This morning I kept my kids home from school for a few hours to watch the inauguration of President Obama. My 8 year old sat there in rapt attention, although my 6 year old and 3 year old were a little less enamored of all the talking and the slow pace. Nevertheless, it was a momentous occasion that I hope my kids will remember in years to come.
As we sat there, my oldest daughter, climbed on my lap and asked me: "Now that Barack Obama is President, will he end the wars out country is in?" My initial response was: "I hope so...he said he would". But that answer isn't very satisfactory is it?
I've thought a lot about it this afternoon, and I sit here with a tremendous amount of trepidation over the next four years. Will President Obama be able to overpower the hegemonic political machine that runs our country? Will he stand up to the powers that be? Will he attempt to mend our image in the world by ceasing aggression and promoting policies of peace? Will he follow through on his promises to fix the broken system of public education, to make healthcare affordable and available to all, to fight poverty here in the U.S. and abroad? I don't know...but I have hope...I hope that in a year or so I can say to my daughter that Barack Obama ended the war in Iraq and Afghanistan...but all I have now is hope and as I sit here with my thoughts I have returned to one of the most important speeches ever delivered on American soil, Dr. King's "Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam" speech delivered on April 4, 1966, one year to the day before he was assassinated in Memphis.
So with my thoughts on the events of the day, and with a bright hope for the future, I am posting the audio for this amazing speech here in the hopes that you, and perhaps President Obama, will listen to it and take its message to heart.
Streaming: http://www.wrybread.com/misc/vietnam/vietnam.m3u
Download: http://www.wrybread.com/misc/vietnam/martin_luther_king_on_vietnam.mp3
Peace, Love, and Good Happiness Stuff.
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