Forty years ago today, in 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis Tennessee. All across America, cities were burned as hundreds of of Blacks -- angry and frustrated over the loss of their beloved leader -- lashed out against years of injustice and bigotry.
That night, in one city where violence was expected but did not erupt, Robert F. Kennedy, gave an unplanned, unwritten and amazing speech calling for calm and understanding at a time when fear and anger abounded. Kennedy pleaded with the mostly Black crowd not to resort to violence and to instead pick up the baton that King had handed to them in order to continue his work for peace and racial and economic justice:
"It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
In other words, one small, seemingly insignificant act, word or event can start a revolution.
Over the years -- especially after Ronald Regan began to dismantle the social safety nets that were constructed to protect the poor, elderly, the children, the disabled, etc. -- we've wondered when Americans (as Tracy Chapman predicted) would finally rise up against injustice:
"Poor people gonna rise up And get their share Poor people gonna rise up And take whats theirs"
With the economy spiraling downward, an illegal war raging in Iraq, record job losses, foreclosures at an all time high, a crisis in health care and education, with criminals holding the highest offices in government with little or no outcry or oversight from Congress and the media, finally and at last, we're talkin' about a revolution.
By "revolution" we do not mean a gigantic social conflagration. We are not advocating a violent revolt. Instead, we dream of a revolution resulting from an ever growing dissatisfaction with an oppressive status quo. This dissatisfaction (we hope) will exert so much pressure on the political and economic system that is currently so incredibly unjust that it will crumble from the force and the numbers of those who are no longer willing to accept systemic injustice.
Especially when you consider the odds against such a thing happening.
Of course there are those who believe that Obama's campaign is not actually a "bottom-up" phenomenon. They suspect that there is a nefarious and powerful force that has propelled Obama from obscurity to top-ranking presidential candidate in just a few short years. Others believe Obama is beating Hillary Clinton in the primaries because the media and his supporters are misogynistic. Some believe Obama supporters have been mesmerized by his Svengali -- or even Hitleresque -- orating skills.
But in order for the above to be true, Jimmy Carter, Teddy Kennedy, Bill Richardson, Alice Walker, Caroline Kennedy and many other thoughtful and intelligent folks (including us) would have to be duped or in on the conspiracy. I can assure you we are not misogynistic, mesmerized or hypnotized, nor are we part of a grand conspiracy.
Could it be that voters are so accustomed to powerful political parties -- with the help of big corporate money, easily hacked-into voting machines and the media -- choosing our candidates for us that can not bring ourselves to believe in a real grassroots revolution?
After 7 years of Bush saying and doing whatever he wants while Congress and the media say and do nothing, American's may be suffering from "battered spouse syndrome."
Perhaps we have come to believe we deserve another abusive, political party anointed candidate who will rearrange a few chairs and perhaps do a few things differently but who will ultimately still be accountable to the big donors and party fat cats who paved his or her way to the presidency.
But what if a candidate manages to rise up from the grassroots -- supported by a majority of the people -- to overcome the party machine and win?
Will we join the revolution or belittle it?
http://www.rainbowlaw.com
Rainbow Law is Elisia and Carrie Ross-Stone, lesbian civil rights activists, life partners and grandmothers. We own and operate Rainbow Law, an online service offering legal information and free and affordable legal documents for gay and lesbian families.
We also publish RainbowZine (http://www.rainbowzine.com), a progressive LGBTQ newsletter and we Blog at http://RAINBOWbLAWg/.blogspot.com.
In 2003 and 2004, we rode our bicycles across the country to advocate for marriage equality. Lesbian Grandmothers from Mars, a documentary about the ride, premiered at the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in San Francisco in 2005.
And if all of that is not enoiugh to keep us busy, we are building our own house with our own hands out of recycled materials. The building project is online at http://www.BuiltfromTrash.com.
doesn't this mean turn around. what we want to do is first see where we are and then determine which way to go. are we up or are we down?
if we are up it is because we are up in our levels of stress which is due to our perception. if we are down, that only points to low levels of action.
we are where we are because that is the reality of our perceptions. to move from this point we must change our perceptions. we can not expect others to change. we must individually change. if it takes ten million individuals to get off their high horses and march on their sore feet to washington d c and surround the white house, the congress, and the pentagon, then do it!
wolfie, of the tired sore footsies
by
Wolfie (8 articles, 0 quicklinks, 32 diaries, 1189 comments)
on Friday, April 4, 2008 at 5:08:31 PM
A revolution starts when many individuals reach a critical mass of discontent at the same time and then find they are not alone as they take their first baby steps toward real change.
We are here now. Are you with us?
by
Rainbow Law (26 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 42 comments)
on Saturday, April 5, 2008 at 12:34:40 PM
Not sure where you are going with this comment, but...
In an effort to gain the support and sympathy of the average citizen, both Hitler and Mussolini resorted to anti-Semitic, homophobic and racist scapegoating as do the right wing nuts we have in political office and in the media today.
If you read Obama's books or listen to his speeches you may end up wanting to vote for him because he is not stuck in a certain mindset but is rather someone who is nuanced and able to learn and grow when subjected to new and relevant information.
by
Rainbow Law (26 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 42 comments)
on Saturday, April 5, 2008 at 12:48:52 PM
Maybe it will take the words of Ben Franklin to awaken more of US. "A people who will value security over liberty, shall get nor deserve either."
