Page 5 - Florida Sentinel 9-25-15 Edition

Editorials/Columns
FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN
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2207 21st Avenue, Tampa Florida 33605 • (813) 248-1921 Published Every Tuesday and Friday By
FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHING Co., Member of National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA)
S. KAY ANDREWS, PUBLISHER
C. BLYTHE ANDREWS III, PRESIDENT/CONTROLLER ALLISON WELLS-CLEBERT, CFO
GWEN HAYES, EDITOR
IRIS HOLTON, CITY EDITOR
BETTY DAWKINS, ADVERTISING DIRECTOR HAROLD ADAMS, CIRCULATION MANAGER TOYNETTA COBB, PRODUCTION MANAGER LAVORA EDWARDS, CLASSIFIED MANAGER
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Opinions expressed on editorial pages of this newspaper by Columnists or Guest Writers, do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of The Florida Sentinel Bulletin or the Publisher.
Hate Is What They Do Best
really despise Black on Black crime of any kind. To me it's a costly burden that only acts to hinder the progress of individuals who are already desperately at- tempting to fend off the ag- gression of a system that has been designed with the sole purpose of causing wide spread failure among Black
people.
This is why I felt a feeling of
extreme disappointment after being made aware of a smear campaign created in an effort to destroy the credibility and livelihood of the Florida Sentinel Bulletin. One of the oldest Black-owned and operated newspapers in the State of Florida.
The worse part about this assault is that it appears to have been orchestrated by in- dividuals who consider them- selves community activists. Individuals, who claim that they work in the best interest of Black people. But what I'm finding hard to understand is how these self-described champions of the cause came to the conclusion that shutting the doors of a much beloved institution of the Black com- munity, that provides income to over a 100 individuals and their families while acting as a valuable resource of informa- tion for the population it serves, would be a good thing?
I guess they truly believe that mainstream newspapers like the Tampa Bay Times and the Tampa Tribune will do a better job of making sure that the concerns of resi- dents in places like Progress
Village, Carver City and Jack- son Heights will be heard. But isn't that a lot like having faith in the notion that your neigh- bors guard dog will do a good job of protecting your house?
The first thought that crossed my mind when I read the email being circulated, calling for a boycott of the publication and describing the paper as something "voiceless and hopeless," was that the person responsible had to be a miserable loner with way too much time on his or her hands. I mean, with all of the ills facing Blacks in this coun- try (police brutality, out of control gang violence, the gen- trifying of our neighborhoods and the over incarceration of young Black males come to mind) their main focus of en- ergy is closing down a paper simply because it doesn't give away toys during Christmas, and who also prints crime sto- ries that’s happening in our community. Like the Sen- tinel has a screenwriter mak- ing this stuff up. Really?
The saddest part of it all is that the same individuals crit- icizing the Florida Sentinel for not giving back enough, based on the assumed profits the company has earned over the years, are probably break- ing their necks right now to pay their cable bills, shop in stores like Dillards and, more than likely, make a habit of driving by several Black- owned eateries just to give restaurants like Applebee's their money. Happily helping these white-owned companies make billions without expect-
ing as much as a "Thank you n---r" in return.
I believe there's a word to describe this kind of behavior. And, if I'm not mistaken, it's called hypocrisy.
Of course, none of this re- ally surprises me. Black den- tists, Black attorneys, Black funeral home directors, Black mechanics, Black-owned cleaning companies and cloth- ing stores have all endured the pinch of this crab/slave men- tality. For those forced to deal with the small segment of the Black community, who hon- estly believe that no service or product can ever be good enough unless it's provided by a face that's melanin-free, it comes with the territory.
For me, it has always been an unfortunate irony that hate is often the most abundant by- product of success. But to the members of the Andrews family, who've blessed the Tampa Bay Area for 70 years with a publication that reflects the wide ranging complexity of what it means to be Black in America, I say embrace it be- cause being a conductor of this amount of negative energy must mean you're doing something right.
For those who have an issue with the Florida Sentinel, my advice is to quit while you're ahead. Continuing to go forward with unsubstantiated claims will not only end badly for you, but, as more people come to realize just how un- founded the critiques are, you'll just come out appearing even more stupid.
At the end of the day, sup- port Black businessess and es- pecially the Black media. Black families depend on us to survive!
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Company. Anyone wishing to contact Clarence Barr can email him at: realityon ice@ya- hoocom.
