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Sunday, January 15, 2006

The Ultimate Respect

I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law. (Martin Luther King Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Birmingham, Alabama, 16 April 1963)
This one of one of the great legacies of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And it's a message that seems to be lost on a great number of people on BOTH sides of the political spectrum.

Conservatives, of course, view openly breaking a law as being unpatriotic and, at times, even treasonous. Don't like a law on the books, they say. Use the appropriate channels. Lobby your elected leaders. Elect different leaders. Write a letter to the editor.

The problem here is that the so-called appropriate channels tend to support the status quo. Most of the people involved aren't interested in changing the law in question.

Yes, you can lobby...if you have the money. If you don't possess the needed financial capital, do you think anyone really listens?

Yes, you can elect different leaders who have been hand-picked by the power brokers, political candidates who AGREE on the major issues and only quibble about how soon or how much.

Yes, you can write a letter to the editor...but few such letters have ever resulted in any type of meaningful change.

But the group of people that has really missed the import of this message are those on the other side of aisle. Here I'm talking about those activists who strike a blow against the capitalist machine and then scurry like mice into the forest.

If you feel a law or situation is unjust, then commit your act out in the open and willingly accept the consequences (like the brave souls who protest at the School of the Americas every year). Don't run a guerilla-style campaign and then run off to hide.

Stand up for what you believe in by accepting what the power brokers dish out. In doing so, you will be living Dr. King's words.

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