The clouds come and go this afternoon. They can't seem to make up their minds, "Hmmm, Should I rain or should I shine?" Currently it's 73 degrees and mostly cloudy in Streeterville. There is a wind out of the Northwest that speaks of coolness later this evening and perhaps a bedtime thunder storm, just the thing to lull one to sleep, summer thunder and lightning over the lake. Navy Pier is bathed in late afternoon sunlight that is sneaking between the clouds. Most of the boats have gone home, fearing that the rain in the forecast will come sooner than later.
Last fall Americans went to the polls and did something truly amazing. They overcame centuries of prejudice, a history that included slavery and institutionalized mistreatment of African-Americans and they voted for a black man for the Presidency. Americans showed the world that they were fed up with business as usual. Americans showed that, on occasion, they were capable of voting for the man they thought would do the best job, regardless of social or prejudicial factors. They elected the tall, skinny guy with the big ears, and the funny name, and the dark skin to the Presidency. The world hailed this as a brave move in the right direction.
Before Mr. Obama was able to take office the economy began to tank. People's retirement hopes were dashed. Jobs were lost by the millions. It became apparent that millions upon millions of Americans, living in the richest, most powerful nation on the planet, could not afford adequate medical care. The international scene, well, it continued to behave abysmally. Global warming is continuing at a pace more rapid than we thought would happen and needs to be addressed by world leaders immediately. The time was right for a new leadership that could address these issues rationally, and with skilled guidance and assistance from the best minds in America, in the world.
One could look to Mr. Obama's book, The Audacity of Hope and believe that we were turning the corner, that we, as Americans, could dare to hope for better days ahead. One could dare to hope that when one opened the morning paper one could see discussion, debate, and analysis of the day's greatest issues, those issues that were destined to change the country, to change the planet. One could hope.
Yet, startlingly, I open the paper day after day, and what do I see. "The world weeps for Michael Jackson." That pair with all the kids is getting a divorce. (Don't remember their names. Don't care to.) Even when it comes to the President, what do I see? "The president is promoting a bill to curb tobacco smoking in America, yet he continues to smoke." "The President has chosen a church to attend." The President really hasn't chosen a church to attend." "The President's wife has planted a vegetable garden outside the White House." What do these things have to do with our country's need to address some pretty serious issues?
I am reminded of futuristic novels in which the citizenry is drugged and given over to elaborate entertainments to distract them from the real issues of the day, while the government goes about its business behind the scenes, and does exactly what it wants without any involvement or real voice from said citizenry. We live in a country based on the active participation of the citizenry. If that citizenry is not informed, it cannot make informed decisions. If that citizenry is not informed, the government can run roughshod over that citizenry and do exactly as it wants. We are not China. We are not Iran. We are not Honduras, where the military ousted a President who was duly elected by the citizenry. We are America, and it is time that we, as a citizenry demand a little more of the press than the President's health and religious habits. We need to demand more of the press than what Paris Hilton said to a reporter while she was drunk as a skunk on a Thursday night. We need to know about the real events in the world. We need to know the pros and cons of those issues that will affect our lives.
Have a nice Monday boys and girls. We may avoid rain until after bedtime after all. The Cubs still suck. Chicago may or may not get the Olympics in 2016. I know this. I, too, read the useless news. However, I also care about the issues that really matter. I hope to continue being informed on those matters. It's okay to get some news online, but we all need to support daily newspapers and their reporting and commentary on the issues that matter. I would not be able to comment with any degree of intelligence and insight were it not for the fact that I read them. Buy newspapers. Care about what goes on in the President's mind regarding real issues. I'll bet he'd like that. I'm quite sure that he doesn't care what you think about his sneaking a cigarette now and again or what church he attended or whether he went to church at all. He may be addicted to his Blackberry, but I'll just bet he reads newspapers too. Can you say the same? Do you think you can say the same about any President in recent memory?
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