Red State/Blue State

The “hopey-changey” thing that Ms. Palin refers to is the stuff that dreams are made of. The reason some politicians succeed where others have failed is predicated upon their ability to convince people to get on board with their pie-in-the sky visions for a better tomorrow.   Starting with FDR, who told us “Happy days are here again” in the middle of the worst Depression in US history, we’ve learned to listen to what our leaders say and take it with a grain of salt. He said we have nothing to fear but fear itself. Actually, as one pundit pointed out recently, that’s not true.   There were a hell of a lot of things to fear during the Great Depression. But Roosevelt made us believe all things are possible.   John F Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” With those words, he instilled a generation of young people with hope and passion to change the world by joining the Peace Corps and working to...

     In reading Reverend Martin Luther King's Letter from Birmingham Jail , I’m struck at once by the single-minded tenacity and the character of the man. His presence was that of a charismatic preacher, yet his words are those of a thoughtful and learned scholar. He was both of these things and more. I often wonder when I read his words written so many years ago about my own commitment to a cause greater than myself. It’s the same whispering voice we all hear when we think of those who fled the oppression of Nazi Germany in World War II. The question we all must face as we look in the mirror. What is it? Where is my letter from Birmingham Jail?      In his letter, Dr. King lays out in great detail the problems he faces and, to a large extent, the disappointment he feels from his own leaders in the black religious community. But he doesn’t stop there. He calls out members of the religious community in general, and all people who profess ...