not just for African Americans, but for every group, indeed every person subject to oppression and discrimination, because he recognized the common humanity in us all.” –
Morris Dees, Southern Poverty Law Center
Julian Bond was never one to shrink away from a worthy fight.
He lived his life as a tireless champion of the oppressed and maligned, a battle-worn warrior for civil rights, equal- ity and social justice. Bond fought the good fight, and at the still-youthful age of 75, he completed his course.
His longtime dedication to equal rights for African-Amer- icans—and for all—will be cel- ebrated in the days and months to come. But we must guard against fossilizing his life and legacy in tributes or textbooks. Bond lived a life of action, clear mission and steadfast service.
There could be no worthier tribute to Bond than to pick up the baton he has passed and re-dedicate ourselves to the struggle to make the promises and opportunities of our democracy true for all its citizens. That struggle is an ongoing one that neither be- gins nor ends with one move- ment or personality. Individually and collectively,
when you play- you play to win.
As Donald Trump men- tioned, I want you to get ex- cited about playing the game of business. It doesn’t matter if you’re a soloprenuer, a church or some other organization; you are in business to win. If you are going to win, you must know and understand the rules of the game.
Today, I will share three simple but profound rules for the game of business. If you get excited enough to learn them, know them and master them, money will never again be your motivation but just
we must take up the baton to bring an end to the deadly scourge of police brutality, close persistent economic in- equality gaps and address de- structive disparities in our nation’s education system.
We must do it, because as Bond once famously re- minded us all: “Good things don’t come to those who wait. They come to those who agi- tate.”
Bond was a student in a philosophy class taught by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Morehouse College in Atlanta. It was there, during the height of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, that Bond began to agitate in earnest, co-founding the Student Nonviolent Coor- dinating Committee along with other Morehouse stu- dents, including now-Con- gressman John Lewis. He served as the group’s commu- nications director for five years.
Bond was elected to the Georgia House of Representa- tives in 1965, but was not al- lowed to take his seat because his white colleagues objected to his opposition to the Viet- nam War.
It took a year, a protest march led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and a Supreme Court order, but the legislature finally allowed him to take his rightful seat in 1966. He spent 20 years in the Georgia Legislature, serving in both the House and the Sen- ate.
In 1968, Bond became a national figure after delivering a fiery speech at the Chicago Democratic National Conven-
one way to keep score of your sustainable success.
Rule #1: You must offer your customer superior serv- ice.
Rule #2: You must offer value to your customer that is both viable and visible to them.
Rule #3: You must pro- duce results that give your cus- tomer a return on their investment.
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tion. His performance was so impressive; his name was placed into the nominating process for vice president—a position he could not qualify for because he was too young. Bond went on to serve as the first president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, remain- ing on its board for the rest of his life after his tenure came to an end in 1979. Later, he would also serve as chairman of the NAACP.
No matter the capacity, Bond was first and foremost an activist for equal rights. In addition to his political career and his work as a civil rights leader, Bond was an accom- plished writer, he was a lec- turer and a professor, a television show host and he narrated “Eyes on the Prize,” an iconic documentary on the civil rights movement.
Bond never stopped agitat- ing because he fundamentally believed that, “the humanity of all Americans is diminished when any group is denied rights granted to others.” Bond never limited his phi- losophy to any community, re- gion or nationality.
Bond fought against segre- gation on our shores and apartheid in South Africa. He devoted himself to equal rights for all, including, most recently, the rights of the LGBT community.
Bond left a lasting legacy for us to explore, celebrate and continue. Whether it’s chal- lenges to voting rights or in- equity in education funding, many of the challenges he faced yesterday continue to plague our nation today. His lifelong fight for equality and justice must become our life- long fight for the same. We can all become a part of his vi- sion to create a more perfect union in our nation. Our prayers and heartfelt sympa- thy are with his family, along with our promise to continue Julian’s fight.
Remembering A Giant Among Giants
What Makes America No Longer Great?
TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5