Obama and the burden of being a star.

Sic Transit Gloria!

In ancient Rome when a conquering general was invited to the capital for a victory parade, he was crowned with a garland of laurel and clothed in scarlet. The treasures of his conquest were paraded before him along with the captured slaves and often defeated kings. The crowd would chant yet all the while a slave positioned to speak directly into the conqueror's ear "Sic Transit Gloria" translated as "All Glory is Fleeting."

Yesterday we treated to a visage of the past as we watched the mighty Obama as he wooed the German public. He spoke of not being there as a candidate but as a citizen of the world. His platitudes were hollow and empty. Unlike the famous speeches given by Presidents Kennedy and Reagan, Obama chose to state the obvious. He spoke of tearing down walls...most any wall would seem to do; religion, global warming, education or even perhaps the one between your kitchen and dining room.

Obama would do well to have the ancient Roman wisdom whispered in his ear. Hopefully it could remind him that the President is a servant of the citizenry of the United States of America. There is perhaps no higher calling within political office than to serve freedom and protect democracy a s a means to preserve that freedom. One last thing that could be whispered; your not the President. I think he keeps forgetting this.

While the Senator enjoys rock star status he should remember Glory is Fleeting and Europeans can't vote in our elections! Every star will flame out, has Obama peaked too soon?

Twitter

I have recently become slightly addicted to Twitter. My wife teases me about it. The computer will chime and she will joke..."some one just tweeted you." I am building friends there and meeting new people, but there is something pretty rich about it. These little url attachments have introduced me to a whole new world of sites that i could never find on my own.

So if you have time. Twop by and tweet me. I have to run...just received 11 new tweets and have to check them out :).

Rhetoric: Harmful or Helpful

The "Art" of reading and writing persuasively is called rhetoric. It may seem a bit odd that fiery rhetoric, we often hear in political debates or on the daily news shows, is very similar to the Greeks and their goal of persuasion. However just because it's old doesn't mean it's good, you may note the major failure in the Greek world ( think Alexander the Great).

Rhetoric hopes to fashion an argument that is persuasive, not always honest. If we tell a story and cover a single perspective, we get a flat image that lacks depth. It is very difficult to make worthy decisions based on this type of information. More over, rhetorical discussions often ignore scientific evidence and speak more deeply to the soul of man. These are discussions of passion.

One may ask if rhetorical arguments are even worth while these days. The answer would be a resounding yes! Just remember to listen to more than one side of an argument. This will add the depth that a single view blurs. Check out Cicero and The Murder Trials. Great examples of a superior orator and rhetorician.

America

The thought occurs to me that we Americans may from time to time forget about our freedoms. We may get caught up in the day to day issues and forget to be thankful for all that is given to us as part of our birthright. Thankfully, we remind each other every year on the 4th of July at least in some small way that we are indeed free. The innovators of democracy, free markets, and liberty have an important responsibility to mankind.

Although we may at times be unpopular, let us never forget the charity and benevolence that our citizens display to the world. We are always ready to send our free people to the center of a danger zone to help those in need. We only need to look as far as Europe, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan to see images of valor and displays of the courage of America's youth. Don't stop there, look also to Myanmar, India, China, South America and see examples of America's generosity toward their fellow man.

Americans care about people, not skin color, geography or beliefs. While it is true, we would be happy to spread Democracy to the world, it is out of care for others and pride in our system that we do.

Happy Birthday America!