Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

We are guilty of warehousing black men, too

Editor: A black female correspondent, now a visiting journalism professor at St. Bonaventure University, has written a story that was excerpted in USA Today on Oct. 13. In it she states that her brother was not at the Million Man March a decade ago and would not be going this year either, nor would her father. The brother is in prison with a life sentence, the father with a 45-year sentence.

She relates growing up without a father, of last seeing her brother free at her high school graduation and "seeing him every day" when as a reporter she covered courts and would see young black men standing before a judge in orange jumpsuits and shackled hands.

She wrote of sharing an unfortunate bond with hundreds of thousands of other black women and girls who grow up without a father at home. She ends her article by stating that the Million Man Movement held in Washington was a call to end the herding of black men and women into prisons, stating that the true tragedy that black people and the entire nation face are the societal ramifications, immeasurable, of warehousing "so many of us."

The truth, despair and poignancy of the article compelled me to realize this tragedy reaches right where we live in Citrus County. Two black men in the same family, scheduled to be warehoused at public expense forever, despite mitigating circumstances (the William Thornton case). And what of those left behind to cope in another fractured black family?

John Roberts, the new chief justice of the United States, stated in one of his preconfirmation hearings, "I never lose track of the fact that these (people appearing in his courtroom) are real persons living real lives."

One can only pray for this realization from local jurists.

Let judge know that you support teenage driver

Fellow citizens of Citrus County: Are you sick of the unfair and inhuman sentences being given out by Judge Ric Howard? You now have an opportunity to do something about it.

At 10 a.m. today, a hearing is scheduled to ask Howard to reconsider the sentence he gave William Thornton. The court is open to the public, and if the public is tired of what Judge Howard is doing, this morning is the time to go to the court and let Judge Howard know that you support Thornton.

William Thornton was the 17-year-old who was sentenced to 30 years as a result of a car accident in which an SUV hit the car William was driving. While, sadly, the two people in the SUV that hit him died in the accident, they might not have died if they were wearing their seat belts and if the driver's faculties were not impaired by alcohol.

William Thornton had an accident that any of us could have had, and it was unfair for Judge Howard to give this young man a 30-year sentence after the boy's public defender misled the youth into thinking that the judge would rely on the recommendations of the state Department of Corrections or the Department of Juvenile Justice to give him either probation or juvenile sanctions.

Now is the time to stand up for justice. Go to the courthouse in Inverness to support William Thornton this morning. This young man, who has no criminal record, is a B student and a hard worker. If you don't stand up now for others who are suffering from injustice, there will be no one left to stand up for you if they come for you. This was an accident!

Marines show heart with Toys for Tots campaign

Editor: Since 1775, the Marine Corps has defended freedom and democracy. Marines have fulfilled this duty with honor, courage and commitment while earning a well-deserved reputation for toughness.

But there's another side to the Marine Corps, the side that springs from a genuine concern for their communities and a deep compassion for the underprivileged children of America.

That side is found in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program. This spirit is alive and flourishing in Citrus County. The Marines of Detachment 819 have been granted the privilege of extending the magic of Toys for Tots to our communities' neediest children.

We, the Marines of Detachment 819, stand shoulder to shoulder with our Korean, World War II, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. We are united in our efforts to carry forth the message of a shiny new toy to a needy child that says someone cares, that he or she hasn't been forgotten.

We need your help to accomplish the objective of sharing the magic of Christmas with our neediest children. Businesses and individuals are a critical component in our sharing the Christmas dream. It is a way you can give back to your community and to its less fortunate children.

You can support Toys for Tots by donating a new, unwrapped toy at a collection site near you. Businesses that want to serve as a dropoff point can call Ted Archambault at 382-0462 or Ken Heisner at 563-0585. In the Inverness and Floral City area, call Paul Salyer at 637-1161. They will be more than happy to provide your business with an official Toys for Tots box and ancillary materials.

We are committed to honoring our pledge that all toys collected in Citrus County stay in Citrus County. Only residents of Citrus County qualify to receive these donations. The vast majority of our toys go to Citrus United Basket, the Salvation Army and Family Resources. These three agencies maintain a database of our neediest children and are in the best possible position to equitably distribute donated toys.

Last year we responded to calls for assistance from Grandparents Raising Grandchildren. Our message to them was immediate: The Marines have landed for you. Grandparents who are raising dependent grandchildren and need help can call Jeannie Reed at 560-0370.

Anyone interested in sponsoring a Toys for Tots event or who is considering collecting donations under the Toys for Tots logo must secure authorization from the Toys for Tots coordinator. The integrity of the Toys for Tots Foundation is of the highest priority.

Time to put Stabins' suggestion to rest

Editor: When Hernando County Commissioner Jeff Stabins first suggested moving Florida to Central Standard Time, I quickly dismissed this as the musings of someone with a light legislative agenda and too much time on his hands. Not for a moment did I think this foolishness would be taken seriously.

Much to my surprise, however, St. Petersburg Times columnist Howard Troxler (whose articles I often enjoy) and Hernando County editor of editorials Jeff Webb chose to devote additional space to this idea.

Before we delve into additional discussion, a quick geography lesson is in order.

Florida is east and south of Middle America. For the record, a quick review of sunrise/sunset times on the Internet shows the following:

Ours: 6:40 a.m./5:47 p.m.

Chicago: 6:21/4:47

Detroit: 7:03/5:28

Dallas: 6:43/5:38

Minneapolis: 6:49/5:04

Des Moines, Iowa: 6:44/5:11

Omaha, Neb.: 6:53/5:22

Milwaukee: 6:24/4:46

Dallas: 6:43/5:38

A second glance shows that Mr. Stabins' idea simply does not pass the geography test.

One more thing, Mr. Stabins: Although your concern for kids "waiting in the dark for their school bus" is well meant, have you spoken to any kids about the hour of daylight playtime they will lose each night or to working people who will have an hour less each evening to mow the grass, take a walk, paint the house or wash the car?

I suspect you have not.

Airboats make a sound, not necessarily noise

Editor: In a recent article dealing with airboats, the Times referenced airboat noise. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission study was on airboat sound, not airboat noise.

Although we have folks on both sides of this issue, the airboat sportsmen of Florida take offense to the biased and negative word "noise" being used instead of the neutral word "sound."

What is music to one person may be noise to another. To simply refer to this sound as noise is projecting a biased opinion of the subject before your readers. Let them decide!

I'm sure thousands of hungry, thirsty, stranded folks in hurricane-ravaged areas would agree that the sound of an airboat was music to their ears.

Same with the hundreds of crippled children who have been on volunteer airboat rides in Citrus County.

[Last modified November 8, 2005, 11:16:56]