Dr. Martin Luther King National Memorial: “A Beacon of HOPE”
Posted by Michelle Moquin on August 28th, 2011
Good morning!
Although the Grand Opening of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial was postponed because of Hurricane Irene, one can still honor and celebrate this historical moment that has been a long time coming.
Initial reactions aren’t the test of a memorial; time is. And so it will be with The Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial, which some have criticized. (Andre Chung, McClatchy-Tribune / August 28, 2011)
King Memorial Should Bring Renewed Attention to His Call for Continuous, Positive Action
It’s not often four words change a nation’s course. Yet that is precisely what happened on August 28, 1963. Standing in the shadow of Abraham Lincoln before two hundred and fifty thousand people who had marched to the Washington, D.C. mall, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. galvanized the civil rights movement and inspired a generation by uttering the immortal words — “I have a dream.”
For many, Dr. King’s name evokes first and foremost his incredible oratory. But Dr. King was so much more than eloquent words with unparalleled persuasive force.
Dr. King was our national conscience. He shook all Americans from their inertia and parochialism with a simple pronouncement that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” He rightly chided us to be mindful of our “inescapable network of mutuality.” Despite being confronted with often ruthless hatred, Dr. King remained a loving example of non-violence, thereby elevating spiritually all who toiled with him while winning unexpected converts to equality’s cause. And, perhaps most critically, by advocating decent wages, working conditions, and the right of all people to organize, Dr. King awoke America to the reality that true racial equality grows from economic advancement.
Dr. King was also a servant-leader and pillar of courage. He saw the laws and customs that were making a mockery of America’s guiding principle that “all men are created equal” and set out to ensure that change would have its day. Dr. King led the marches in hostile terrain, never avoiding danger, and it was his unrelenting pursuit of justice that would lead him to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Arguably, Dr. King’s legacy is found not in what he accomplished individually, but through what his example compelled so many others to do, even long after his passing. This is why I must admit I’m always amused when I read descriptions of Dr. King as “one of the most influential civil rights leaders.” Dr. King should come with no qualifier, but if one be necessary, we should extend to him the distinction of being the most influential figure in American history to never hold public office.
It is for all Dr. King did and for all he inspired that the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C. will be dedicated and opened to the public.
The opening of this memorial comes at a fitting moment in our nation’s history. While we have witnessed incredible social progress in the decades since Dr. King’s death, in particular through the elevation of an African American to the office of the presidency, we have also seen an unfortunate resurgence of incendiary rhetoric and divisiveness, and far too many families face economic marginalization as the chasm between the haves and have-nots widens.
It is my hope that the memorial unveiling will bring renewed attention to Dr. King’s clarion call for continuous, positive action, expressed most memorably in his Letter From Birmingham Jail:
“…time itself is neutral; it can be used either destructively or constructively. More and more I feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than the people of good will.”
If we take to heart our obligation to lovingly serve, if we ask what Dr. King believed was life’s most persistent and urgent question — “What are you doing for others?” — we may, indeed, hew more stones of hope from a mountain of despair.
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Readers: Like Dr. King, whose words stirred controversy, so has the 30 foot tall monument in honor of his legacy.
“Controversy always erupts when a new way of thinking challenges an old one. King constantly raised that challenge.”
What does this monument mean to you?…what does it speak to you? Blog me.
Jose: I hear ya loud and clear. And you, as well as some of the other readers who have commented, have a point…a very good point.
Social Butterfly: Thank you for recognizing and introducing Author Stetson Kennedy by posting your article. And I agree – love it too – there is gold in that name. :)
Yolanda: I really like your comment – short and to the point. “Let the results speak for themselves”. No doubt, the results from Obama’s watch will be much different from those of Bush.
Clark: Thank you for reminding my readers. I am well aware of Dr. Mercola and his “ALL about the money” ways. I have blogged my two here before, but it is always good to be reminded again. I feel Dr. Mercola’s information is valuable, (and I have a trusted resource that backs his claims and no, he is not on the books), but that doesn’t mean so are his products, warranting his outrageous prices. When it comes to health I always err on my side, and I do other research. I have informed my readers to do the same as well and to seek out other resources for products. I do not endorse Dr. Mercola’s products.
Peace & Love
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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August 28th, 2011 at 2:06 pm
Thank you Michelle for remembering MLK. He is a person all the world can be proud of.
August 28th, 2011 at 2:13 pm
The 5-Minute Marriage Makeover
Little ways to fall in love again
Barton Goldsmith, PhD
The heart-pounding physical attraction of new love brings couples together, but it can’t keep them together. This intense physical attraction usually fades within six months to two years into a marriage.
Long-term love may not have the same passion, but its depth and tenderness can be even more satisfying. That satisfaction does not come automatically. For committed couples, keeping romance alive takes attention.
Yet even busy couples can reignite the spark by spending just a few minutes a day giving each other the right kind of attentiveness…
CLASSIC CONNECTION BUILDERS
Greet each other with a 10-second hug. A peck on the lips and a quick squeeze does not give you time to bond after you have been apart all day. Ten seconds is enough to get the attachment hormone oxytocin flowing in your system.
