undecided about protests? MARTIN LUTHER KING Jr. and GANDHI give us PEACE & STRENGTH!

[Jeffersons Ghost]

Aside from physical attributes like muscles and armored-weapons of war; what is strength?


The Trumpet of Conscience (1968)
"We must move past indecision to action. We must find new ways to speak for peace in _____ and for justice throughout the developing world, a world that borders on our doors. If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight."

Two primary attributes of real strength are courage and patience

on violence:
"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy? It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence. I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent. Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. I cannot teach you violence, as I do not myself believe in it. I can only teach you not to bow your heads before any one -- even at the cost of your life."

on patience:
"An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching. First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. One needs to be slow to form convictions, but once formed they must be defended against the heaviest odds." <JG note: indeed, let us not judge or act too quickly but is doing nothing an option?> "Indolence is a delightful but distressing state; we must be doing something to be happy. Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it. When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it--always. You must be the change you want to see in the world."

on courage:
"Better far than cowardice is killing and being killed in battle. A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history. Adaptability is not imitation. An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it. Breach of promise is a base surrender of truth. It means power of resistance and assimilation. A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble. A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave."

on strength:
"Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love. They cannot take away our self-respect if we do not give it to them. It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err. Nonviolence is a weapon of the strong. Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."

~Mahatma Gandhi~


Pilgrimage to Nonviolence in Strength to Love (1958)
by Martin Luther King, Jr.

"More recently I have come to see the need for the method of nonviolence in international relations. Although I was not yet convinced of its efficacy in conflicts between nations, I felt that while war could never be a positive good, it could serve as a negative good by preventing the spread and growth of an evil force. War, horrible as it is, might be preferable to surrender to a totalitarian system. But now I believe that the potential destructiveness of modern weapons totally rules out the possibility of war ever again achieving a negative good. If we assume that mankind has a right to survive then we must find an alternative to war and destruction. Don't ever let anyone pull you so low as to hate them. We must use the weapon of love. We must have the compassion and understanding for those who hate us. We must realize so many people are taught to hate us that they are not totally responsible for their hate. But we stand in life at midnight; we are always on the threshold of a new dawn."

~Martin Luther King, Jr.~





Finally, here are my microscopic musings -- among giant teachings of wisdom:

Media teaches us to love our neighbor and hate our enemies. But I say to you, love your enemies, especially those who persecute us. If we love only those that love us, we become our own worst enemy. If we combat injustice with crime; what inner peace will we attain? It is time for someone to take a higher road. Can we depend on those blinded by hatred to show us the path? Fear has only one opposite: Replace fear with faith. We must have faith that even a few protesters can create real change. Will you be one of them? Keep the faith my friends. It is our real strength and the true path to peace.

CODEPINK
http://www.codepinkalert.org/modinput4.php?modin=68
UNITED for PEACE & JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/

[proud patriot]

1. Abbie Hoffman quotes

Revolution is not something fixed in ideology, nor is it something fashioned to a particular decade. It is a perpetual process embedded in the human spirit.
Abbie Hoffman

To steal from a brother or sister is evil. To not steal from the institutions that are the pillars of the Pig Empire is equally immoral.
Abbie Hoffman

“Become an internationalist and learn to respect all life. Make war on machines. And in particular the sterile machines of corporate death and the robots that guard them.”
Abbie Hoffman

“You measure a democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists.”
Abbie Hoffman

"There is absolutely no greater high than challenging the power structure as a nobody, giving it your all, and winning!"
Abbie Hoffman

[Jeffersons Ghost]

2. I remember... I remember all 7...

At 14 I attended my first anti-war rally, where another YIPPIE and member of the Chicago-7 spoke. Ideas of Abbie Hoffman closely match those of co-founder to the YIPPPIE movement, Jerry Rubin. On that sunny day, Rubin said, "DON'T TRUST ANYONE OVER 30." Several years back, upon turning 30, I read that he recounted those words.

If I still embrace YIPPIE philosophies, Gandhi, Dr. King and countless others are untrustworthy. Worst of all, with their early approach, I cannot even trust myself.

In an odd paradox, back then I did not trust my own feelings but now I do. You are free to feel or believe in whatever you like, proud patriot.

Gandhi says, "Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes."

Another giant, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola said that you have “free choice and dignity, so you may fashion yourself into whatever form you choose. To you is granted power of degrading yourself into lower forms of life, like the beasts, and to you is granted power, contained in your intellect and judgment, to be reborn into higher forms, like the Divine." Almost a manifesto for the Renaissance, his speech affirms the importance of a human quest for knowledge and enlightenment. Pico was also well-over 30 when he said those words.

thanks for reminding me of my first real anti-war efforts proud patriot and thanks for the kick.

[proud patriot]

3. You are most welcome

:)

[Jeffersons Ghost]

4. when Rubin said...

"LET THE RUSSIANS TAKE OVER... SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO WITH 50 SQUARE MILES OF FAST-FOOD AND FILLING STATIONS!" I thought I'd die laughing. Too funny; those guys -- but the courts failed to see the humor.

