Opinion Archive

This issue is our next to our last issue of our 16th year. Soon, sweet 16 will be in our rear-view mirror and 17 will be upon us. According to songs about being 17, it is a time to be innocent but experienced, courageous but afraid, naïve but jaded and beautiful yet lonely. According to pop culture – it is a time of transition and change. We will see about that. I think we will just skip the confused, lonely, afraid, jaded and naïve characteristics. We do have a surprise coming up for our 17th year and it does have to do with a song, but we will keep that under our proverbial hats for now.

More than 2.7 million criminal records will be sealed and the arrest records of hundreds of thousands of people will be concealed under a bill heading to Gov. Rick Scott’s desk.

Before leaving office President Obama commuted: (1) The sentence of traitor Bailey Manning. He leaked sensitive national security information putting our troops at risk.  (2) The sentence of Puerto Rican nationalist Oscar Rivera, serving 50 years in prison for plotting to overthrow the U.S. Government, whose group killed 4 Americans in a New York City bombing in1975, and (3) pardoned and commuted the sentences of hundreds of criminal cocaine and heroin dealers. Many were outraged; I voiced mine!

Is there such a thing as “absolute”? The dictionary states that “good” and “evil” are “absolutes” when using the word as a noun. Mathematics is absolute because it historically has only offered true answers to correct equations that answer many of society’s and science’s questions. Religion and mythology are not absolutes because it requires faith for their existence. Mythology is aligned to a period of time when humans worshipped Gods of the land, sea and air.

Panama City – Gov. Rick Scott said Tuesday that Florida won’t be in the “game for economic development” after lawmakers rejected his proposals for spending on business incentives and tourism marketing.

Tallahassee – After lawmakers ignored their calls to vote down a sprawling education bill, opponents of the wide-ranging measure have turned to Gov. Rick Scott as their last hope to stop the proposal from becoming law.

I attended a lacrosse tournament a couple of weekends ago and saw something that should have been shocking, but ultimately, wasn’t shocking at all.

In 1999, congress declared May would be National Military Appreciation Month so the citizens of our country could publicly thank everyone who puts on the uniform of their branch of service.

May the Fourth be with you!  Happy May 4th!  And, by default, tomorrow is Cinco De Mayo. We celebrate many cultures and oddities at Navarre Press.      

This past weekend, my sister and I visited the Gulf Breeze Zoo.  We had purchased two Military Adventure passes earlier in the year to use later on at our discretion due to our military related disabilities.  You can imagine our shock and disbelief when we got to the Zoo and realized we had misplaced our passes to enter the Zoo.  It was an extremely busy day at the Zoo and Venisa Stone was busy with another customer but immediately came over to assist us.  She could see the anguish and disappointment on our faces as we had waited for this one day that we both were well enough to enjoy a day at the Zoo together and our passes were gone!  Venisa so generously “Paid It Forward” by believing in us and allowing us entry when she didn’t have to. It ended up be a wonderful day at the Zoo and served to be very therapeutic for my sister and I. It was because of people like Venisa that make this community and the Zoo a great place! Thank you Venisa!!!