The Fourth and the First

Hope you all have a great Fourth of July today! I will be exercising the freedom of the press today since I have to work.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

There are times when I mortified by my profession. The coverage of Anna Nicole's death or the treatment of politics like it's a football game make me want to hide my press pass in shame! But the part of me that wanted to be a journalist when I was still in high school still hopes that we are doing some good - telling good stories, exposing abuses, even finding homes for shelter pets.

The news business is pretty scary right now. There are reports everyday about layoffs and buy outs. Papers are shrinking their products and cutting staff to save money. We're trying to compete with TV, internet and bloggers. It's great that there are so many sources of information out there, but I worry about what I'll be doing in 10 years.

So I know today we'll be thinking a lot about what it means to be American and showing our love for our troops. But I hope you'll honor another group of unsung Americans who work every day of the week, even on holidays, trying to uphold that first amendment right (even those overpaid anchors). All you need to do is watch the news or pick up the paper or visit CNN.com or your local paper's web site. It's your right as an American!

And leave you with a quote that I came across yesterday that really inspired me. I think it applies no matter what your political beliefs are ...

"Loving your country shouldn't just mean watching fireworks on the Fourth of July. Loving your
country must mean accepting your responsibility to do your part to change it." - Barack Obama