Touch when you pass. Make contact any time you pass each other in the house, whether with a sensual stroke along the small of the back or a quick high five.
Go to bed at the same time. Even if one of you is a lark and the other an owl, don’t miss out on the special connection of bedtime. Cuddle together in bed until the lark falls asleep — then the owl can get up and continue with the evening.
Leave each other love notes — on the refrigerator, on the bathroom mirror or in your partner’s jacket pocket.
Meet for lunch. Getting together in the middle of the workday offers a different dimension to both your lives. Pack a picnic basket, brown-bag it or meet at a restaurant.
Make dinner together. Food is sensual, and preparing it together can be powerfully bonding. Then eat by candlelight.
Write your partner a thank-you note every time he/she gives you a gift or does something special for you, no matter how small. As you are writing, allow yourself to feel deserving of admiration, and let your heart fill with gratitude for your lover.
FAST AND SIMPLE ADVENTURES
Schedule an “unplan” day. Agree to get up on a weekend morning, and go somewhere neither of you has previously chosen.
Get in the car, flip a coin, let it land on the local map and start driving in that direction. When you see something that looks interesting, stop and check it out. Have lunch, and decide whether to keep going or drive back. Take a different route home.
Create an adoration list. Ask your partner to write down seven nonmaterial things that would make him/her feel cherished by you, and make a similar list yourself.
Examples: Getting served breakfast in bed… going sailing together… celebrating the anniversary of your first date… getting a back rub without asking for one.
Exchange lists and start planning these special treats for each other.
Give each other a makeover. Go to the mall — or a high-end boutique — and pick out some items that you would like to see each other wear. Have fun trying on new clothes for each other.
Play tourist. Whenever you read in the paper or online about an unusual local place that welcomes visitors — an orchid farm, a brewery, a historic landmark — save the information and schedule an excursion.
CREATIVE INTIMACY ENHANCERS
Each of these exercises takes only a few minutes and lets you experience your partner in an unexpected way.
You might try one of these before you go on a “date.” Your time together will have new excitement.
Picture the future. Sit facing each other, knees touching. Close your eyes, and take three minutes to silently visualize the future that you would like to have with your partner.
Open your eyes, and take turns sharing with each other what you saw. Now close your eyes again, but this time, each of you should visualize the future that the other person just described. Open your eyes, and tell each other what you experienced.
Play the alien game. Pretend your partner is from another planet and knows nothing about love on Earth. Your job is to teach your new guest about love, but without speaking — only gestures and looks are allowed.
Touch hearts. Put your hand over your partner’s heart while your partner puts his/her hand over your heart. Feel each other’s heartbeats for a minute.
Hug backward. Stand back-to-back, with your backs touching, and hold hands. Spend a few minutes becoming aware of each other from this new perspective. Talk about any sensations you are noticing and any emotions that come up. Giggling is fine, too.
Play 20 questions. Do you know your partner’s favorite movie? Favorite song? Think of 20 (or 10 or five) things you don’t know about each other, and take turns asking questions.
Personal interviewed Barton Goldsmith, PhD, a psychotherapist based in Westlake Village, California. He is a syndicated columnist and radio host. His books include Emotional Fitness for Intimacy: Sweeten & Deepen Your Love in Only 10 Minutes a Day (New Harbinger). http://www.BartonGoldsmith.com
August 28th, 2011 at 2:17 pm
Michelle, we in New Zealand love your blog. I am starting a Moq Club. We want to order your mugs.
Lissie
August 28th, 2011 at 7:52 pm
Im not married but the 5 minute marriage makeover info was creative. I’d like try some of the suggestions offered with my lover.
August 28th, 2011 at 9:34 pm
I hope they reschedule the event – ZL
August 29th, 2011 at 8:14 am
I agree with you Zen Lill. I hope the event is rescheduled with all the pomp and respect he and the occasion deserves.
We, all the races and sexes benefited from the efforts of this man. It is only a few determined organized bigots that are prevented Martin Luther King from getting the true recognition that he deserves.
Aintzane
August 29th, 2011 at 8:15 am
Zen Lill:
Missed you. Glad to see you have returned. Hope the hiatus was enjoyable.
Russ
August 29th, 2011 at 8:57 am
The pattern of the right is very clear. First they make some willing person a celebrity among the rank and file. Then they pay him/her off with big advances for books often ghost written by a staff of political writers.
The books are designed to implant and advance the BUZZ WORDS that the ignorant rank and file can use to make them feel intelligent. These writers are expert manipulatiors.
They know how to push the buttons that motivate their intended targets. They are looking for the greedy, selfish, racists, misogynists, homophobes, xenophobes, bigots and wanna-be part of their core manipulators.
Therefore all of the books by the authors have a central theme. They attack some ‘super evil’ being that is taking away “LIBERTY” , promoting Socialism, Communism or some other buzz word from the country.
