The Inauguration Of President Barack Obama....The Man and The Message

Millions of people from all over the world had the chance to view the inauguration of our 44th president, Barack Obama. It wasn't only historical as it related to him being the first African American to be elected as the Commander In Chief . This inauguration was also historical for the over one million plus that attended and millions from around the world that watched from their own television sets or listened on the radio. We were all able to take something from this momentous moment in history. For many people, it was about race. Race from the standpoint...yes he is a man that is of Kenyan and European descent and people just wanted to be able to say that they were there or to say that they remember when this country elected a man that is an African American. But beyond that, there was a deeper message. "Yes, we can overcome", as a nation as it relates to race relations. "Yes, we can overcome", as it relates to the problems that our country is having to deal with economically. "Yes, we can overcome", as it relates to world peace. President Barack Obamas' speech, implied that he would do everything within his power to make a difference, but he also let our nation and the world know, that he can't do this all by himself. Let us not forget that the President can't undo what took years to do overnight or even in a year. But if we all pull together rich or poor, black or white, christians or non christians, we can make a difference. Ask yourself what can you do to make a difference in our everyday lives and the lives of others. We are the "commander in chief" of our own actions. As President John Kennedy stated basically, " Ask not what your country can do for you, Ask what you can do for your country". President Obamas' speech echoed some of the same ideas. So take from this inauguration a new sense of how it relates to you and remember..."Yes,we can and we shall overcome ".

" I Have A Dream" Speech..The Impact Then and Now

August 28th, 1968...Dr.Martin Luther King delivered one of the most powerful speeches in modern day history, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the, " March On Washington", for jobs and freedom. This was a defining moment in the civil rights movement. He spoke of his desire for a future that would overcome the injustices that were being done in this great country of ours and spoke of the importance of togetherness for all mankind. He appealed to our human conscious and spoke those powerful words that would still today make a strong impact on what we can do together, only if we stand together as mankind. In his mind all things were and are possible if we just try. If you have approximately 18 minutes, I strongly suggest that you go to www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm. In the past I have listened to bits and pieces of this great speech, but never in it's entirety. Upon viewing the video as well as listening to the audio, I couldn't help to see the many diverse races of people that were there on that day. Within one minute of viewing, it not only humbled me, but also brought tears to my eyes. Not only because of the struggles of the past, but also to see how far as a nation that we have come. Let us not forget the 250,00 people that attended that historical event, many of them sacrificed their lives according to their beliefs, black and white. On November 4, 2008, this nation elected Barack Obama as the president of the United States. Dr.Martin Luther King and the believers of equality for all mankind knew that this would eventually happen. And those that were part of the struggle probably never would have thought that this would happen in their lifetime, but it did. And just as we saw the diversity of people that were active during the movement of the 60's, we also saw that same diversity during this election for president elect Barack Obama. Americans came together and reached deep down in their souls and remembered that it was time for "change" and understood the importance of " United We Stand, Divided We Fall". We haven't won the battle completely, and we still have more work that needs to be done, but we have made a major impact and we have shown the world that in America, all things are possible. January 19, 2009, we will be honoring Dr. Martin Luther Kings' birthday. If you have the time please listen to his speech and ask yourself what this speech meant to you and what you can personally do to make this country a greater nation.

Fair and Balanced Journalism Is A Dying Breed

Long gone are the great days of the fair and balanced news journalists such as Walter Cronkite who in my opinion was one of the greatest journalists in my lifetime, along with Brinkley, Brokaw, Jennings, Rather ( yes I said Dan Rather, this man has a long history of reporting the news in the great days of news gathering for many years), Russert, Utley and Walters. These great journalists reported the news from either first hand knowledge or they had a staff that verified and researched information extensively based upon the facts that was given to them. These great journalists are probably wondering " what has happened to the way the media is reporting the news to the masses". It has to be somewhat discouraging to these individuals who went by a " code of ethics " and how good journalism should present itself. The broadcast networks have tried to stay on course the best way they know how, but the pressure of " The Tabloid Televised Show " has put pressure on these networks. Why is it so important for " The Tabloid Reporters" to stay on a " Tabloid Topic Of Discussion " such as.....This man is too old to run for president....duh....that is why he has a running mate such as the vice president, in case we are worried about his ability to carry out the presidency. Then we have another man that is running for the office of presidency and once again " The Tabloid Reporters" have tried to inject someway, somehow this man is a practicing Muslim by religious choice. This man has confirmed that he is a practicing Christian so many times it sounds like a broken record. The sad thing about this is that " The Tabloid Televised Show" feed on this type of drama not only for days but for months. Then to help boost their ratings so that they are able to take this " Tabloid Topic Of Discussion " even further, they have a select panel of individuals that try to analyze the situation " Tabloid Of Discussion ". Have you noticed the captions on some of these individuals who are analysts for the network that is airing " The Tabloid Televised Show ". Which means that they are getting paid by that organization. I remember years ago during my freshman year in college one of the courses that I took was Speech and Communications and one thing that I learned that stuck in my head was that the media is there to appeal to our emotions, whether it is advertising or the news. That was in 1977, and I must say that the word appeal to our emotions has taken an extreme direction to what I call " appeal to the emotional drama". This presidential election year in my opinion has created so much emotional drama, I can hardly believe it. I remember in 1991, I told a colleague of mine that the media was so powerful that it could make or break the president of the United States, and that is powerful. As if we can't think on our own and sorry to say this is what is happening. These " Tabloid Reporters" are the ones that have initiated the " Tabloid Topic Of Discussion " of age, sexism, racism and religion. It is like your daily dose of negative affirmations and after awhile you begin to doubt what is right and what is wrong as well as what is fact and what is untrue. We have an economy that is on the verge of bankruptcy, companies that are having to reorganize their corporate structure, which in turn having to layoff thousands of people that have to file unemployment, file bankruptcy, or work two and three jobs to make ends meet, which in turn causes the children to be left at home in a lot of cases alone, divorces, high gas prices, foreclosures and on and on. Think about it, these tabloid reporters are getting richer everyday, by marketing themselves as an icon in the industry, selling books making the bestseller list, speaking engagements. All of this is based upon the ratings of " The Televised Tabloid Show " . Higher ratings mean higher rates to any prospective advertiser on " The Televised Tabloid Show ". Has anyone questioned these " Tabloid Reporters" about their income for the last three to five years, age, gender, race, religion or history of their lives. These organizations are able to make a difference by focusing on asking the right questions on how we are able to change the present state of our country. These " Tabloid Reporters " can talk about these issues for days and possibly months on how we can turn a bad situation into a good one, by getting to the root of the problems that the majority in this country face each and every day, they have the resources. Fair and Balanced journalism is just that Fair and Balanced it is not biased. Ask yourself this question.....Do you think that you are going to hear pretty much the same thing if not more than you have been on " The Televised Tabloid Show " for the remainder of the year or will you find out more on what we are doing to make a difference in our everyday lives for the better of all mankind. If it sounds like gossip it just may be " The Televised Tabloid Show " stay tuned!