MLK, Jr: "to a generation drunk with military power"

[H2O Man]

Last night's press conference seemed to show a new side of President Bush. I was treated to DUers reactions on GD before seeing some clips of the event on the late-night news. Between watching Bush, and reading so many insightful posts here, I sensed that there is change in the air. The president seemed to be anxious and uncomfortable, while many DUers (especially some of those who lived thrugh the Watergate era) sounded more confident.

After I got off DU, and had turned the tv off, I got out one of my favorite books by Martin Luther King, Jr. I found a section that I would like to share with folks here. I offer it in the spirit of unity: while King is a Christian minister, and parts of his faith are reflected in these paragraphs (even after my editing), I think almost all DUers recognize King as a great American. I think we could substitute "the laws of nature" for King's "moral laws," and the message is the same.

This is from a collection of his teachings that was published as a book called "The Strength to Love." In it, he compares the tiny dictators in American society at that time, to some of history's larger villians. In this book, it is clear that although he is a nonviolent man of the cloth, King is strong. His words are powerful, and he confidently says, "evil contains the seed of its own destruction. History is the story of evil forces that advance with seeming irresistible power only to be crushed by the battling rams of the forces of justice. There is a law in the moral world -- asilent, invisible imperative, akin to the laws of the physical world -- which reminds us that life will work only in a certain way. The Hitlers and Mussolinis have their day, and for a period they may weild great power, spreading themselves like a green bay tree, but soon they are cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb."

King recounts the experience of Napolean at the Battle of Waterloo. He reminds us of the words of Victor Hugo: "Was it possible that Napolean should wi this battle? We answer no. Why? Because of Wellington? Because of Blucher? No. Because of God... Napolean had been impeached before the Infinite, and his fall was decreed. He vexed God. Waterloo is not a battle; it is the change of the front of the universe." King points out that Napolean symbolizes the doomed leaders who are drunk with military power. He insists thaty in history, might does not make right, and that the sword is not as powerful as the truth. Like many prophets that live within an empire run by dictators that would kill any who openly question their rule, King's historic examples represent the leaders he was challenging.

"In our own nation," he continues, "another unjust and evil system, known as segregation, for nearly one hundred years inflicted the Negro with a sense of inferiority, deprived him of his personhood, and denied him his birthright of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Segregation has been the Negroe's burden and America's shame. But as on the world scale, so in our nation, the wind of change began to blow. One event has followed another to bring a gradual end to the system of segregation. Today we know with certainty that segregation is dead. The only question remaining is how costly will be the funeral.

"These great changes are not mere political and sociological shifts. They represent the passing of systems that were born in injustice, nurtured in inequality, and reared in exploitation. They represent the inevitable decay of any system based on principles that are not in harmony with the moral laws of the universe ....

"God is able to conquer the evils of history. His control is never usurped. If at times we despair because of the relatively slow progress being made in ending racial discrimination and if we become disappointed because of the undue cautiousness of the federal government, let us gain new heart in the fac that God is able. In our sometimes difficult and often lonesome walk up freedom's road, we do not walk alone. God walks with us. He has placed within the very structure of this universe certain absolute moral laws. We can neither defy nor break them If we disobey them, they will break us. The forces of evil may temporarily conquer truth, but truth will ultimately conquer its conqueror."

King or Bush: only one of the two can be right. I felt that Bush was lying through his teeth last night, while every word King said seemed true.

[ms liberty]

1. Thank you

What a great message, and so true.

The small segment I saw last had included a cutaway shot to Scott McClellan and I wasn't sure who looked more anxious and scared, him or Dufus.

[H2O Man]

2. The whole team

has begun to show some signs of strain. I think it is significant that in the 36 hours before the press conference, many in the corporate media had mentioned that "moderate" republicans in congress were turning against the administration.

[H2O Man]

3. "Nonviolence: The Only Road to Freedom"

"Our most powerful nonviolent weapon is, as would be expected, also our most demanding, that is organization. To produce change, people must be organized to work together in units of power. .... More and more, the civil rights movement will become engaged in the task of organizing people into permanent groups to protect their own interests and to produce change in their behalf. This is a tedious task which may take years, but the results are more permanent and meaningful.

"There is no easy way to create a world where men and women can live together, where each has his own job and house and where all children receive as much education as their minds can absorb. But if such a world is created in our lifetime, it will be done in the United States by Negroes and white people of good will. It will be accomplished by persons who have the courage to put an end to suffering by willingly suffering themselves rather than inflicting suffering upon others. It will be done by rejecting the racism, materialism, and violence that has characterized Western civilization, and especially by working toward a world of brotherhood, cooperation, and peace."

-- Martin Luther King, Jr; Ebony; 10-66; page 30.

[H2O Man]

4. "Men who fear

to make the sacrifice of love will have to fight."
-Toyohiko Kagawa

[Just Me]

5. Evil ALWAYS fails.

We must resist the urge to fall into despair or resignation because then we are turning over our power. Love, hope, faith brings out our infinite strength to take another step, our infinite courage to be part of the inevitable process of human progress.

I :loveya: King,...he is alive and well within me,...within all of us.