Firstly, let me thank Mr.Cole and the organizers of the Fairview 4th for humbling me with their invitation to speak to you today. You wouldn't think it to be true, but a LOT of radio personalities are generally introverts away from the microphone -- and that's certainly the case with me. But given a chance to be here today in the heart of Husky Nation certainly makes me feel a lot more at home myself! This year's theme is "America - the Land of Opportunity." You need look no further than those girls at North Marion to see an example of how to seize an opportunity when it's presented! I know that's kind of a cheap pop for applause, but having travelled with those girls and been there for nearly all of their games over the last three years on WFGM, I feel -- and I certainly hope that's it's true -- that those girls and some of you in the crowd today think of me as a small part of that family.

Normally when I'm invited to speak I tend to be a little hesitant because I've never been one to consider myself all that worthy. I tend to shy away from the "public figure" aspect of my job. I can speak passionately about my job because it's what I love so those types of discussions don't bother me. And I think that's why I'm not so nervous about speaking to YOU today....

The Fourth of July has always been my favorite holiday. I'm not afraid to say I've been known to cry during fireworks. I just feel that this holiday - above all others -- unifies our country more than perhaps any other. It's one that is not divided or defined by religious beliefs. It's a celebration that everyone in our country can understand and relate to. Whether you were born and raised here by a family who has been here for generations, or whether you have come here from abroad seeking hope and opportunity. It's the persevering spirit that allows us to look at what goes on in the world around us -- across the seas where our men and women and sons and daughters and fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters engage the enemy of all that this day stands for -- and KNOW that we can, have, and WILL CONTINUE to overcome and succeed -- as a nation and as a culture.

America -- the "land of opportunity." Certainly that is true. We are a country and a people that does not divide our citizens by legally-defined and enforced systems of class. And although certainly I'm not naive enough to believe that economic and social classes don't exist here, there are few places on the globe which present more upward-mobility, more OPPORTUNITY to raise and alter your position. Or to live happily and comfortably wherever you may be. The only thing that stands in your way is yourself. Your ambitions, Your willingness to work and your ability to adjust to the circumstances and make the most of them, whatever they may be.

That's why I feel our country is so special. It's not just because those opportunities exist. We all know of people who have seemingly had the world on a silver platter only to falter and cower and ultimately fail in the bright light of what was apparently an infallible future.

No....sometimes opportunity is not enough. And having those opportunities is not what makes us so special. It is the special people and spirit that takes those opportunities and seizes them. It is what we MAKE of those chances.

I found a definition of opportunity when thinking about what I wanted to say today. It said "a favorable or advantageous circumstance...a favorable or suitable occasion or time....a chance for progress or advancement."

This is a very special year in American history. I don't know how many of you realize how many anniversaries of major historical events we will observe and commemorate this year. But there are three in particular that have shaped our country and what we're about. And though the circumstances surely didn't seem advantageous at the time, they way we as a country responded certainly provided a chance for progress and advancement.

2011 marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil War....the sesquicentennial. A conflict which tore our burdgeoning country in half and threatened its very existence. Through deadly conflict, followed by painful reconstruction, and generation upon generation of ill will, Americans learned eventually to heal those wounds and grow together in a stronger, more tolerant, more understanding union.

2011 will mark the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. A devastating day of destruction and death that came out of an unexpecting morning sky. That event changed the course of American foreign policy and instituted a new version of manifest destiny. No longer could the United States remain an isolationist country -- care-free and apart from the activity in the world. We responded swiftly and justly and assumed our new role as the strongest force and advocate for freedom and fairness around the globe. Pearl Harbor made us a super power.

In September of this year we will commemorate MY GENERATION's Pearl Harbor. It has been 10 years since the attacks of September 11, 2001. That was the day America woke up. We had been lulled into a sense of security and invulnerability. We were untouchable. Terror was something foreign to us. It was something that happened somewhere else and quite frankly many people felt was the rest of the world's problem...not ours. We were hit hard....and the thousands of innocent people who were killed will never be forgotten. But what really hit us hard that day was the psychological impact. The toll that those images of tumbling towers and debris and destruction had to this day I feel is immeasurable. We were not -- we ARE not untouchable. A new fear and reality had come to our shores and we are embroiled in the fight of our lives to prevent it from happening again.

