In the shadow of the anniversary of Dr Martin L King’s "I Have a Dream" speech, I have some other words of Dr King I’d like to share with you, from a speech he gave at Ebenezer Baptist Church:
And don’t let anybody make you think that God chose America as his divine, messianic force to be a sort of policeman of the whole world.
When he spoke these words, he was speaking at a time with the United States was deeply entrenched in the Vietnam conflict. Another statement from that speech is also relevant today as the government of the United States debates on armed conflict with Syria:
In international conflicts, the truth is hard to come by because most nations are deceived about themselves. Rationalizations and the incessant search for scapegoats are the psychological cataracts that blind us to our sins.
Please oppose any military intervention in Syria. I’m fearful that most Republican opposition is due merely to the fact that the President is a Democrat, a member of the opposing faction. Military intervention must be opposed because, as Dr King said on April 30, 1967, the United States should not be made out to be the policeman of the world.
Only if Syria poses a credible and viable threat to the United States should we act, and then only against what threat they pose should we act. Until then, no military intervention against Syria should be authorized. Oppose this military intervention.
Thank you.
