Letter to the Editor: How to Honor King ,January 19th, 2010 |
President Obama asks us to honor Dr. Martin Luther King ("MLK
remembered," Jan. 18) even as he escalates war for American "safety."
The president and the Congress can best serve King
and his vision by halting the wars, by working for diplomatic solutions
and peace-keeping in Afghanistan, Iraq, Gaza and Iran - not by drone
bombing, corporate militarism and war profiteering.
In his Nobel speech, the president tipped his hat
to King's goals, implying that they are unrealistic for American
government; he claimed he must accept the tragic necessity of war to
keep America safe.
King would have said that the truly "realistic"
approach is to address root causes of poverty and violence, that if an
individual or a nation raises a hand in self-defense, there must be
danger immediately present.
Other means of addressing potential violence must
have been exhausted. I salute the president for having once believed
this; he is a good man. He should remember his ideals and de-escalate
the wars. It is possible to put the moral power of what is right for
all people above the false dominance of a single nation.
BRENDA HILLMAN
Kensington |