The LuLac Edition #2335, January 20th, 2013

President Obama taking the oath with his family and Justice Roberts. (Photo: Fox News).

OBAMA’S SECOND TERM 

150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, and 50 years after Martin Luther King Junior’s march on Washington, Barack Obama is sworn in for a second term as President of the United States. Out of the 44 Presidents who have served, only 12 have completed their full second terms. When January 2017 comes, Obama will only become the 13th President to do so. The second term will have challenges that will be need to be met. The President is going to have to manage his Health Care bill, he is going to have to come to grips with entitlements, making decisions in that area where his young base will not pleased and has to forge a sane immigration plan. He will need to do this with a Congress that has been challenging. But Obama’s second term might be unusual in the sense that I personally think he will be playing for the history books. Chances for a second term validation are now gone. What will linger is the shadow of history. Second term Presidents have overreached in the past and failed trying to grab onto to that elusive “legacy” prize. If the President stays steady and takes it one day at a time, standing up for his beliefs and offering compromises, he might achieve a storied place in history. If not, he becomes another footnote in a long line of Presidents that fell victim to the Second term curse.

One of Martin Luther King, Junior's mugshots. King was arrested more than 69 times for civil disobedience.  (Photo: AP.)

KING/CIVIL RIGHTS DAY 

Martin Luther King would have tuned 84 on the 15th of this month. The U.S. celebrates his birthday tomorrow. King’s day joins the crass commercialism of President’s Day with people hawking ski deals, “Sunday night pub crawls” (hey no work Monday, have stay out late tonight!) and even a few discounting mattresses. Ahh the irony. Talk about equality. 
But Martin Luther King Day is also time for reflection. It is time to remember that just decades ago, blacks had to use separate restrooms, had to have a police escort to enter a state university and rode in the rear of a bus. King was out front and led the movement that changed things in a short period of historical time. He was a champion of social justice. King was killed for his efforts. When trying to pick 0out a photo for this story, I chose one that really showed what King had to endure as he stepped forward and fought for Civil Rights. It was not a game, it was pretty damn dangerous.
His name is on the holiday marquee but the King holiday includes all those individuals who worked hard for Civil Rights, all who died, black and white. The list is too long to name but there are many including all those blacks who were lynched just because they had the misfortune of happening upon a bigot who was still trying to fight the Civil War. So if you have the day off, or have work, take a minute to think of King but all those who with him died along the way.

Stan Musial  in his final appearance on the iconic Topps 1963 series baseball card. (Photo: LuLac archives.)

STAN MUSIAL/EARL WEAVER 

It is rare the two Hall of Famers in any sport pass away on the same day. But that happened on Saturday. First the news about Earl Weaver, the long time manager of the Baltimore Orioles. Weaver won only one World Series but parlayed his managerial skills and tantrums to a ticket to the Hall of Fame. 
Stan Musial was a ball player that personified greatness. His body of work is right up there in the pantheon of great America baseball heroes. I remember watching his last season and hearing tales of his exploits from my father. Years later I met him twice and was impressed by his unassuming acceptance that baseball had indeed been good to him and conversely that he had been good for it. 
Weaver was 82, Musial 92.