Martin Luther King Day, 2011

Here's what so many Americans don't get: Martin Luther King Jr. was our Gandhi. This lesson was not about race, it was about how to leverage change without violence.

He proved that a common man, even in a place as rigid as America, could affect great change. In a country where anyone can own a gun, he chose a different path.

Regardless of your race, he taught our country that commitment could outlast violence. Martin Luther King Jr. deserves his place in history, perhaps even more than the rest. He is one of the greatest role models for leadership in the short history of our country.

Up until almost a year ago, I was the president of the union at work, that represents all the technical and professional workers on campus, for over a decade. It wasn't something I even wanted to do.

If not for the lessons I learned about leadership from Martin Luther King Jr., I would have never become the reluctant leader that I was. I would have never understood the true essence of leadership. I would have never survived emotionally.

The only real perk of leadership is to look back on the people you helped. Other than that, it is a thankless and dangerous job. Mostly dangerous.

For the first time in my life, I learned what it meant to be truly hated. My reputation and job were consistently put on the line. You have no idea how much administrators hate union's, especially in a place like Ohio.

Martin Luther King Jr. understood, and taught the rest of us, the meaning of the greater good. He may have had thousands of people marching behind him, but nobody knew who they were or where they lived. It was Martin that had the target on his chest, and he knew it. And he did it anyway.

The irony most on my mind this MLK Day, 2011, is Arizona, Tucson to be specific. Arizona is the last state in the union that does not recognize this national holiday.

What happened in Tucson is a very old story. Older than dirt. It's what tests the concept that commitment can win over violence.

If Arizona never respects the lessons of Martin Luther King Jr., their children will never understand why their own parents would risk their lives for the greater good. Arizona will never understand the greatest basis for change in American history.

Same for the rest of us. This day is not about race. It is in remembrance of a common man who sacrificed it all for his country. So take a moment, put yourself in this man's shoes, and feel the magnitude of his sacrifice and burden.

Welcome to the James Brown Academy of Modern Dance

Class is now in session.

The below video is of the great James Brown, who is here to teach us all the latest dance steps. Yes, it's an old video, but for many of you, these dances will be completely new. It's modern-everlasting. Now that's some good stuff, which is why I'm posting it.

Can you teach some old dogs new dance steps? Well, if anyone can, it's JB. Does everybody have natural rhythm? Hell no. Can you teach rhythm to people who just ain't got none? Doubtful, he's a singer, not a magician.

While on the dance floor, white people like to stand in a circle. Perhaps this is in defense of each person taking their turn dancing in the center of the circle. Sort of like wagon trains, as opposed to soul trains.

On the other hand, black people like to stand in lines creating an aisle. This is much more of a showcase, and provides a better view. That's why they do it on "Soul Train", you have to think about the camera man.

Once you have watched this video, and practiced these steps, you can graduate to the dance line. Until that time, regardless of your race, please stay in the circle formation. That is all.

Happy Birthday Elvis P.

Happy Birthday to the late, great, Elvis who requires no last name. He would have been 76 years old today. So I got to thinking about him.

Elvis has always been under rated for the pure eclectic nature of his musical choices. You might like his music, some of it, or none of it, but his contribution to our country's fiber is undeniable. Elvis provided the perfect channel for song writers from every walk of life.

The social implications of this created more than just good listening. Elvis, while a boy from the old south, was the first of the equal opportunity employers. When it came to music, he didn't care where the song writer came from, color, creed, or politics, just that it sounded good.

While the Beatles may have brought some social change to America, it was Elvis that paved the road of social change that they traveled on. In pure American style, Elvis sewed together all the best pieces of society that all Americans could agree on, into one huge blanket. And they named that blanket "Rock-n-Roll".

Everybody has a favorite Elvis song. Mine is "Suspicious Minds", which I consider one of the greatest songs ever written/performed. Of course, on YouTube, I had 5 million choices of concert footage for this one. I choose the one below because I loved the pictures of him and Priscilla. I'll bet it was some of the happiest years of Elvis Presley's life.