Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. the antiwar activist

"I agree with Dante that the hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis maintain their neutrality. There comes a time when silence is betrayal."

--the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., introducing this seminal
sermon at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, April 30, 1967

"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."

-- Dr. King, in his speech "A Time to Break Silence,"
at Riverside Church, New York City, April 4, 1967

by Ken

We began Martin Luther King Day remembering MLK's tireless crusade to make a reality of the Declaration of Independence's insistence that it's a "self-evident truth" that "all men are created equal." Certainly this earned him more enemies of a die-hard hatred and dangerousness -- including, of course, our very own FBI director, J. Edgar Hoover -- than any one person should have to contend with.

As we end this day of remembrance, we mustn't forget that Dr. King's vision of social justice required him to take a stand that was enormously controversial even among his supporters: resolute opposition to the Vietnam war, which he understood guaranteed that money would not be available to undertake making the promise of real equal opportunity an actuality.

Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) has made the same link between our misbegotten military adventures in Iraq and Afghanistan, which not only aren't enhancing but are undermining our national security and at the same time draining funds from the economy which are desperately needed for crucial elements of the progressive agenda. This week, honoring Dr. King, PDA is launching a venture called Brown Bag Lunch Vigils (BBLVs), an outgrowth of its "Healthcare NOT Warfare" campaign, to raise awareness among the public and our elected officials that the electorate is not being served by current U.S. policies."

The Brown Bag Lunch Vigils are designed to encourage like-minded Americans to engage with their congressmembers:

IN MEMORY OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, VIGILS AGAINST WAR FUNDING TO BE HELD AT CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES NATIONWIDE

As the country celebrates the life of Martin Luther King on January 18, Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) will launch the Brown Bag Lunch Vigils to be held every third Wednesday each month. The vigils are an expansion of their Healthcare NOT Warfare campaign "to raise awareness among the public and our elected officials that the electorate is not being served by current U.S. policies."

With the White House having just announced its intention of requesting another record military budget ($708 billion, not including military budgets in the Departments of State and Energy or the CIA) and another war supplemental ($33 billion), it is appropriate that the first lunchtime vigils will take place immediately following Martin Luther King Day.

Colorful vigils and pickets are already planned in many congressional districts, including the following, with others being added: AZ-3, AZ-5, CA-6, CA-22, CA-23, CA-48, FL-10, FL-17, MA-2, MI-9, OH-13, OH-17, PA-7, WA-2, WA-6, WI-3, WI-7. More details are available about each location online: http://tinyurl.com/brownbagvigil

PDA, a political action committee formed in 2004, is asking members of the House to publicly commit to voting “No” on any bills that fund wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Yemen, and to publicly urge their colleagues and the House leadership to make the same commitment. As lesser steps in the same direction, PDA is encouraging congress members to cosponsor HR 2454, calling for an exit strategy from Afghanistan, and HR 3699, prohibiting any increase in the number of U.S. Armed Forces in Afghanistan.

PDA is encouraging consideration of the financial trade-offs necessary for wars. "We can pay for warfare but not healthcare," said PDA's national director Tim Carpenter, "for bombs but not books, for weapons but not windmills, for hellfire but not homes. As the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq labor on, with no end in sight, it's become alarmingly clear that they have exacted a staggering human and financial toll on the Iraqi, Afghan, and American people. Many of our representatives claim to oppose continuing down this path. We want them to work to block the funding."

The BBLV campaign --

is calling on [PDA] members, and like-minded individuals and organizations, to gather on the third Wednesday of every month in front of -- and in -- congressional offices in districts across the country. We’re asking you to spend your lunch hour exercising your First Amendment Rights by holding vigils, rallies, meetings with aides and representatives, pickets, and demonstrations that will serve to educate our elected officials, the public, and the press about the human and financial costs of war and militarism.

Specifically, PDA and our allies call on President Obama and Congress to support HR 2404, calling for an exit strategy from Afghanistan; HR 3699, prohibiting any increase in the number of U.S. Armed Forces in Afghanistan, and to establish improved and expanded Medicare for All to residents of the United States. We cannot let them forget that we are watching and waiting for the next election.

On the linked webpage you'll find detailed instructions for how to get involved, how to create a BBLV event, contact info, and more.

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