Kerry Kennedy: Tucson, King, and Kennedy.

FYI -

From Kerry Kennedy and the Robert F. Kennedy Center For Justice & Human Rights.

-ADY "A Regular Guy On The Issues"

Dear Friends, I posted the following piece to the Huffington Post today in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and I wanted to share it with you. -Kerry Kennedy Tucson, King, and Kennedy Watching President Obama deliver his healing message to a nation in grief last week, I could not help but recall the words of Robert Kennedy on April 4, 1968. Flying from Muncie to Indianapolis in the midst of his presidential bid, my father was informed that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated. Despite the warnings of danger by the mayor of Indianapolis, Richard Lugar, Robert Kennedy drove straight to the heart of the inner city to address a campaign rally organized by Freedom Rider, SNCC Chairman, and later, Member of Congress, John Lewis. Arthur Schlesinger described the scene: It was a cold, windy evening. People had been waiting in the street for an hour but were in a festive, political-rally mood. They had not heard about King. Kennedy climbed onto a flatbed truck in a parking lot under a stand of oak trees. The wind blew smoke and dust through the gleam of the spotlights. "He was up there," said Charles Quinn, a television correspondent, "hunched in his black overcoat, his face gaunt and distressed and full of anguish." He said, "I have bad news for you, for all of our fellow citizens, and people who love peace all over the world, and that is that Martin Luther King was shot and killed tonight." There was a terrible gasp from the crowd. Robert Kennedy, speaking out of the somber silence of the ride from the airport, speaking out of aching memory, speaking out of the depth of heart and hope: Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice for his fellow human beings, and he died because of that effort. In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it is perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in. For those of you who are black -- considering the evidence there evidently is that there were white people who were responsible -- you can be filled with bitterness, with hatred, and a desire for revenge. We can move in that direction as a country, in great polarization -- black people amongst black, white people amongst white, filled with hatred toward one another. Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand and to comprehend, and to replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand with compassion and love. For those of you who are black and are tempted to filled with hatred and distrust at the injustice of such an act, against all white people, I can only say that I feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling. I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man. But we have to make an effort in the United States, we have to make an effort to understand, to go beyond these rather difficult times. My favorite poet was Aeschylus. He wrote: "In our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God." What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness, but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice towards those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or they be black... We've had difficult times in the past. We will have difficult times in the future. It is not the end of violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; it is not the end of disorder. But the vast majority of white people and the vast majority of black people in this country want to live together, want to improve the quality of our life, and want justice for all human beings who abide in our land. Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and to make gentle the life of this world. Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people. Click here to watch a video of Robert F. Kennedy's speech the day Martin Luther King, Jr. died.

Cal Cunningham: Martin Luther King, Jr Day.

Dear Friends,

On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we should reflect on a lesson that Dr. King worked unremittingly to teach: Progress is neither automatic nor inevitable.

We are all called to participate in building the future we want for our communities and our country. We have the same obligation to fellow citizens of the world -- to recognize our common humanity and to work for progress.

In honor of Dr. King's call to help those less fortunate than ourselves, our nation today recognizes a day of service: "Life's persistent and most urgent question is 'What are you doing for others?'"

In the wake of last week's horrific earthquake in Haiti, we must renew our commitment to fulfilling Dr. King's important call: to take action and to serve.

Hundreds of thousands of Haitians have been displaced from their homes, and the more time that goes by, the more victims will perish for lack of food, water, and medical supplies. That's why it is critical we rush aid to our suffering neighbors as quickly as possible.

To make a contribution to the Red Cross relief efforts simply text HAITI to 90999 from your mobile phone to donate $10, right now.

North Carolina is a great state because of the compassion and generosity of our people. The Red Cross and other leaders in the relief effort say monetary donations are needed most at this time. Let us each do what we can do to help those in Haiti today.

To honor Dr. King's legacy, join me to help bring comfort and rebuilding assistance to our neighbors to the south.

Remember, the future is neither automatic nor inevitable.

Thank you,


Cal Cunningham
Candidate for U.S. Senate

From The Libertartian Party Executive Director: Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

January 18, 2010

Dear Friends,

While Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. never held political office, his impact on American politics and public policy was huge.

Dr. King knowingly risked his life working for freedom and equality during dangerous times for blacks in America. He advocated using non-violent means, such as civil disobedience, to achieve change, and he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. Shortly before his assassination, he was an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War.

I do not think Dr. King was a libertarian. I think he had much more faith in the ability of government to fix unfairness and lift people out of poverty than most libertarians. However, I think most Libertarians agree with Dr. King's goals of ending government-imposed discrimination, segregation, and oppression.

The following is from the Preamble of the Libertarian Party Platform:
We believe that respect for individual rights is the essential precondition for a free and prosperous world, that force and fraud must be banished from human relationships, and that only through freedom can peace and prosperity be realized.

Consequently, we defend each person's right to engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest, and welcome the diversity that freedom brings. The world we seek to build is one where individuals are free to follow their own dreams in their own ways, without interference from government or any authoritarian power.

I'd like to thank again all of our Libertarian Party members, volunteers, and candidates who continue working daily to promote freedom for everyone in America.

Sincerely,

Wes Benedict
Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee

P.S. If you have not yet become a member of the Libertarian Party and wish to do so, or if you want to learn more about the only political party dedicated to free markets and civil liberties, please visit http://www.lp.org