Here in NYC, the July weather has been hotter than normal.  We have had a record number of days with the thermometer reaching 90 degrees or better. I never complain about the hot weather. I love it. To me this is what summer is all about. Each day that we wake up to these high temperatures, brings us one day closer to when we will be wearing jackets then winter coats. Although I was born in the winter, I love the freedom the summer weather brings.

This summer we have the Summer Olympics to look forward to. They take place in London, England from July 25 to August 12. These games are not new this great city. London has hosted the Olympics in 1908 and 1948. The cost for this event is expected to reach 15 billion dollars. This is a big jump from the games that were held in Montreal (1976). Then the cost was 2.7 billion.

Some may say that this year’s price tag is high. I guess that the cost for security has also risen and is probably a good portion of the budget. In my eyes it may be well worth it. No one wants to repeat the events of the 1972 games that were held in Munich, Germany. We watched with horror as 11 members of the Israeli delegation were senselessly killed. Those images are still very clear in my mind.

The Paralympic Games has become just as important as the Summer Olympics. The first time those with disabilities had a chance to compete with on another was in Rome, in 1960. Then there were 400 athletes from 23 countries. In the last Olympics held in Beijing, China, that number had risen to 3900 from 146 countries. It was in the 1988 games held in Seoul, Korea when it was the first time that the Paralympic games were held right after the summer games in the same city, using the same facilities.

Although all the events in the Summer Olympics are exciting, I like track and field and basketball the best. The United States will send 530 athletes to participate in 25 sports. This will be the first time when the women contestants will outnumber the men. There will be 269 women and 261 men.

As a citizen of the United States, I look forward to our athletes bringing home the gold.

It is during this time when pride in this country is at the highest point. Everyone is rooting and hoping that our team will be able to get the gold. Each year that an Olympics is being held, it gets harder and harder to reach that goal. At one time, the Americans ran away with everything. Now, since the world has gotten smaller, athletes from all over the world have access to the same training techniques. Some of them even train in this country and take what they have learned back to their home lands. I think this is great because it seems to level the playing field. To make competition real, everyone should be at the same level.

If the Olympics have not stirred your patriotic feelings we have another event that also takes place every four years. That is the presidential election that will take place in early November. As an African-American the right to vote has a special meaning.

African-American men were given the right to vote when the 15^th Amendment was ratified in 1870.  Some states enacted literacy tests that undermined the effectiveness of this amendment. Due to high illiteracy among the black male population, many were legally denied the right to vote.

It was not until the passage of The Voting Rights Act when all Blacks were again given the right to vote. It took 95 years or until 1965 before the country would add some teeth to the 15^th Amendment. It was here when Congress eliminated literacy laws and allowed every American the ability to cast his/her vote.

It does not matter if one is a Democrat, a Republican or an Independent. That individual can participate in the main thing that separates this country from many other countries around the world. That person regardless of their sex, their religious ideas or their ethnicity can play a role in determining the direction that this country moves in. The only requirement to vote is that they have to be a citizen of this country.

With these rights in place, we don’t have to worry about being persecuted for our political beliefs. There will be no one knocking on the door of our homes looking to take us to a detention camp or to kill us because we disagree with those who are in power. I can privately or publically announce what candidate I support.

All in all this is a great place to live. I can sit in front of my television with my kids. We can talk about what the candidates are saying and we can root for our favorite athletes and when they come in 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd or just finish, we can all cheer.

USA!! USA!!

I LOVE BEING A DAD!!