Or it may even take #9 from that Beatle song, where Lennon says near the end, "Take this Brother may it serve you well." to truely be the child of Revelation 12 and the prince of Daniel 12:1.
We're trying to sell peace, like a product, you know, and sell it like people sell soap or soft drinks. And it's the only way to get people aware that peace is possible, and it isn't just inevitable to have violence. Not just war — all forms of violence. People just accept it and think 'Oh, they did it, or Harold Wilson [British prime minister at the time] did it, or Nixon did it,' they're always scapegoating people. And it isn't Nixon's fault. We're all responsible for everything that goes on, you know, we're all responsible for Biafra and Hitler and everything. So we're just saying "SELL PEACE" — anybody interested in peace just stick it in the window. It's simple but it lets somebody else know that you want peace too, because you feel alone if you're the only one thinking 'wouldn't it be nice if there was peace and nobody was getting killed.' So advertise yourself that you're for peace if you believe in it.
Obama states he knows little about the (CFR) Council on Forgien Relations, even though his wife is a top official there and he's given a few talks to them; as has Cheney. One of Obama's top advisors is Zbigniew Brezinski a top official in the Trilateral Commission. If you don't know much about those groups, you'd better do some homework. They have David Rockefeller/One World Order agendas. Obama's not leading the kind of Revolution I care to be a part of. I'll stick with Ron Paul and try to get our Constitution back, end the Federal Reserve, and bring the troops home now, not at some future date.
by
ronheri (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 154 comments)
on Saturday, April 5, 2008 at 3:52:54 PM
The word is out that Mr. Paul is not a viable candidate. Who says? our MSM, that's who. So we are left with a madman ,Mc Cain; a globalist, Clinton; or an Illuminati want to be, Obama.
Can fifty million people write in Cynthia Mc Kinney? WHO??
After Dennis The Menace Kucinich failed to bring his Impeach Bush proposal to the floor of the house, Cynthia has won my heart.
Wolfie, the incredulous
by
Wolfie (8 articles, 0 quicklinks, 32 diaries, 1189 comments)
on Saturday, April 5, 2008 at 9:48:20 PM
Sure -- go ahead and vote for someone who cannot win. Then John McCain will get elected and you and Ralph Nader can sit around and try to explain how and why thousands more dead Iraqi and Iranian children have nothing to do with you.
Enjoy.
by
Rainbow Law (26 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 42 comments)
on Saturday, April 5, 2008 at 10:29:43 PM
He's a great guy -- but we want a President who adamantly believes in the theory of evolution just as profoundly as he does the theory of gravity!
After W, the last thing we need is another president with a cavalier attitude toward established science!
We already see the ramifications of this in terms of dealing with global warming, stem cell research, a woman's right to choose, matters of war and peace and then some!
When a president's allegiance to a specific doctrine trumps scientific reality, scary things happen!
Personally, we believe a president should be conversant with science and reality.
If you refuse to look into the One World Order Agenda; just go along your merry way, and keep believing Obama will be the opposite of Bush. I've learned over the years, that it's very easy for these candidates to promise anything before they get in office. Ask Obama where he stands on the Federal Reserve (Private Banking Cartel). Ask him where he stands on opening a new 911 investigation. Ask him how is it he knows so little about the CFR. when his wife is a top official. (Don't they talk at home?) Wasting a vote by supporting Ron Paul? No. I've been wasting my vote for the past 40 years by thinking there was a difference between the two parties; they are two sides of the same coin. Ron Paul may not win in 08, but he has opened the eyes of millions of Americans and his Revolution will continue to grow.
by
ronheri (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 154 comments)
on Monday, April 7, 2008 at 7:17:51 AM
We do not put as much emphasis on CFR and One World Government issues because there are an equal number of articles/videos/books and blogs on either side of the good/evil/neutral. For every citation you supply me with a "fact" about the dangers of a ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT and the CFR, we can provide you with another that says the opposite.
It is not a matter of doing our homework, it is about looking at the entire picture and not merely those that fit our already formulated opinion.
We believe that one of the reasons for wars and suffering in general is the artificial and arbitrary carving up of the planet into countries.
We all live on the Earth and therefore all inhabitants are entitled to the benefits of her resources equally and we are all equally responsible for taking care that we do not harm the planet's ability to provide us with clean air, water and food.
So if that makes us a pro-one-worlder, then so be it.
There are no pure politicians -- including Ron Paul. We are not duped into thinking Obama (or anyone) is a "savior. "
Ron Paul is one man with some good and many bad ideas. We strongly disagree with his stands on abortion, equal marriage rights and free market capitalism among others.
We also believe courts have a constitutionally derived right to challenge laws passed by states -- especially when those laws restrict a minority's civil rights as in Roe v. Wade, Brown v. the Bd of Ed., Lawrence v. Texas, etc.
The Constitution is a living document and judges will and should continue to interpret it through the lens of human cultural evolution.
We think this is a good thing because the meaning of laws can and should change over time.
by
Rainbow Law (26 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 42 comments)
on Monday, April 7, 2008 at 10:29:26 AM
12 comments
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