Friday, October 29, 2004

Speaking Truth to Power

A Friday Afternoon Picker-Upper

The first is from Ernest Partridge, co-editor of the Crisis Papers - An Open Letter to Colin Powell and John McCain:

Excerpt: "Gentlemen,

Rarely in the course of human events, does an opportunity fall upon a single individual to dramatically and favorably alter the course of history.

Each of you stands at that crossroad of history and each of you, in Abraham Lincoln’s words, “hold the power and bear the responsibility.”

Along with millions of our countrymen, I implore you to pause, to reflect, and then to follow the demands of your duty to your country and to its enduring principles: renounce your support of George Bush and his corrupt and incompetent administration, and join us in our determination to cleanse our body politic of greed and deliberate ignorance, and to restore the good name of the United States among the community of nations."

The next is from Citizens for Legitimate Government: It’s Satyagraha Time: A Manifesto by Thomas I. Ellis, Ph.D.

"Satyagraha is the word coined by Mahatma Gandhi to describe the essence of his brilliant and visionary political strategy, later adopted by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It literally translates as "holding fast to truth" and—contrary to popular misconceptions, is not merely a synonym for civil disobedience. Rather, Gandhi defined it, in practice, as "nonviolent noncooperation with evil." As such, it refers to any and all nonviolent strategies for mindfully confronting, resisting, and transforming all forms of political evil and oppression. It can range from simply speaking truth to power all the way to massive civil disobedience and to setting up a parallel alternative government. A Satyagraha campaign, Gandhi insisted, is always a last resort, after all other legally sanctioned forms of redress have been exhausted. To succeed, however, Satyagraha campaigns need strong and impeccable moral leadership, strategic intelligence, persistence, and above all, widespread grassroots support.

The time has come, I feel, to mount a nationwide Satyagraha campaign against the Bush regime. Here are three major reasons why such a campaign has become necessary:

First and foremost, they have no legitimate authority to govern ..."

Gentles, if you need "inspiration", read the rest at the links... 'Twas good for what ailed me today.

Tomorrow does not belong to them.

note: I'm hoping to do some Friday Family Blogging later tonight LCT - Left Coast Time.