justice

Honouring Dr. Martin Luther King … — Filosofa’s Word

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My friend, Jill Dennison, submitted this eloquent tribute today in commemoration of Martin Luther King Day, and it is my privilege to share it with you. I hope it both inspires and challenges you. Larry

Today is Martin Luther King Day, a federal holiday in the United States to honour one of the greatest men who ever lived in this country.  I first wrote this tribute to Dr. King in 2017, and each year I reprise it, with slight changes or minor additions, for I find that it still says […]

Honouring Dr. Martin Luther King … — Filosofa’s Word

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Jacob Blake. A Black man.

Shot eight times by police.

At close range.

In the back.

In full view of three horrified children.

Incredibly, he’s still alive, though paralyzed from the waist down, perhaps permanently.

And the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, are filled with the now familiar sights and sounds of anger and frustration, manifested in protests, rioting and destruction of property.

I don’t, by any means, condone the violence that has occurred since Blake’s shooting.

But I can’t condemn it, either.

 

Because there’s no way I could say I would react any differently if I was a Black man in America.

Jacob Blake is yet another name to add to the ever-growing roster of Blacks being shot, and usually killed, by the police. Add the strangulation of George Floyd to the list, and it’s hard not to understand why the outcry for justice is so passionate as to spill over into acts of violence.

And all our government is interested in is maintaining law and order, i.e., shutting down the protests. Why not address why they’re protesting in the first place? Why not act to prevent all this excessive force used by police? Why not acknowledge the undercurrent of racism in the history of law enforcement?

No, we’ve got to crack down on these protesters, instead. Great, that’ll solve the problem.

I can’t possibly understand the fear Black people live in every day in this country. Knowing that one wrong move, even a perceived one, can get them killed.

That’s why I can’t just judge them for their reaction whenever one more of them gets added to the list of victims.

Even when the only attention it gets is riot squads and tear gas.

Blake family, I’m sorry for what happened. I’m sorry those three boys were eyewitnesses to it, and forever will be in their memory.

I’m not sorry somebody got video of it on his cellphone. Would America have ever known what happened otherwise?

Justice, and peace, require effort from all of us. Now is the perfect time.

“With Liberty and Justice for all,” it says in our Pledge of Allegiance. It’s long past time for that to be a reality.

 

 

 

 

 

John Lewis’ Final Words …

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Everyone, everywhere, needs to read these words, and apply them. God rest your soul, John Lewis.
Larry

Filosofa's Word

John Lewis knew he had few days left on this earth, and he left a powerful message to us all to be published on the day of his funeral, today.  I let his words speak for themselves …

John-LewisWhile my time here has now come to an end, I want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life you inspired me. You filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great American story when you used your power to make a difference in our society. Millions of people motivated simply by human compassion laid down the burdens of division. Around the country and the world you set aside race, class, age, language and nationality to demand respect for human dignity.

That is why I had to visit Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, though I was admitted to the hospital the following…

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Got Plans Saturday?

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Look out any window
Look out any open door
Look out any window
See what’s going on in the world around you

“Look Out Any Window” -Bruce Hornsby

Songwriters
HORNSBY, BRUCE / HORNSBY, JONATHAN

Published By
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., NORTH STAR MEDIA

 

Save the earth. It’s the only planet with chocolate!

– a magnet on the refrigerator at our house

 

Alright, look. I can put my opinion out there of all the ways I think this new administration is screwing up our country (and there are many, I believe), but for me, the mistakes with the most far-reaching repercussions have to do with climate change.

In case you weren’t already aware, over 90% of the world’s scientists agree that climate change is real, and that it is man-made.

Now, I know, on countless other issues, there is plenty of room for debate from either side, but when over ninety percent of the scientific community – people who know about these things – is in agreement on this issue, I sit up and take notice.

As should we all.

Unfortunately, we have a President who is on record saying that climate change is “a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese,” and recently signed an executive order loosening regulations on fossil fuel industries.

(Snowing in Texas and Louisiana, record setting freezing temperatures throughout the country and beyond. Global warming is an expensive hoax! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2014) I rest my case, Your Honor.

Not only that, we have the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency on record saying that carbon dioxide is not a primary contributor to global warming, and who recently said in an interview the United States should exit the Paris Agreement.

Makes you wanna just yell at ’em, doesn’t it? Well, you may have the opportunity to actually do just exactly that.

Because this Saturday, April 29th, the People’s Clmate Movement will conduct its fourth annual People’s Climate March on Washington, D.C., as well as “Sister Marches” in cities all across America.

The People’s Climate Movement and March originated in 2014. As world leaders gathered in New York for the United Nations Climate Summit on September 23, 400,000 people took to the streets of New York the prior weekend to demand swift and decisive action regarding the climate crisis.

(Oh, and this wasn’t going on just in New York. Over that same weekend, 2,646 events took place in 162 countries around the world.)

This Year, the big March is going to be in Washington, D.C., right on President trump’s front porch. (AND, on his 100th day in office!) But, if you can’t make it there, don’t worry; there are plenty of events scheduled nationwide.

Go to https://peoplesclimate.org/ to learn more about the history of this movement, and find out where the nearest event is to you. You can RSVP to show up or, if you prefer, you can make a donation. Either way, I invite you to participate.

Myself, I plan to attend an event in nearby Dallas, to join my voice with voices all over this country and broadcast our concerns for the long-term survival of mankind on this planet, because that is exactly what’s at stake.

Oh, yeah, one more thing: share this with every…body…you…know.