Ryan Evans

National:
It has been about forty or so years since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Political leaders, civil leaders, and other citizens have been descending on Memphis to pay tribute to the champion of civil rights in memory. The crowd will be walking through Memphis today, which was the site of his death forty years ago. Crowds will be laying wreaths and honoring him in their prayers. Hillary Clinton and John McCain will be in attendence, but Sen. Barack Obama will be campaigning in Indiana today.

Opinion:
I suppose this is one of the great American figures that should be remembered. He invoked equality and liberty through peace. It seems kind to walk around the city of Memphis and try to live as he did. It seems odd that Sen. Obama will not be in attendence but Senators Clinton and McCain will be. This seems like something Obama could be called out on in later debates and campaign rallies.

National:
It has been reported that two firefighters have just died while battling a house fire. This happened in Cincinnati, Ohio. It had been apparent that the two fighters fell through the floor and were trapped in the home's basement. The authorities have also said that a family of five died in northwest Ohio. Fire supervisors were quite distressed when they lost contact with the firefighters.

Opinion:
As always, this is always terrible news. It is never encouraging to hear about the death of true American heroes. Yet, this is the risk and danger of becoming and working as a fire-fighter. People need to become more safety conscious regarding fire in their homes. We also need to be more vocal in honoring the lives and sacrifices of these fallen men. Our public workers need more support, obviously.