But we have risen again. And those towers will rise again. And we will again say to the world "We are here. We are strong. We are able to take care of own and protect our own and we can help you do the same. We took a heavy hit. But we got back up. We were down but never out. We are STILL a beacon for hope and a new way of life. Don't come here looking for a handout....none of us have ever had one and we will not GIVE you a dime that is not earned. But we will give you something greater than that. Our country will teach you to succeed if you want it badly enough. And we will accept you and help you along the way. Come to our shores and our cities and our communities...but bring a shovel and a lunch because it won't be easy. But it is there for the taking. It always has been and always will be. That OPPORTUNITY!"

Thank you so very much for the chance to speak to you today...may you have a safe and happy INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Well I've finally had an event that has motivated me to share my thoughts with you all - the passing of Michael Jackson. 

For the first time in my life I felt compelled to immediately partake in the "mourning" or "celebration" of a celebrity's life and career and the end of that life.   And I couldn't understand why, but when I heard that the King of Pop was dead, I couldn't resist the urge to drive to my local music store and pick up a three-disc set of his music spanning his career.  Then it hit me.

I'm 33 years old.  I was six years old when "Thriller" was released in 1982.  I remember it vividly - six is an impressionable age.  It was the time of "Live Aid" and Friday Night Videos or whatever your local network equivalent was.  I had kids in my second-grade class who competed in televised Michael Jackson dance-alike contests.  We were drinking Pepsi the choice of a new generation and Michael Jackson.  We all had or new someone who had the signature single glove or the red zipper-laden leather jackets.  And like it or not, we ALL liked it.  We often reject the current fad that others embrace so as not to be part of the crowd - but we knew this wasn't a fad.  Didn't we? 

For people of my age group in particular -the ones who remember watching "Thriller" on tv in the retail store ....buying up the vinyl album...and being a bit scared by Vincent Price's voiceover ....we remember Billie Jean and PYT.  Say Say Say.  It was everywhere.  And we grew up with Jackson's changing music.  As we got older and Jackson got, well, different, he moved, for many of us, into that "secret pleasure" category.  We would NEVER admit it publicly and in fact would vocally protest, but we were listening to his stuff and in spite of our desire, we LIKED it.  Dirty Diana, Smooth Criminal, Man in the Mirror.  Eventually we got even older to the point where now we claimed Jackson as part of our childhood.  We started to embrace the fact that we helped produce an icon.  A legend.  Then, again, Jackson got, well, different.

The popular phrase for a few years, and I'm sure it will be in the coming days, is that for all the weirdness and allegations about Jackson, you cannot deny the talent that he possessed.  So as I sit listening to my new cd's chockfull of childhood memories, I feel guilty.  I honestly do.  Jackson's life has been fascinating to the point of over-saturation.  And I understand that once the legal cases came, it became news.  But I have to now reevaluate the way I look upon celebrity.  Artists, particulary the most genius of musicians and performers, are eccentric by their nature.  It's in their genetics. It's what makes them what and who they are.  For some, that genius is celebrated and embraced by the public and the media for their entire career.  For others, like Jackson, he probably will get his just due only in his passing.  And what a shame that is.  The man was at least in part forced into the sheltered life of a recluse by our peering and critical eyes.  He was hidden away for years and the world was denied what undeniably could have been life-changing performance and art.  I'm guilty.  So are many of you.  And we're the ones who lost out.  The fact is Michael Jackson was never convicted of a crime but was convicted in the court of popular opinion.  He became an oddity not so much as a result of the celebrity he sought but for the prying of a scandal-seeking tabloid industry. 

It's time we start judging an artist for their art.  A performer for their performance.  We should never have to say that someone was "weird, but man what a talent they had."  Instead, why not just look at the talent and reserve your judgement of weird for yourself?  I do feel guilty for the way Michael Jackson was treated.  And I thank him for all he did for us and for music.  So to quote another band in the middle of a resurgence in popularity, ABBA, let me just say....Michael, "thank you for the music."

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