Jack & Jill Politics

It’s too bad that we don’t have the leadership of Dr. King in these troubled times. George Bush claims that Iraq is nothing like Vietnam:

“The enemy in Vietnam had neither the intent nor the capability to strike our homeland,” he said. “The enemy in Iraq does.”

Um, right. And it was really important to stop the spread of Communism through Asia. Since it could eventually spread here. Or something like that.

We don’t have to wonder what Martin would say because if you listen to one of his speeches addressing the war in Vietnam, you’d swear he was talking about Iraq. If you’re in disagreement with Martin Luther King, chances are good you are on the wrong side of the issue. Take a listen. Nod to African-American Political Pundit on Blacks and Iraq.

Here are a few excerpts I like. I mean, seriously, you could just do a search and replace!

Now, let me make it clear in the beginning, that I see this war as an unjust, evil, and futile war. I preach to you today on the war in Vietnam because my conscience leaves me with no other choice. The time has come for America to hear the truth about this tragic war. In international conflicts, the truth is hard to come by because most nations are deceived about themselves. Rationalizations and the incessant search for scapegoats are the psychological cataracts that blind us to our sins. But the day has passed for superficial patriotism. He who lives with untruth lives in spiritual slavery. Freedom is still the bonus we receive for knowing the truth. “Ye shall know the truth,” says Jesus, “and the truth shall set you free.” Now, I’ve chosen to preach about the war in Vietnam because I agree with Dante, that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis maintain their neutrality. There comes a time when silence becomes betrayal.

and

Polls reveal that almost fifteen million Americans explicitly oppose the war in Vietnam. Additional millions cannot bring themselves around to support it. And even those millions who do support the war [are] half-hearted, confused, and doubt-ridden. This reveals that millions have chosen to move beyond the prophesying of smooth patriotism, to the high grounds of firm dissent, based upon the mandates of conscience and the reading of history. Now, of course, one of the difficulties in speaking out today grows the fact that there are those who are seeking to equate dissent with disloyalty. It’s a dark day in our nation when high-level authorities will seek to use every method to silence dissent. But something is happening, and people are not going to be silenced. The truth must be told, and I say that those who are seeking to make it appear that anyone who opposes the war in Vietnam is a fool or a traitor or an enemy of our soldiers is a person that has taken a stand against the best in our tradition.