It's been a lousy day, made worse by reading that AIG is so grateful to the federal government for keeping its doors open it is suing, claiming the terms of the bailout violated the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution. There are times I wish public flogging were still legal.
Rather than dwell on something that makes me wish pain and suffering on others, I want to celebrate something wonderful. First, a photo:
This is Myrlie Evers-Williams. For those who may not know, her first husband, Medgar Evers, was murdered in his driveway, shot in the back by a man named Byron De La Beckwith. It took decades for De La Beckwith to be convicted of the crime. We as a people are still dealing with the horrible creatures that raged unfettered upon our national life when our African-American brothers and sisters demanded they no longer be treated like non-citizens, and therefore non-persons.
Pres. Obama has invited Ms. Evers-Williams to give the invocation as his Inauguration on the 20th. Four years ago, I was outraged that he picked con-artist Rick Warren to do the same thing. With this pick, Mr. Obama is demonstrating his understanding of the debt he - and by extension all of us - owe to Ms. Evers-Williams and her martyred husband.
The best prayers don't come from preachers who console us, telling us that God is on our side and we can find the proof if we just find our purpose. The best prayers come from those who cry out for justice, whose rage at our all-too-human systems of injustice, white supremacy, and state-sponsored terrorism do not settle for easy answers. The best prayers come from those who know the road to real justice runs straight through the hell of violence and hatred and death that some are all too willing to unleash upon those who are willing to risk their lives for it.
So, thank you, Mr. President, for giving us a few moments to hear the voice of one who understands.
Rather than dwell on something that makes me wish pain and suffering on others, I want to celebrate something wonderful. First, a photo:
Pres. Obama has invited Ms. Evers-Williams to give the invocation as his Inauguration on the 20th. Four years ago, I was outraged that he picked con-artist Rick Warren to do the same thing. With this pick, Mr. Obama is demonstrating his understanding of the debt he - and by extension all of us - owe to Ms. Evers-Williams and her martyred husband.
The best prayers don't come from preachers who console us, telling us that God is on our side and we can find the proof if we just find our purpose. The best prayers come from those who cry out for justice, whose rage at our all-too-human systems of injustice, white supremacy, and state-sponsored terrorism do not settle for easy answers. The best prayers come from those who know the road to real justice runs straight through the hell of violence and hatred and death that some are all too willing to unleash upon those who are willing to risk their lives for it.
So, thank you, Mr. President, for giving us a few moments to hear the voice of one who understands.
