USING MY WORD POWER

This is Book II, Patriotism and Politics, of three books in the Real Advocacy Journalism® series. Book I focused on Ethics and Values. Book III will address Justice and Equality. Book I has received great editorial reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Midwest Book Reviews, Chanticleer International Book Reviews, and more. It also won the Silver Award from the Midwest Independent Publishers Association. I have been an advocate journalist for the past four decades. The writings of an advocate journalist always boil down, directly, or indirectly, intentionally, or unintentionally, to a plea-imploring the reader or listener to think, to consider the facts, the circumstances, the workable solutions for the issues at hand, and when appropriate and necessary to engage in action. I have primarily addressed some of the most enduring issues of our times. But I have also addressed the temporal-pressing matters of the hour. Most of my writings during the last four decades have maintained relevancy, fulfilling a needed voice. As a collection, the selected commentaries are snapshots of history and are included because of their timeliness and timelessness. During the past four decades, they have been written for a large radio station, a major metropolitan daily newspaper, and community newspapers, and are currently online. In my writings, I have endeavored to practice the tenets of Real Advocacy Journalism® -stick to the facts, analyze them, put an event, situation, or issue into perspective to foster a better understanding and provide direction to form an opinion or pursue an action. Real Advocacy Journalism® is the focus of my book, Shaping Public Opinion: How Real Advocacy Journalism® Should Be Practiced (2021). All commentaries, written over the decades, have been chosen for their enduring relevancy in terms of their subject matter's timeliness or timelessness. Many represent historical accounts of defining moments, incidents, and issues that have had lasting impacts and lessons learned. My hope is that in sharing my attempt to improve understanding about issues that impact us all, you will be informed, enlightened, inspired, and have reaffirmation that our words and actions are what advance a more civilized and better society.