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Departments National Issues Happy Birthday Martin Luther King, Jr. And for every 1967 there will be a 1968. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated one year to the day of his speech "Beyond Vietnam - A Time To Break Silence." He gave that speech in New York City at the Riverside Church on April 4, 1967. In that remarkable address MLK single-handedly united the anti-war and civil rights movements. In his impassioned speech he explained how the Vietnam War was immoral and how it was impossible for us to not try to end it. In other words, MLK had white people and black people working together for both peace and justice. No one has to wonder why he was murdered at the age of 39. I was 21 years old when MLK gave that speech. I was a hippie, a yippee! a freak. I was against the war and in another year I would find myself wearing a gas mask and crash helmet with a sticker on it that read "Smash The State,” but on April 4, 1968 when I heard that Martin Luther King had been shot down and killed, I cried. America burned. MLK knew that what he was saying was going to get him killed and he continued to say it, anyway. There are far too many people who will kill for what they think they believe in, but MLK had the genuine courage to die for what he believed without killing. While Che Guevara and Malcolm X were dashing, heroic men, Martin Luther King, as Gandhi and Jesus before him, was a man of peace. Non-violent direct action is what he preached and practiced, that's what people of conscience can choose to do. I found myself the other day, thinking of the more familiar MLK quote, "judged by the content of their character.” I was watching Alberto Gonzales get questioned by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Alberto Gonzales, Bernard Kerik, Michael Chertoff are just a few of the people nominated by George W. Bush to serve in his second administration. Do any of these men come close to possessing the content of character shown by Martin Luther King, Jr.? I can't find a person of character among Charles Schumer, Arlen Spector, or Hillary Clinton, either. What a charade. The feckless Democratic Party participating in sham hearings the same way they participated in sham elections. The Democratic Party is serving one purpose only and that's to provide cover for the fascist takeover of the United States. Michael Chertoff and Alberto Gonzales are two of the architects of that fascism, while Democratic Senators like Jon Corzine and Frank Lautenberg heap praise upon them. Sickening. January 15th is Martin Luther King's birthday; he would have been 76 years of age. Imagine what that man could have been capable of teaching us if he had been allowed to live! I don't think he would be heaping praise on Alberto Gonzales and Michael Chertoff. I am still calculating his loss 37 years later. In the memory of MLK a national holiday has been established, the third Monday in January. People, mainly in the Black community, have programs to honor him. It has occurred to me that it would be more than proper for white peace and justice activists to explain his impact upon them, as well. On MLK's birthday this year I have become inspired to be a more peaceful person in word and deed. I can't live in this world comfortably without trying to stop the war in Iraq, trying to end the occupation, and bringing the troops home. We have to reach our fellow citizens who have lost hope. To achieve what we have to achieve, we first have to believe that it's possible. You'll never achieve peace without first believing that it can happen. I'm still learning from MLK even today. I've said this before and I'll say it again, if we lose hope we have lost everything. The powers-that-be won't have to fire a shot. I was talking to a long time activist on the phone the other day to tell her and her husband about a meeting this coming Wednesday around the issue of organizing in our community to stop the war, end the occupation and bring the troops home. I must admit I was a bit shocked by the fact that she said that she was tired. And then I remembered the last time I had run in to her right after the election. She was disgusted and talked about spending the rest of her life enjoying herself. I don't know if she has lost hope, but I told her that I would keep her posted. We will start by organizing the hopeful. Organize the people who feel that their actions matter. Organize those who believe that collectively with their friends and neighbors they can articulate publicly a position that states that this war, being paid for by our taxes and prosecuted in our name, must end now. The numbers of people who passionately believe in this war are a minority of the population. Yes, there are those who still support the war, but I firmly believe that people can overcome mental illness, I have. There was a time that I thought war could be necessary to achieve peace. It took me a long time to realize that peace was the absence of war, not the result of it. I'm sorry to tell you that the only way there is going to be peace in this world is for you and me to make peace, even if we have to do it one person at a time. But when you think about it, that's the only way it could ever happen. In my reading about MLK I saw mentions that Jesse Helms, Trent Lott, Strom Thurmond, Mitch McConnell, John McCain and Dick Cheney, all voted against there being a national holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. I woudn't call their actions compassionate conservatism. I should add that Cheney voted against the holiday in 1979, but did vote for it when it passed in 1983. Even then he knew how to go along to get along. To honor Dr. King on his birthday, CodePink has a flashmovie that is worth seeing today at: http://www.bushflash.com/mlk2005.html I think it's time that we celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday in a real way. It could be more than just a day off for some. We could make it celebration of peace and justice; I think that would be a good way to honor the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. Stop the war! |
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