[proud patriot]

5. My favorite story (I'm too young to remember)

is when they dropped the dollars on the floor
on the NY stock exchange .

I was lucky enough to be one of the few of my
generation to hear Abbie speak and I shook his
hand .

[Jeffersons Ghost]

6. here's an interesting modern idea, dealing with the very tool we communicate with tonight...

A modern leading cosmologist, Stephen Hawking said, “I think computer viruses should count as life. I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive. We've created life in our own image.” Hawking retains a position once held by Sir Isaac Newton as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University.

[liberaldemocrat7]

24. The 21st century peace movement ignores that Gandhi and MLK used boycotts.

The boycotts brought down the opposition, not the marches.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

7. please check your PM proud patriot

[proud patriot]

8. Got it

:hi:

[Jeffersons Ghost]

15. thanks!

have you heard this new magic spell:
"eye of newt, doesn't give a hoot... he's blind to humanity so give him the boot!"

[Viva_La_Revolution]

16. you have inspired me...

check out my sexy new sig-line. :)

[Jeffersons Ghost]

17. I liked it too! reminds me of gandhi... check that PM Viva!

[fooj]

9. For humanity...

[Jeffersons Ghost]

10. don't you just love that dove? I wish someone could reduce the size of this one:::

[fooj]

12. That's a powerful graphic! Wow!

[Jeffersons Ghost]

13. gee yours would look nice on an OP... did you ever consider using it?

[fooj]

14. It shall be so.

;)

[Jeffersons Ghost]

21. thanks fooj

[enigmatic]

11. MLK and Gandhi

Two of my biggest heroes. Thank you for this.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

28. I'm still enjoying Gandhi... check out this major revision of the quote strings...

They're getting smoother with each post... i need to find his writings or speeches in complete form to really appreciate them. Still, this is a new and improved combination of quotes by the great teacher:


on violence:
"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy? It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence. I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent. Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. I cannot teach you violence, as I do not myself believe in it. I can only teach you not to bow your heads before any one -- even at the cost of your life."

on patience:
"An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching. First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. One needs to be slow to form convictions, but once formed they must be defended against the heaviest odds. Unwearied ceaseless effort is the price that must be paid for turning faith into a rich infallible experience. Indolence is a delightful but distressing state; we must be doing something to be happy. Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it. When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it--always."

on courage:
"A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history. If you don't ask, you don't get. A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble. Unity to be real must stand the severest strain without breaking. Adaptability is not imitation. An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it. Breach of promise is a base surrender of truth. A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave."

on strength:
"They cannot take away our self-respect if we do not give it to them. It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err. Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love. Nonviolence is a weapon of the strong. Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man. Non-violence is the article of faith. "

~Mahatma Gandhi~

[fooj]

18. More truth...

If we have no peace it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.- Mother Teresa


For humanity...for peace.

[fooj]

19. COMMUNAL DU EFFORT TO HELP CODE PINK STOP THE WAR

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3066443&mesg_id=3066443



CODEPINK
http://www.codepinkalert.org/modinput4.php?modin=68
UNITED for PEACE & JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org /

[Jeffersons Ghost]

20. oops self-delete

[Jeffersons Ghost]

22. dang this thing getting pushed down the board so fast this late at night looks a little fishy...

anyone up for a bit of trolling?

[Jeffersons Ghost]

23. thanks for four votes so far! LOL

[Jeffersons Ghost]

25. now for some very solemn graphics... time to realize what this is REALLY about...

[stellanoir]

26. woh great graphics and quotations

Hey JG did you PM me ??? LOL

No seriously, I got two e-mail notifications when I was out at my gig and none appeared. Somethin's screwy. Thanks again for your earlier message though.

K & R'd

[Jeffersons Ghost]

27. I may have... I did a few for an anti-war OP by fooj... the webs fishy for anti-war these days...

ah yes, the wonders of fishing... just sitting back watching the trolling on-lines...


On a more serious note:

AWOL, need advice?
http://www.resisters.ca/index_en.html

War Resisters -- Support the Troops Who Refuse to Fight

It takes courage to say that you will not fight -- especially if you are a soldier. As more members of the U.S. military step forward for peace, the peace movement must step forward to support them.

Large numbers are now refusing to serve: The Department of Defense estimates that there are about 8,000 AWOL service members. The GI Rights Hotline [phone]) is currently receiving about 3,000 calls a month.

Most importantly, a growing number of soldiers are speaking out, against the illegality and immorality of the Iraq war and the orders they are being told to carry out. These brave men and women are risking jail time and their futures to stand up against the war. Click here to find out how you can support them.
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=3456

[Jcrowley]

29. Kicking

to the top

see ya' there

[nam78_two]

30. Too late to recommend :-( but here is a kick

Great post!

[postulater]

31. Don't forget Daniel O'Connell, the Great Irish Liberator

who was the role model for much of modern non-violent practice.

The main bridge in downtown Dublin is named after him.