Page 5 - Florida Sentinel 12-29-15 Edition

Editorials
Rev Up Homeland Security
Possible Gifts Left Under Celebrity Christmas Trees
Let’s start with one of Florida’s most prominent celebrities: If Jeb Bush had his wish, for an ideal gift under his Yuletide tree, he’d probably wish for Donald
Trump to get a brief-yet-harmless case of laryngitis, ei- ther that or suffer a loss of his Twitter addresses.
On a national stage, Miss Universe MC Steve Harvey probably wished what happened at the Miss Universe pageant where he made the blunder of a lifetime was in truth, just a bad dream derived from drinking too much eggnog, therefore, a gift he never got.
Closer to home, Buccaneer quarterback Jameis Win- ston probably wished he could wake up and find football wins for the next three games at least, while Bucs Coach Lovie Smith hoped he could’ve gotten a Christmas gift that included a promise from Winston that he [Winston] would stop launching himself like a missile across the goal line.
Even closer to home is the gift Tampa City Council members would love to get a letter from Mayor Buckhorn simply saying, “Let’s be friends!”
Another gift in a local school celebrity’s Christmas stocking might have contained an anonymous note from members of a local board admitting, “We really believe you should’ve become the next chairperson.”
Rounding out our ‘What-If” celebrity Christmas gifts are of course, countless gifts under the Christmas tree for Republicans whose gifts would include President Barack Obama following the script of being a lame-duck president, instead of being a kick-butt Chief Executive to the bitter end.
You will notice lately that I have been writing more and more on home land security. That is a conversation that needs to be discussed more and to do more in getting into a full state of readiness. Two mass shootings during the month of December alone have been confirmed as being terrorist related.
This should be a good indi- cation that terrorism in the United States is more than just an act that occurs in a for- eign country and we have no reason to be concerned. There was a time when this was the case, but those days are gone.
What’s so dangerous these days is the fact that a separate group of terrorists has the hate America club. They are called
MARC H. MORIAL
President and CEO National Urban League
"Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, Let us march on till victory is won."
James Weldon Johnson “Lift Ev’ry Voice And Sing.”
The 2016 Presidential elec- tion still is more than 10 months off, but already it promises to serve as a referen- dum on social justice and racial reconciliation, in a year when national attitudes are changing faster than ever – and not always for the better.
Pending U. S. Supreme Court decisions and legislation before Congress 2016 will pro- foundly impact racial consid- eration in college admissions, voting rights, collective bar- gaining and criminal justice reform.
The Court’s decision on Fisher v. University of Texas, brought by a white woman who claimed she was denied admission to UT because of her race, could put an end to efforts by educational institu- tions to ensure diversity among their student bodies.
The Constitutional principal of “one person, one vote,” es- tablished in 1964 in Reynolds v. Simms could be undercut by the Court’s decision on Even- wel v. Abbot. In Reynolds, the Court determined that legisla- tive districts, both state and federal, must contain roughly equal numbers of people, guaranteeing fair representa- tion. The plaintiff in Evenwel claims that “one person, one vote” refers only to the total voting population. That would mean that urban districts, which contain more children, immigrants and other disen- franchised persons, would be
ISIS and they are better pre- pared to fight.
In reality, nobody knows who ISIS is. For that reason America needs to rev up home land security. There is an ar- gument in the States on what we call our rumble with ISIS, I have heard words like war; Radical Islamic, skirmish or a police action.
I don’t care what we call it. I just know we’ve got to rev up homeland security and get after them.
ISIS has been able to re- cruit members of philosophy from over the world. Recruits who go and join the ISIS are dangerous enough, but those who stay at home are even more of a threat. They live in America and in most cases we
dramatically under-repre- sented while suburban and rural populations would be grossly over-represented.
The rights of public-sector unions are at risk in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Associ- ation. Under current law, unions may collect dues from non-members for collective bargaining but not political ac- tivity. Friedrichs argues that even collective bargaining ac- tivities, from which non-mem- bers benefit, are political so non-members shouldn’t have to contribute. Public-sector unions have been a driving force in bringing African- American workers into the middle class; Friedrich could turn back the clock on that progress.