POSTMASTER: Send Address Change To: Florida Sentinel Bulletin,
P.O. Box 3363 Tampa, FL 33601 Periodical Postage Paid At Tampa, FL
C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. 1930-2010 (1977)
Guns And Anger
lcohol, temper and weapons do not go together,”
said Hank Shirah, director of public safety at Pen- sacola State College in response to Florida legislators’ push to allow guns on Florida’s College and University campuses. In spite of opposition by every college student government association, every police chief of Florida’s colleges and college administrators, Florida Republican legislators ae vigorously pushing to allow students 21 years of age or older to carry concealed weapons on col- lege campuses.
We continuously question the wisdom and sanity of lawmakers who make it so easy for Americans to carry concealed weapons outside of their homes. Indeed, there are tons of research by experts with Duke University, Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research and the Violence Police Center to prove one in ten adults who own a gun also have trouble with their anger manage- ment. They were found to be impulsive, throw-tantrums, get into physical fights, have anger episodes, and have a history of breaking things when angry. Moreover, re- search revealed only 4 percent of gun violence is caused by people who are mentally ill.
Consequently, we urge legislators to require that all persons licensed to carry concealed weapons to complete an anger management training class as part of the gun li- cense requirement. Background checks do not capture a person’s history of their ability to manage their anger.
Authorities Looking To Combat Student Aid Fraud In Florida
Ahmed Mohamed’s Clock
s always, we raked President Barack Obama’s com-
ments with a fine-toothed comb, and we concluded when President Obama tweeted 14-year-old Ahmed Mo- hamed, saying, “Cool clock, . . . Want to bring it to the White House?,” that the POTUS wasn’t being political or polite. But he was being sincere and proud.
We join him in congratulating a young man touched by genius, who just happens to have been Muslim and whose creativity just happens to have landed him into a firestorm not of his own making.
This argument bears credibility, because of a world- wide proliferation of violence in the name of so-called radical Islam, why shouldn’t one of Ahmed’s teachers, after observing her student’s home-made computerized clock, sound concern? Was it racism that stoked her, or was it an almost subconscious response to save her stu- dents?
However, if Ahmed-Muslim had been Frank-White, or Jerry-African American, would the teacher have reacted so sternly?
Meanwhile, here locally, a young man has just recently returned home from basic training at Paris Island, South Carolina. Before leaving for Officer Training School, he talks about becoming a Marine attorney before moving into local then federal politics. But we wonder what Ma- rine Pvt. First Class Abdul Ahad would think about Ahmed Mohamed’s dilemma and about Ben Carson’s statements since Abdul Ahad himself is both Black and Muslim. Here’s hoping the hour-hand of Ahmed’s clock is pointed toward common sense.
recent article in The
Tampa Tribune high- lighted yet another target of federal and state authorities regarding Internet and white collar crime: fraud relating to federal student aid.
According to the FBI, stu- dent loan fraud is increasing. And while the FBI admits that other issues counterterrorism and cyber crime among them – take precedence, the agency does assist the Department of Education and local law en- forcement with resources when available to combat stu- dent loan fraud.
While student loan fraud encompasses numerous types of criminal activity, the most sought-after scams involve “distance learning” programs. In 2014, the Office of the In- spector General found that vir- tual or online classes were more vulnerable to student aid fraud than traditional forms of higher learning.
Currently, the U. S. Gov- ernment does not distinguish the amount of financial aid re- quired for attending classes in person and attending them online, despite the fact that distance
learners generally have fewer costs associated with attend- ing classes.
“Distance Learning” Under Scrutiny
Higher education institu- tions that get much of their student population in virtual classrooms are often subject to fraud rings. These rings use people who are eligible to re- ceive federal student aid, but have no intention of taking classes.
Identity Theft Involving Student Loans
While many fraud rings use knowing accomplices to secure financial aid awards, a typical practice also includes using the identities of prospective students without their knowl-
edge to apply for financial aid online.
Identity theft has become a large focus of state and federal authorities, including identity theft arising from applications for student federal loans. Na- tionwide, identity theft is esti- mated to account for $36 billion in assets.
According to the Hodges University Identity Theft Insti- tute, Florida leads the nation in the number of reported identity theft cases.
Attorney Mark J. O’Brien is a former Miami prosecutor in the 1990s, and is now a fed- eral and state criminal de- fense attorney located in Tampa, Florida. He can be reached at O’Brien Hatfield, PA, Bayshore Center, 511 West Bay Street, Suite 330, Tampa, Florida 33606, via his direct line at (813) 228-6989, via email at mjo@markjobrien. com or on the internet at www.markjobrien.com
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5-A
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