Learn more at JREG topic HERE. War on Greed: Fight for the Dream

This is one story out of many, playing out all over this country. Corporate greed is rampant and totally out of control. Puts all of JRE's issues into focus...OUR issues. "We the People" look to our leaders for help...but in turn... our leaders, at this time, are blind and disconnected. I think this story speaks for itself. I also think if MLK were alive today, he would be fighting for these same issues. A man of the people. We as Americans are fighting for our lives...we just need to stay together and not allow 'the powers that be' to divide us. That's why they use 'red button' issues, sound bytes and fear, too.

Let 'we the people' not be divided by stupid dirty tricks or Roverian tactics.

Stand up and stand together! The power of a few can overcome the power of many.

I may be a 'dreamer' but, I still BELIEVE in the collective WE. And WE can still OVERCOME!

I searched for an article that would explain how complex a man MLK was. It went beyond what is taught in public schools...even beyond the image of MLK himself. He was fighting for so many issues. The same problems we are fighting for today. Anti-poverty, anti-war, and militarism became a key element of his movement. He transcended race and believed we should fight for equality across all lines. He was a great man, even more so than younger people understand.

In all fairness, there were many more people who also worked around him and the movement, who people do not know about. But that is a story for another day. Today is MLK's day. Relevant to the politics of today...he taught us that "we could and should speak out." MLK saw the "big picture" ... and IMHO...he was silenced for that very reason. He was a leader who had a strong voice and didn't mind using it. His legacy for us is, to keep on fighting and never lose our voice.

MLK - Today, we should all think about his real legacy and keep moving forward. MLK was a man ahead of his time. MLK was a true visionary.




Emphasis added.














Martin Luther King, III
President and CEO

The Honorable John E. Edwards
410 Market Street
Suite 400
Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Dear Senator Edwards:

It was good meeting with you yesterday and discussing my father's legacy.

On the day when the nation will honor my father, I wanted to follow up with a personal note.

There has been, and will continue to be, a lot of back and forth in the political arena over my father's legacy. It is a commentary on the breadth and depth of his impact that so many people want to claim his legacy. I am concerned that we do not blur the lines and obscure the truth about what he stood for: speaking up for justice for those who have no voice.

I appreciate that on the major issues of health care, the environment, and the economy, you have framed the issues for what they are - a struggle for justice. And, you have almost single-handedly made poverty an issue in this election.

You know as well as anyone that the 37 million people living in poverty have no voice in our system. They don't have lobbyists in Washington and they don't get to go to lunch with members of Congress. Speaking up for them is not politically convenient. But, it is the right thing to do.

I am disturbed by how little attention the topic of economic justice has received during this campaign. I want to challenge all candidates to follow your lead, and speak up loudly and forcefully on the issue of economic justice in America.

From our conversation yesterday, I know this is personal for you. I know you know what it means to come from nothing. I know you know what it means to get the opportunities you need to build a better life. And, I know you know that injustice is alive and well in America, because millions of people will never get the same opportunities you had.

I believe that now, more than ever, we need a leader who wakes up every morning with the knowledge of that injustice in the forefront of their minds, and who knows that when we commit ourselves to a cause as a nation, we can make major strides in our own lifetimes. My father was not driven by an illusory vision of a perfect society. He was driven by the certain knowledge that when people of good faith and strong principles commit to making things better, we can change hearts, we can change minds, and we can change lives.

So, I urge you: keep going. Ignore the pundits, who think this is a horserace, not a fight for justice. My dad was a fighter. As a friend and a believer in my father's words that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, I say to you: keep going. Keep fighting. My father would be proud.

Sincerely,

Martin L. King, III