in place of a blog this week i thought i would humbly offer two pieces of reading. the president of the united states recently gave a speech to the university of michigan. and then someone at cnn.com commented on it. if you have the time read both. if you don't just find the time to skim.
then ask yourself - are we, as americans, talking with each other the way we should be? are our leaders talking to each other the way we want them to? are the news we listen to being respectful of each others opinions? are they using conflict to sell their stories? are we being kind? are we listening? the things they show us on the news - are they what you want to see and hear about? is this the kind of dialogue you want in america?
and what are you doing about it?
about 50% of american's vote in presidential elections - turnout often goes down if it rains or snows in america. about 65% of iraqis voted in the last election despite the 300 people killed in voting place bombings. are we becoming a fair-weather democracy? are we doing more complaining than actual DOING?
anyway. i love what the president is trying to say. and anyone who tries and turn his words into something negative are exactly the kind of people who i don't want in power or in my TV. take a read.
Presidential Address
CNN Reponse
This is exactly the kind of post that makes me want to write a huge response (not rebuttal, 'cause I think there is quite a bit of merit to the position) but I just don't have time. Suffice it to say that I strong believe 99% of people are rational. They may lack perspective on an issue but their responses are rational based on their own desires and their own interpretation of the cultural system. And our current state of political discourse is a perfect example of that.
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