"Dr. King, meet President Obama." This was the title of a sermon I listened to on Sunday. If only Dr. King had lived to dwell in the promised land; at best, he saw it from the mountaintop. Ring in the New Year, or rather, the changing of the guard, with this music video by Filmstrip International featuring music by Jim Infantino.

Speaking of change, I have read that the US Census bureau predicts that whites will cease to be the majority somewhere around the middle of this century if current demographic trends continue. Some people find this trend threatening.

In truth, how would it feel to be on the short end of the stick? I can't say that I'm 100% comfortable with it. Change scares me at times, while at other times it exhilarates me. We all contain seeds of distrust for "the other" who we feel competes with us for resources, jobs, etc.  Some may be more self-aware of this distrust than others. Some may act out on it without being aware of it. Some may see their actions as defending what they perceive to be rightfully theirs.

Yet America has prided itself on being the "great melting pot." To me that means America welcomes all races, creeds and nationalities, and all flee-ers from religious and other types of prosecution. My ancestors came here to flee prosecution. They took the land by force. How can their descendents then morally deny entry to anyone seeking a new life? There weren't any laws that said it was OK to come here and take this land.

Yet that's what our ancestors did. Woody Guthrie sang, "This land is your land. This land is my land. This land was made for you and me." It's when we try to impose limits on "you and me" that people disagree.