"We were taking the Black young men who had been crippled by our society and sending them 8,000 miles away to guarantee liberties in Southeast Asia which they had not found in southwest Georgia and East Harlem," he told an antiwar meeting in April 1967. "I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today--my own government."
If alive today I have no doubt what Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. would have to say about our current involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is immortalized today for his heroic stance on civil rights and rightfully so however he was about so much more than just equality. Dr. King was fully aware of the massive gulf that separates the American dream from the American reality. His sagacious understanding of the Vietnam War reveals his wisdom about US foreign policy issues.
The U.S. government:
"The greatest purveyors of violence in the world"
THE U.S. government is reacting to the attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., the only way that it ever has--by arming itself to ruthlessly impose its military, political and economic interests around the world.
It is this history that explains why millions of people across the globe despise the U.S. government.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about the damage being done to our society through militarism. The warmongers are only concerned merely to rationalize the status quo and offer no solution but only more of the same. If alive today Dr. King would have been faced with the hostility of the warmongering NeoCons and their angry supporters.
On April 4 , 1967 just one year before he died Rev. King gave a charismatic anti-Vietnam War speech at the Riverside Church in New York City. Although not nearly as famous as his classic "I Have a Dream" speech Dr. Kings "Beyond Vietnam" is perhaps the greatest Anti-War speech ever delivered.
Dr. King also denounced the imperialist foreign policy of our nation. He spoke about the implications of such a wicked strategy. I think his speech back in 1967 still resonates today about our so called War on Terror. Over 40 years ago Dr. King called the United States the greatest purveyor of violence in the world. Sadly that remains true in 2007 as we inflict massive harm on the citizens of both Iraq and Afghanistan. I was going to wait for his birthday to do a diary on this speech but I decided that Christmas which is supposed to be about Peace on Earth would also be an appropriate time. I have a full hour of his speech on audio so there will be more than enough to save some of it for his birthday.
This Madness Must Cease
Somehow this madness must cease. We must stop now. I speak as a child of God and brother to the suffering poor of Vietnam. I speak for those whose land is being laid waste, whose homes are being destroyed, whose culture is being subverted. I speak for the poor of America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home and death and corruption in Vietnam. I speak as a citizen of the world, for the world as it stands aghast at the path we have taken. I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours.
The time is now that the people of our Nation must demand to be told what's going on by our government. This so called war on terror is both ill defined and seems endless. The question is not whether our leadership likes to talk about it or not because we can still vote them out of office if they won't listen to us.
Afghanistan deserves Peace
I don't believe that the President is sincerely attempting to win the war in Afghanistan. The time is now that the people of our Nation must demand to be told what's going on by our government. This so called war on terror is both ill defined and seems endless. The question is not whether our leadership likes to talk about it because we can still vote them out of office if they won't listen to us. The Bush Neo-Con doctrine threatens the whole globe. There has to be a plan to find a peaceful co-existence with our enemies. If the United States continues down the reckless path we are presently on it will cause a world catastrophe.
The next President will inherit the so called War on Terror. It's time for cooler heads to prevail we need leadership that is willing to send diplomats around the World on Peace-seeking missions. So whoever wins the election should propose a Peaceful solution to end this insanity.
While we are on the topics of war and speeches there is another speech of great importance that every peace loving American should know by heart.
January 17, 1961,
President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Farewell address to the nation
This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience.
Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.
Ring in the New Year with peace, love and happiness for everyone.