Your Thoughts and Feedback Are Appreciated!

Well another quarter has come and gone!  I have enjoyed getting to know all of you and hearing your opinions in class!  You make my job fun! I wish all of you blessings and success in the future, and hope that you stay in touch.

So for our last blog post, I would like to get your thoughts and feedback on the class.  "What did you like or dislike about the class?  What could I do to make it better?"  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, September 21,  2016.  After that, the blog will be down until class resumes next quarter.

United We Stand

It’s hard to believe that the September 11^th attacks were fifteen years ago this week.  Like most of you, I remember exactly where I was that September morning.  Eleven days earlier I had graduated from Indiana University and moved to Indianapolis.  I was excited and hopeful about starting what I liked to call my “real life”.  That morning, I slept in and missed both planes hitting the World Trade Center.  By the time I saw the first images of people running down the street from a big cloud of dust and debris – I could scarcely comprehend what was happening.

It’s easy to look back now at the decisions we have made since as a country and find fault.  My “real life” turned out to be full of more heartache, war and an economy that never quite recovered.  I suppose like everyone else, my life changed a little that day.  America changed a little that day.

I will never forget the feelings I felt as I watched our country under attack.  I was sad, I was angry, I was horrified, but most of all, I was proud to be American.  I don’t say that often, but it’s true.  I have never felt so connected to my fellow citizens as I did on that day.  That is what I remember as I think about how to best memorialize the 15^th anniversary of the September 11^th attacks – our unity.  Police and recue workers from around the country left their families and went to New York to help in the recue and recovery efforts.  Blood donations soared and all around the nation, people were helping people. Something good came out of something so bad – even if it only lasted a short while.

So this week, in honor of the September 11^th victims, I will be focusing on the good, not the bad.  I will do my part to bring back that feeling of unity that I had on September 11^th.  It may be just a small random act of kindness to a stranger. It may be spending time with people I love, or giving back to my community.  I may just be one person, but it’s a start. So my question to you this week is, “Where were you during the September 11^th attacks? Most of you were probably little kids. What could you do to make your world a little brighter?”  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, September 12^th, 2016.  My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of September 11^th, and our country’s servicemen and women who have sacrificed so much – thank you!

I Pledge Allegiance.....Or Not.

It was just a few weeks ago in Rio that U.S. gymnast Gabby Douglas was vilified in the media for failure to place her hand over her heart as the U.S. national anthem played during her gold medal ceremony.  Then, this week, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the playing of the anthem because as he said “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color."

Both Douglas and Kaepernick stand to lose thousands of dollars in endorsements and sponsors because of what some are calling their “unpatriotic” actions.  An often-repeated criticism of Kaepernick has been that his actions are offensive to members of the US military. Guidelines say all Americans should stand and face the flag during the anthem - by not doing so, as the argument goes, Kaepernick was insulting people prepared to die for it. Some former servicemen and women disagree, however, and have been offering their support using the #VeteransForKaepernick hashtag.  For their part, a spokesperson for the San Francisco 49ers stated, “In respecting such American principles as freedom of religion and freedom of expression, we recognize the right of an individual to choose and participate, or not, in our celebration of the national anthem."

I never had to say the Pledge of Allegiance in school on a regular basis.  The national anthem was played at sporting events, and I always stood like everyone else.  So my question to you this week is two-fold: “Did you have to regularly stand for the Pledge of Allegiance in school?  Do you think athletes should be punished if they decide they don’t want to participate?”  You must answer both questions for full credit.  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, September 7, 2016.