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The MLK Test for Presidential Candidates

The MLK Test for Presidential Candidates

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Happy Memorial MLK Birthday Day. Have you wondered what Dr. King would think of the presidential candidates if he were alive?

Barack Obama gave a speech took the pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta – the same church where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. helped rev up the civil rights movement.

“If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll acknowledge that our own community has not always been true to King’s vision of a beloved community. “The divisions, the stereotypes, the scapegoating, the ease with which we blame the plight of ourselves on others, all of that distracts us from the common challenges we face: war and poverty; inequality and injustice,” Obama said.

But he added that “we must admit that none of our hands are entirely clean,” citing homophobia, anti-Semitism and anti-immigrant bias in the black community

“I wasn’t born into money or great wealth, but I had hope!” he declared, bringing the congregation to its feet, cheering and clapping. “I needed some hope to get here. My daddy left me when I was little, but I had hope! I was raised by a single mother, but I had hope! I was given love, an education, and some hope!”

Very inspiring, but some are still wary of the rhetoric if it doesn’t deliver on substance.

blackagendareport.com – Give the Candidates the MLK Test

Dr. King said the “triple evils” of his day were militarism, racism, and economic exploitation. … In addition, Dr. King said he was “compelled to see the war as an enemy of the poor” in the U.S. … Senators Obama and Clinton fail the Martin Luther King Test, miserably. Obama wants to add 100,000 troops to the U.S. Armed Forces, at a cost of over $100 billion – even as he proposes partial withdrawals from Iraq. Clinton seeks 80,000 new soldiers and Marines. As sure as the sun rises, a bigger U.S. military means more wars, and no money for domestic “change.”

The only candidate who would pass the Martin Luther King Test is Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, whose platform for peace, truly universal health care, a living wage, and an end to corporate domination of American life harkens back to that “shining moment” in the Sixties that King mentioned, when there were “hopes” and “new beginnings.”

While I agree that Obama and Clinton are not as good as Kucinich on some of the transcendent issues that concerned MLK, I see no mention here of John Edwards. Comments?

Interfaith Fast Today

Interfaith Fast Today

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Today, I am participating in the Interfaith Fast.

Religious leaders from several traditions invite you to join with millions of other Americans participating in interfaith events in your local community on October 7 and 8th, for the breaking of bread, fasting, and breaking our fast together as we covenant together to live out the deepest calling in each of our traditions – the desire for justice and for peace for all people.

If you’d like to participate, do so. You can rsvp on Facebook.

interfaithfast

This fall, in an unusual convergence, many of our faith traditions share a season of sacred self-assessment and self-transformation. This holy season includes the month of Ramadan and the Night of Power (Islam); the High Holy Days and Sukkot (Judaism); the Feast Day of Francis of Assisi and Worldwide Communion Sunday (Christianity), Pavarana / Sangha Day (Buddhism) and Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday. Some communities of the First Nations have already begun to observe Columbus Day as Indigenous Nations Day, with practices that transform its meaning.

Since each of our traditions recognizes the power of fasting as a spiritual discipline, we call on all people of faith to join in a fast from dawn to dusk on Monday, October 8.

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A Prayer of Saint Theresa

A Prayer of Saint Theresa

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From my dear friend Shi:

Saint Theresa is known as the Saint of the Little Ways, meaning she believed in doing the little things in life well and with great Love. She is also the patron Saint of flower growers and florists. She is represented by roses. May everyone who receives this message be blessed.

REMEMBER to make a wish before you read the prayer. That’s all you have to do. There is nothing attached. Prayer is one of the best free gifts that we ever receive.

*******

Saint Theresa’s prayer:

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

*******

Yes, I’m Saying Happy Holidays

Yes, I’m Saying Happy Holidays

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Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays

Warmth, light, comfort
laughter, love and joy
to you and yours
to all of us

May your spirits be energized, brightened, and filled with caring for others.

An important note on the so-called “war on Christmas”:

Should there be some reminder that Christmas is a celebration of the birth of the Prince of Peace? How does turning Christmas into a time of strife set a Christian example?

My greeting to you includes the holidays that I personally celebrate, and also it extends to include the holiday or holidays that you celebrate. (Jehovah’s Witnesses are the only ones I know who have reason to flinch at a simple season’s greeting).

We celebrate different things, we celebrate the traditions and beliefs of our families, of our communities, of our nations, and so on. Some are more traditional, some are more constructive and playful. If you think about all the people you know, you will quickly realize that there are some people to whom you can (maybe even should) say “Merry Christmas.” That’s fine, that’s great – but would you hate-mongers just give it a rest? It’s the holidays! Where’s all that comfort and joy?

Happy HolidaysThe spirit of the season is not about competition or hate. If you can’t be spiritually aware, at least be civil.

Be gracious, be kind. Beware those who speak to the darkness within you.

Replace hate and fear and war – with love and courage and peace.

Support American Values

Support American Values

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Defend the Constitution

The “religious right” claims that they represent mainstream American values. They couldn’t be more wrong. Support what is truly right in America — a society based on reason, personal freedom, the rule of law and the freedom to worship according to one’s faith and beliefs.

Sign on to DefCon’s pledge to defend the Constitution and real American values.

(DefCon – Campaign To Defend the Constitution)

Give Peace a Vote

September 11, 2006 not only marked the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks; it also marked the 100th anniversary of Gandhi’s original call for peaceful civil disobedience. While our administration wants to use this anniversary to instill a fresh sense of vengeance in our hearts, Gandhi reminds us that an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

The CODEPINK cofounders recently returned from a delegation to the Middle East to meet with Iraqi parliamentarians, religious leaders and members of non-governmental organizations. They learned about the effort by Iraqis themselves to come up with a Reconciliation Plan to stop the violence. A key element of that plan is a fixed timetable for the withdrawal of US troops.

Our administration squandered the opportunities presented by 9/11 — the opportunities to bring those who attacked us to justice, while at the same time pursuing true international dialogue, cross-cultural understanding and diplomacy. Now, with the November elections on the horizon, we have an opportunity to create a new post-9/11 America, an America where security doesn’t mean preemptive/perpetual war or the erosion of our rights at home. We need a new focus on non-violent approaches to resolve future conflicts.

Sign the CodePink Peace Pledge
“I will not vote for or support any candidate for Congress or President who does not make a speedy end to the war in Iraq, and preventing any future war of aggression, a public position in his or her campaign.”

(Code Pink, Give Peace a Vote Campaign)