Note: All quotes by Gandhi and King are paraphrased for the comic strip. For their exact quotes, go to www.quotationpages.com
POP QUIZ FOR STUDENTS OF HISTORY:
A) Which one of those fellas has been to Washington, D.C. and led a few of the largest demonstrations down the Mall in U.S. history?
1) Mahatma Gandhi
2) Martin Luther King, Jr.
3) Abbie Hoffman
B) Whose ideas of nonviolence influenced the thinking of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abbie Hoffman?
1) Yogi Berra
2) Buddha
3) Mahatma Gandhi
C) Connect which movement to which leader?
A. independence for India from Great Britain ___
B. anti-Vietnam War protests ___
C. civil rights___
1. Martin Luther King, Jr.
2. Mahatma Gandhi
3. Abbie Hoffman
Posts
2 comments:
Dan,
I appreciate what you're trying to say, but taking your eye off the real goal risks your success. Your opponents want nothing more than to focus attention on the behavior of some as if were relevant to the issue. It's not. Don't you let them distract you.
You quote MLK and Gandhi, but don't seem to realize why these two names stand out in history -- I'll add Jesus Christ and Nelson Mandela to that list. Violent resistance to oppression has always been the norm and it still is. The American Revolution, the French Revolution, the Algerians against the French, the IRA in Ireland. The above mentioned are heroes because they possessed many extraordinary qualities, particularly an unrivaled courage.
Even today, take a look at Israel and the occupied territories, Rodney King riots, White Night riots, 1968 Democratic Convention. Do you ever remember our current leaders pursuing peaceful solutions in Iraq? We've killed around 600,000 of the people we were supposed to free from tyranny?
Where in the world are the role models for peaceful resistance today?
Gallaudet University. That's where. I've been so proud and so inspired by the courage of these students -- and it does seem to be the vast majority that are peaceful. Even 2000 years after His death, "Turn the other cheek" and "Love your enemy" remain revolutionary ideas few can follow. The Gallaudet students in peaceful protest follow in some very big footsteps and THEY deserve your undivided attention and support.
>> Dan,
I appreciate what you're trying to say, but taking your eye off the real goal risks your success. Your opponents want nothing more than to focus attention on the behavior of some as if were relevant to the issue. It's not. Don't you let them distract you.>>
I would say the same for those certain protestors who cannot control themselves. When they take their eyes off the real goal, it does risk the success of the movement. Such behavior on part of those individuals hurts the movement's image and chances towards its desired goal. What is needed is the movement to project a stronger and bigger positive image.
Gallaudet University is not meant to be a battlefield where blood may be shed and hate may be spreaded, but an open forum for debate and free exchange of ideas, where light on truth may be shed and the way to justice may be shown. I think comparing this unique struggle for truth and justice on campus to the ongoing Iraq War is irrelevant. Contrary to what you may think, violence does not always have to be the answer or the only solution.
The Gallaudet students in peaceful protest have my undivided attention and support, as always. Such key philosophical points as espoused by Jesus and Mandela can help the movement in its path to success if they are taken into consideration and practiced widely.
I see from your post that you seem to have great admiration for one of the greatest and wisest rabbis, Jesus. So I. May I ask you - which is Jesus - a warrior or a diplomat? If you were to follow His example, which would you follow? Something for you to think about.
Thank you, anyway, for your interesting input. I appreciate your feedback.
Dan
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