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Welcome to Thinking Out Loud, a blog that contains postings from The Tampa Tribune’s Editorial Board and from various Tribune Community Columnists. Unlike the unsigned editorials that represent the newspaper’s institutional voice, the blog postings offer personal perspectives on the issues, personalities and events of Tampa Bay. We invite you to participate by posting your comments. We’ll do our best to respond.

Contributors:

Joe Guidry

Joe Guidry is the deputy editorial page editor of The Tampa Tribune. He is a Tampa native and a graduate of the University of South Florida. He is married and has an adult son.

Jeff Stidham

Jeff Stidham grew up and lives in Bartow. He has been with the Tribune for nearly 22 years, the last 10 on the editorial board.

William Yelverton

William Yelverton is a Tribune editorial writer who has worked for the paper nearly 22 years. He lives in the Dade City area.

Jim Beamguard

Jim Beamguard is a Tribune editorial writer. He is a native of North Carolina and a graduate of Davidson College. He and his family live in Brandon.

Jackie Papandrew:

Jackie Papandrew is a freelance writer and editor. Her syndicated humor column appears in publications in the United States, Canada and India. She lives in Largo with her husband and children. Visit her website at www.jackiepapandrew.com.

Camille Beredjick

Camille Beredjick is a senior at Chamberlain High School, an avid musician and a scribbler with a quirky sense of humor. In the fall, she will be attending Northwestern University to study journalism, political science and music, and she plans to pursue a career in journalism.

Jim Harnish

Jim Harnish is in his 17th year as Senior Pastor at Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Tampa. He and his wife, Marsha, have two daughters and two grandchildren. He is a graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary and received the honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Bethune-Cookman University. He is the author of six books and numerous articles and studies. He enjoys playing with his grandchildren and cheering for the Florida Gators.

Angela Hunt

Angela Hunt is a novelist living in Pinellas County with her husband and two 220-pound mastiffs.

Sheryl Young

Sheryl Young was a Tampa Tribune Community Columnist in 2005-2006. A freelance writer since 1997, including the Tampa Bay Business Journal, Tampa Style Magazines, St. Pete Times and nationally in Better Nutrition, Today’s Christian Woman and more. She’s received a First Place Amy Foundation national "Roaring Lambs" Writing Award, and has lived in Tampa Bay with her family for over 20 years.

Christie Gold

Christie Gold teaches English and journalism at Freedom High School in Tampa where she advises Revolution, the school newspaper. She has been both the Hillsborough County Teacher of the Year and Florida Journalism Teacher of the Year. She lives on a small farm in Wesley Chapel where she trains as a competitive equestrian.

Natalie D. Preston

Natalie D. Preston is a karaoke singing, only-child pouting, Seminole Tomahawk waving, newlywed bride blushing, 50-state traveling, girlie girl who loves to shop, read, run and jump up and down on her soapbox.

Fernando Figueroa

Fernando Figueroa is a researcher, educator and lives in Riverview.

Gary Beemer

Interests include humor, politics, economics, community and world affairs, finance, people, religion, music, sports, current events, the arts and education.

Nicole Yunger Halpern

Nicole Yunger Halpern is an undergraduate at Dartmouth College, where she studies everything she can get her nerdy little hands on. Desired major: life. No, not necessarily biology. Life.

Kris DiGiovanni

Kris DiGiovanni is a Tribune Community Columnist, Huffington Post contributor, Daily Kos diarist, and teacher, who recently moved from NW Hillsborough to another planet - a small beach community in Pinellas County. She also blogs at www.sandscript.wordpress.com

H. David Braswell Jr.

H. David Braswell Jr. is an Information Systems Professional. He is a native New Yorker and a lifelong NY Giants fan. He attended college in California (Cal State Northridge) and moved to Tampa in 1998.

Sean Marcus

Sean Marcus teaches creative writing, journalism and reading at Chamberlain High School. He has one son and is expecting a daughter in early March. He can be reached at wuizabug@gmail.com

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Hey Nobel, Take Your Peace Prize and…

Posted Oct 10, 2009 by Gary Beemer

Updated Oct 10, 2009 at 08:48 AM

I don’t want the President of the United States to be directed, cajoled or “schooled” by any foreign entity on what is right for the American people.

The Presidential Oath of Office clearly reads, “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

The President is the leader of the United States, not the World. America can lead the world by promoting freedom, human rights, racial and gender equality, education, financial and environmental stewardship – but the world should not lead the United States.

Nobel – through its Peace Prize – now appears to be just another powerful special interest group trying to steer the American President into a global agenda. According the Lech Walesa, former President of Poland and Nobel laureate, “Sometimes the Nobel committee awards the prize to encourage responsible action, but for now, Obama is just making proposals.” Hisham Qasim, an Egyptian human rights activist, says that he is “shocked (at the award) because Obama has not achieved any of his promises.”

Other Prize winners in Literature, Chemistry, Physics, Physiology and Medicine won for major advances in their fields. Women were among winners in Literature, Chemistry, Physiology and Medicine – which could not have happened under Taliban-like regimes where females are not worthy of formal education. Most winners are citizens of, or received their formal education in Western democracies, which makes a clear case that excellence in worthy endeavors spring from free societies.

Yes, we should listen to and work with our global neighbors. However, we should not seek the approval of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hugo Chavez, Kim Jong-il or the Taliban. We should not delegate the well being of the United States to ineffective organizations like the United Nations; but instead, stay true to an American way of life that has lifted the lives of many nationalities for generations and continues to offers hope and opportunity to the oppressed of the world. No we’re not perfect or superior as a people, but America need not apologize continually as some would have us do.

My biggest fear is that the “World” and second-term considerations are having too much influence over the decisions of our current Administration. Obama criticized Bush for not concentrating on Afghanistan and finishing the job after 911, which rang true for many Americans. Now, it’s time for the President to act wisely on that criticism and do what is in the best interest of America in the long term, without regard for what the Nobel organization expects him to do in return for their precious Prize. After all, they can’t take it back as far as I know…

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