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A Joyful Noise

war

Dreaming of Peace

January 14, 2007 by Melodye Shore

I’ve been re-reading some of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s sermons from the 60s, in honor of his birthday celebration. This particular passage is a response to America’s involvement in the Vietnam war. How prescient, how relevant it seems today! 

“[W]e must find an alternative to war and bloodshed….President Kennedy said on one occasion, “Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind.” The world must hear this. I pray to God that America will hear this before it is too late, because today we’re fighting a war….”

“It is no longer a choice, my friends, between violence and nonviolence. It is either nonviolence or nonexistence
.”
—Martin Luther King, Jr.
Remaining Awake Through A Great Revolution 
(bold emphases mine) 

You can read more of Dr. King’s thoughts on war and peace
here or listen to a short speech excerpt — a call to arms for those who might reasonably wonder how a single individual can help make world peace a reality. 

UPDATE: Check out the side-by-side rhetoric stylings of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bill O’Reilly.http://dg.specificclick.net/?u=http%3A//www.livejournal.com/stc/fck/editor/fckeditor.html%3FInstanceName%3Ddraft%26Toolbar%3DUpdate&r=

Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: martin luther king, peace, war

Scene and Heard

January 12, 2007 by Melodye Shore

Last night, I took a time-out from packing for New York to march in an anti-escalation peace rally in Laguna Beach.

What’s the appropriate attire for a peace demonstration, anyway? I wasn’t entirely sure. I’m too young to have any hold-over hippie clothes hanging in my closet, so I had to forego the prototypical tie-dyed T-shirt, peace pendant, and daisy-embroidered jeans. Since it was an after-dark gathering by the water, I figured I’d wear something California Casual and warm. I pulled on a hoodie, jeans and leather jacket, and stopped for a non-fat, sugar-free vanilla latte – extra hot – to warm up my hands. Peace Now, new-millennium style.

Here, a quick run-down of some of the sights and sounds of our rally, before I finish my packing:

*A line-up of about 150 candle- and placard-carrying protesters, waving at people who drove past on Pacific Coast Highway. In front of us, a steady stream of cars; behind us, this lifeguard station and the reassuring sounds of ocean waves lapping against the shore.

*Honking horns — a frequent automotive “amen.” Toyota Prius drivers seemed most likely to bleat their horns in support. But — big surprise! — a Hummer limo also blared its approval as it passed.

*A silver-haired lady listening to Neil Young’s
War Song on her iPod.

*Dogs as billboards…for instance, a dachshund wearing a leopard-spotted coat covered with End the Occupation stickers, and an obese Labrador who sported a T-shirt covered with anti-war slogans.

*A potential trophy wife, auburn hair extensions blowing in the breeze, dressed for activism in stiletto-heeled suede boots, Lucky jeans and a calf-length cardigan coat.

*A scruffy middle-aged man, carrying a large American flag, standing sentry behind our line-up.

*Ubiquitous tea candles in plastic cups, flames flickering in the wind…and the miner’s flashlight, shining brightly from a Birkenstock-wearing woman’s forehead.

*A seventy-year-old man (or so I’m guessing), pacing and punching the air with an uplifted fist, shouting, “No.More.War!”

*A photographer stepping out into traffic to get a panoramic picture; a woman approaching him to ask in a nervous whisper, “Are you sending that to Homeland Security?”

*Code Pink activists carrying pink peace signs and, in one case, a slogan-covered pink umbrella. 

Sadly, while our group of activists (and nearly 500 similar groups across the country) availed ourselves of our Constitutional right to express our opinions, 300 soldiers’ voices were actively suppressed. From the Washington Post:

“To ensure that there would be no discordant notes [at Fort Benning during President Bush’s visit], Maj. Gen. Walter Wojdakowski, the base commander, prohibited the 300 soldiers who had lunch with the president from talking with reporters. If any of them harbored doubts about heading back to Iraq, many for the third time, they were kept silent.”


Totally unrelated: If scandalous or happy news breaks while I’m away, leave me a message, will ya? You already know how much I like to stay “in the know”!

Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: anti-escalation, demonstration, laguna beach, moveon.org, peace, war

Peace is a Verb

December 25, 2006 by Melodye Shore

Do you sometimes see your blog as a grownup version of Show-and-Tell? I admit that when I first sat down to write this post, I thought about itemizing my Santa gifts, bemoaning my questionable culinary efforts, and kvelling about my family. Isn’t that what we all used to do when we were children, once school reconvened after the holidays?  But since you’re adults now and are likely busy with your own holiday happiness and mishegas, I’ll instead share a short post about one of my all-time favorite holiday songs, written and sung by John Lennon.  

Originally sung as a protest to the Vietnam war, the lyrics seem especially relevant today. In 1969, Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, spread this anti-war sentiment via rented billboards and posters they strategically placed in eleven major cities around the world. The message: “WAR IS OVER! (If You Want It) Happy Christmas” resonated with millions of war-weary individuals who found themselves increasingly angry about our involvement in the Vietnam War. Eventually, the words found their way into a holiday recording, which has been remixed by several musical groups. (Source: Wikipedia)

My favorite line, “War is over/If you want it/War is over/Now!” speaks to the power of intention. The background vocals (credit: the Harlem Boys’ choir) symbolically represent the idea that we must speak out as a chorus rather than as individuals, to be sure our voices are heard. However, the deceptively simple lyrics gloss over the fact that peace is a hard-won battle. If we truly want an end to war, we must work together — regardless of our individual heritage, religion, or political affiliations — to make that goal a reality.

Let there be peace on Earth in the New Year, and let it begin with us.

UPDATE: It seems the war merchants who brought you the mythical War on Christmas are now turning a tidy profit. Anyone remember the story about the young Jesus, who overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves in the Temple? Therein lies an example of how we might choose to be less passive in our pursuit of real peace.

Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: john lennon song, peace, war

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