The Real Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Martin Luther King, Jr: we need your wisdom now

Cowardice asks the question - is it safe?
Expediency asks the question - is it politic?
Vanity asks the question - is it popular?
But conscience asks the question - is it right?
And there comes a time when one must take a position
that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular;
but one must take it because it is right.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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 in 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.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Trumpet of Conscience, 1967

The ultimate measure of a man

is not where he stands 

in moments of comfort and convenience, 

but where he stands 

at times of challenge and controversy. 

The true neighbor will risk his position, 

his prestige and even his life 

for the welfare of others.
-- Strength to Love (1963) 

Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday

This Monday, January 19, we celebrate the Birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Today as more people are sliding into economic Depression after eight years of Federal mismanagement and corruption, Dr. King's message is more timely than ever.

In his famous "I Have a Dream" Speech Dr. King said,

"It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children."

Complete Speech is at www.usconstitution.net/dream.html

Today we live in a nation that has become known world-wide for War, Torture, and hidden Ghost Prisons. Where working people are losing their incomes and homes. Where taxpayer fortunes bail out the culprits who ruined our economy in the first place, while the peoples who built everything stand on the outsides with empty hands. If Dr. King were alive today he would be leading the struggle for Economic Equality. Fortunately, however, this struggle continues. As Barbara Jordan once said, "What the people want is very simple. They want an America as good as its promise." Please pitch in for everyone's good.

Picture from RedDartFrog - DeviantArt