Rachael's trip

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Obama's Press Conference

I think the president did a good job on his press conference last night. It is so refreshing to watch a press conference and not have to worry about how and when the leader of this great nation is going to embarass us all!

We do not have to agree with our president on all issues. That is the beauty of our Constitution and the Bill of Rights. I believe we need to give our leaders the respect they deserve. I was NOT a George Bush fan for many reasons that I won't go into here. However, I believe he deserved the respect due to the President of the United States.

I was fortunate enough to travel with Rande to Lithuania a few years ago. Those people had only been independent for about 9 years at that point. As I listened to those folks, I could hear the pride in their voices and the love of their new found freedom. I wondered if our forefathers felt the same way. I realized that as Americans who have experienced freedom for over 200 years, we have become a little lackadaisical in our thinking. We only complain, we take our freedom for granted, but most of all, we don't exercise our right to vote.

Those of you who have been complaining. Did you vote? I am going to tell you what I tell my Civics students. If you don't exercise your right to vote, then in my opinion, you lose your right to complain. You had your chance to make your voice heard - you didn't exercise that right.

Think about YOUR Bill of Rights. What rights do you have? What privileges do you have just because you live in the great country? What responsibilities do you have as an American? Think of these things before you complain.

I challenge you to respond to this post. Tell me what you learned in Civics class and/or how you feel about our country.

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