Congress has an opportu- nity in 2016 to correct one the most egregious blows to voting rights in the 20th century. The Supreme Court’s 2013 deci- sion in Shelby County v. Holder gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Jurisdictions with a his- tory of discriminatory voting practices no longer would be required to seek preclearance with the U.S. Justice Depart- ment before making changes to voting laws. Immediately following the Shelby decisions, states rushed to enact voter suppression laws targeting people of color, students and senior citizens. The bipartisan Voting Rights Amendment Act would restore preclearance and safeguard the rights of vulnerable citizens whose voices are being silenced.
Heading into 2016, the na- tional outcry against police brutality seems to be reaping results, with officers in Chicago, North Charleston, S. C., Baltimore and elsewhere at last facing criminal charges for
don’t know who they are, where they are or what they are planning. The thing that makes them so dangerous is they can plan a number of small terrorists acts that can harm or kill a lot of USA citi- zens.
To matters worse, these terrorists are ready to die in the commission of a terrorist act. We need to rev up our homeland security right now.
These people target churches, movies, sporting events, schools, places of em- ployment, shopping malls and any place where large num- bers of people congregate.
All of us are at one of these places some time during the year. You don’t have any idea whether or not it’s your time. Believe me this ISIS is a dan- gerous terrorist band. Presi- dent Obama knows it. He just doesn’t want troops on the ground until he leaves office.
I know one thing, some- body better stop playing games and take that band as serious as they are.
apparently racially-motivated violence against people of color. This could be the year for a full turnaround if the Na- tional Urban League’s 10- Point Justice Plan is adopted. Congress should enact a na- tional comprehensive anti- racial profiling law, mandate uniform FBI reporting and au- dits of all lethal force incidents involving law enforcement, and create incentives for police departments to use body and dashboard cameras, review and revise deadly force poli- cies and tighten hiring stan- dards.
Perhaps most importantly, the economic recovery from the Great Recession has left many urban communities be- hind. The overall Black unem- ployment rate remains twice the rate for Whites, with rates as high as 25% for young black men. Many people working even two or three jobs can’t make ends meet because of dismally low wages.
Several Presidential candi- dates have promised, if elected, to pursue a national minimum wage hike, which would be a significant step to- ward reducing poverty. Tired pledges to slash taxes on the wealthy, which we’re hearing from many of the candidates, will do nothing to create jobs. Congress has an opportunity to create thousands of jobs and revitalize the national econ- omy by enacting a surface transportation bill that guar- antees employment for work- ers in low- and moderate - income communities and en- sures access to contracts for minority businesses.
As our nation grows more diverse year by year, the social structures of the past are chal- lenged. We in the National Urban League Movement will continue to be at the forefront of those challenges, and we pray for guidance as we rise to meet them in the coming year.
What Will 2016 Bring For Economic And Political Opportunity And Social Justice?
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5
Nonviolent Ex-Felons: Justice TUnder Their Christmas Tree
he following story isn’t fiction. After serving his full-
time in prison for a nonviolent, drug related crime, a young man was released back into society. So, like any other sane-minded citizen, he set about the business of trying to find a job. After diligent search, he was guided to a local municipal organization whose head had re- cently, repeatedly announced, “We will not discriminate against non-violent ex-felons who have paid their debt to society.”
The young man was welcomed warmly, spent no less than an hour being interviewed by a department head, but was later politely told by members of the organiza- tion’s Human Resource Department, “We’d like to see how well you conduct yourself over the next five years.”
Five years elapsed. The young man returned, only to be told his status, as far as HR was concerned, had not changed. By sheer luck, however, the young man was able to land a construction laborer’s job. But the pain re- mained.
Yes, our young men and women need to realize, “If you make a bad choice in life, then you’ve got to live with it.” However, forgiveness is part of our national and state constitutions. Therefore, we continue to wish that private businesses and municipal agencies would review and re- align their HR policies toward non-violent ex-felons. In a society of clemency, justice (tinged with mercy) cer- tainly has a place under our societal Christmas tree.