by Laura Serena aka AstroGirl
Member since:
March 10, 2006

Realizing the Dream

January 14, 2007 11:10 PM EST (Updated: January 15, 2007 12:42 PM EST)
views: 34 | comments: 12

Today, in honor of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, at Riverside Church in Harlem, Senator John Edwards delivered the annual "Realizing the Dream" sermon.

Senator Edwards praised the Reverend Dr. King for his work to end the Viet Nam War and his belief that it is our moral imperative to speak out against injustice. Edwards urged us not to remain silent, but to speak out against the Iraq war and to demand that our Senators block the funding for escalation.

Video is here.

Here is an MP3 file of the sermon.

Here is where you can find your senators phone numbers. Please call them and demand they stop the escalation. "Silence is betrayal."

link to this page
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Comments: 12

Don(time to open them FEMA camps) S. Jan 14, 2007, 11:22pm EST
That man has golden tonsils.I could listen and pay attention to him all day.
Laura Serena aka AstroGirl Jan 14, 2007, 11:40pm EST
This is really a crucial point in the war, I think. If we can stop the escalation now, it means the beginning of the end of the war. At least, I'm pretty sure that it does. If we don't stop it now, it may soon spread to Iran and Syria.

I've already contacted my Senators and Representative this week, but I plan to call them tomorrow. Does anyone know if there will be anyone in the Senate offices tomorrow? It is a national holiday, of course, but maybe there's a way to leave a message?
George McNaughton Jan 14, 2007, 11:51pm EST
Mine are already in opposition. Not sure what this portends, but I suspect that it will give Bush the opportunity to blame the Democrats for losing the war. It always seems that the party of peace, gets blamed for losing a war because they try to end the war. Hitler was able to affix the blame for Germany losing WWI upon the Jews (which was unfair) and thereby lever himself into power and cause WWII. How many right-wingers to this day claim that the liberals caused us to pull out of Viet Nam when we had the Viet Cong on the ropes? This is going to be "deja vue all over again."
Laura Serena aka AstroGirl Jan 15, 2007, 12:04am EST
George, are your Senators in opposition in theory only, or have they actually called for cutting the funds. To say they're in opposition and support some sort of symbolic resolution is ineffective. They need to support cutting off the funds for the escalation. That will be the only effective way.

You are right. The peacemakers always seem to get the blame for ending wars that never should have happened in the first place. Well, it doesn't matter if they blame us, because we know we're doing right by opposing escalation.
Dave H. Jan 15, 2007, 1:08am EST
The farce is that it isn't even an escalation...20k troops will make zero difference in a war that would have taken 500k to possibly do correctly. Of course..if we had never invaded, it would have taken zero troops, and zero deaths! The real irony of this whole mess it that our government's alliance with Israel has created a lot of the hatred towards Americans from arab and islamic groups. Americans have ignored many of the atrocities that the Jews have done in the middle east. as far as Vietnam goes...that war was never "winable"...just as Iraq is not. There is no way we could have defeated a country backed by communist China...Why do you think we didn't just take over North Vietnam? The same goes for North Korea...we could have smashed them, but China was backing them...
Laura Serena aka AstroGirl Jan 15, 2007, 12:33pm EST
Dave, there have been atrocities on all sides in the various middle eastern conflicts. Israel has a right to exist. They are in a difficult position and protecting them is important. That said, we cannot be an honest peace broker if we repeatedly take one side. We have to bring all interested parties to the table and insist on progress. I'm not sure our goal has always been to be an honest peace broker, but it should be.
Leslie ~ from NYC ~ R. Jan 15, 2007, 3:19pm EST
One of these years I will get off my duff and attend the service for Dr. King at the Riveside Church. I always think it's a good idea after the fact.
Laura Serena aka AstroGirl Jan 15, 2007, 3:55pm EST
Leslie, if you live in New York, I bet it would be wonderful to do that some year. I can see from the video that it's a beautiful church and I'm sure the remembrance of this great man is very moving every year.
Don(time to open them FEMA camps) S. Jan 15, 2007, 4:37pm EST
Dave H For your info the Vietnamese and Chinese have always hated each other .Russia was Vietnam's supporter.
Laura Serena aka AstroGirl Jan 23, 2007, 11:51pm EST
Hmmm. I bet we could convince the Republicans to take over Canada. If we make them think it's their idea, they're sure to do it. Come to think of it, I did hear John McCain talking about escalating the Iraq war into Canada just the other day.

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