America has lost a national treasure tonight. He retired when I was only four and the only time I ever had the opportunity to watch Walter Cronkite broadcast live was during the launch of the shuttle Discovery carrying John Glenn back to space in 1998. Even in his late 80s, it was obvious that this man was simply a force of nature, commanding attention even from those journalists working with him that afternoon. He defined the television news very nearly since its inception and what is means to be a class act and to deliver the news even-handedly and without bias. If you’ve never seen clips of him on the anchor desk, do yourself a big favor and watch the video of him broadcasting JFK’s assassination or the moon launch or from the bombed out streets of Viet Nam. Once upon a time, that’s the way it was and sadly will never be again.

In a world where the news cycle is brought to a grinding halt by the death of an aging pop star, I can only hope that we will pause to remember the man that literally defined what television news is all about.

It’s not being heavily covered here in the States yet, but there’s something unusual going on in Iran this week… In the closing days of it’s presidential election, their crazy-assed dictator is actually running neck and neck with the opposition candidate. And that’s something that would have been unthinkable just a few weeks ago.

Half of the voters in Iran are under thirty and they, along with many academics and the rising middle class, have taken to the streets in protest against what they see as the corrupt and fanatical tyranny of their leader. I’m trying hard to put the grainy film of similar demonstrations 30 years ago out of my mind and remember that the world has changed alot since 1979.

I’m no optimist, but maybe, just maybe these young reformers will have enough juice to pull their country back from the brink. While this isn’t exactly the spirit of ’76, we could be seeing the birth pangs of a real democracy movement in one of the most dangerous parts of the world… Or, if it’s not nurtured, we could watch the movement die before it draws it’s first full breath.

I believe democracy in one form or another is the destiny of all people. It’s marked the long upward struggle through tyrants and kings of the civilized world. It was wrenched by petty dictators, holocausts, and long centuries of bloody wars, both civil and otherwise… And it’s not an inevitable destiny.

Hopefully, I turn my eyes to those brave men and women of Iran who are even now risking all simply by telling their government “this far and no further.” The tide of history is with you as are the greatest hopes of those in our great country who would call you friends.

For those in my age range and younger, we’ve been living with the 24-hour news cycle all of our adult live. Those born after the launch of CNN know nothing else. That’s why I’m amazed at the buzz surrounding this “new and dangerous” strain of the flu virus. The regular old standard issue flu kills thousands of people directly and indirectly in the US every year. So far, this version has killed the astronomical figure of exactly 1 person here in the States.

I’m not saying that taking precautions like washing your hands and covering your nose when you sneeze is a bad idea… but it’s also common sense stuff that we should all be doing anyway. So before the Homeland Security threat level gets increased to Mayhem and Panic, take some time and think about all that ways that we’re all more likely to be killed than by the swine flu. Yeah, that should make us all feel better.