They insure the books will be a “best Seller” before they go to print by having a few rich donors buy large volumes of the books. This is also a way they pay their media created political advisers to the rank and file.
These for hire bigots, alarmists, and “super patriots” know that they will make millions on their books through the secret payoff system of pre-buying their books before they are even written for them.
The scam of making their books “best sellers” works well because it allows them to pay bribes and salaries without repercussions from the government or other political parties. It enables the republican party to use the “get it free tag” to promote other means of political machinery, such as “Human Events” Tea party, and shows that promote the republican agenda.
Note the names of the writers at the end of this piece. It should be an eye opener that all their books during a certain period reflect the emphasis on the BUZZ word the republican party is promoting during that period.
The books during that time are remarkably similar. Note the authors whose books are promoting the buzz word “Liberty” and the theme that “Obama is taking away your liberty.”
Isn’t it terrific that all their great authors and celebrities are suddenly publishing “best sellers” featuring just that topic and buzz word?
They all get to make huge sums of clean money from their book sales. Many organizations like Human Events buy them in bulk and give them away for trial subscriptions to their offers. Their purchases of the books are tax deductible to the m
So you see the REAL SCAM is that the republican party makes all of us pay for their scheme to defraud the american people for their own aggrandizement and profit.
Here’s their latest offer.
=========================
Dear Fellow Conservative,
From exploiting the financial crisis for political gain, to restricting our personal freedoms, to endangering America with his feckless diplomacy and reckless dismantlement of our national security systems, there is no doubt that President Barack Obama is guilty of crimes against liberty.
Here’s a video that explains it all. Click here to watch it.
Your friend,
Thomas S. Winter
Editor in Chief, Human Events
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the “click here” link may not work so here is the link to the offer.
/members.humaneventsonline.com/visitor.php?offer=2521
Again note the authors and compare their latestest books. Amazing how they all think alike about the same topics at the same time.
Robert
August 29th, 2011 at 9:14 am
I did not include the entire link. Try https://members.humaneventsonline.com/visitor.php?offer=2521
This is offer 2521. They maintain strict control of the video to prevent the listener from isolating and checking any claim and to force the listener to hear the entire message so that one lie can seamlessly support the previous one.
You have to admire the work, money and professionalism put into this piece of hate to brainwashing the ignorant, and pump up the choir.
At the end of this tirade if you were incline to want to vote for a white man simply because of race but you felt a little squeamish about being a bigot, this rant will put you over the top and you will be able to feel so comfortable about voting against the “black” man not because he is “black,” but because he is “is guilty of crimes against liberty.”
Go ahead now listen to this wonderful piece of journalism and feel so good saving “LIBERTY.”
Robert
August 29th, 2011 at 9:25 am
Hafa adai:
This article needs to be repeated. We need more responsibility from the Guam’s legislators on behalf of the people of Guam.
___________________________________
The Guam Legislature must once and for all end the practice of adding amendments to the government of Guam’s budget bill that aren’t specifically related to the budget.
Amending the budget bill to include non-budget provisions is an easy way to pass legislation that might otherwise not receive enough votes on its own to go to the governor for his review. This practice also makes it possible to sneak legislation by the community and cheat them of their opportunity to provide comment, whether positive or negative.
In the past, senators added unrelated amendments to the budget bill to give them a better chance of becoming law. Often the budget wasn’t passed until the 11th hour so the governor would have limited time to sign it. This was nothing short of political blackmail: Pass the budget, with any and all amendments, or else shut down the government of Guam.
On Friday, senators narrowly passed the budget bill by an 8-7 vote. It included at least two amendments that don’t have anything to do with the government of Guam’s budget for fiscal 2012.
One would transfer land from the Chamorro Land Trust to the Guam Power Authority so it could build its own headquarters on the property. The other would remove the use tax exemption from contractors who import equipment for construction projects.
There was no reason at all to include these amendments — which had been stand-alone bills — into the fiscal 2012 government of Guam budget bill.
The use tax measure already had a public hearing and was reported out of committee. So why not just debate it on the floor and vote on it?
There’s no sense of urgency or immediacy in either measure that would require it to be attached to the budget bill, or is there? Is someone waiting anxiously in the wings to benefit?
We call on senators to end this practice and limit amendments to the annual government of Guam budget to those that are directly related to budget matters.
============================
If this continues it needs to be an issue on the ballot concerning each legislator’s record. We need to eliminate those who try to use this ploy to defeat the will and participation of the people of Guam in their Island’s affairs.
Peter
August 29th, 2011 at 9:31 am
I tune in for the Alien stuff. So what did China take? And more importantly, what do the aliens have planned for them?
ANYONE?
HOWIE?
ALIENS?
August 29th, 2011 at 9:34 am
Howie, where is Al? I thought you two were friends. So what happened to him?
I miss by big lug. He added a kind of humor that is sorely missing. Bring him back or at least tell us what happened to him.
Linda