|
|
| Who gave M.L.K., Jr. the Presidential Medal Of Freedom? |
| John F. Kennedy |
|
20% |
[ 1 ] |
| George Bush, Sr. |
|
0% |
[ 0 ] |
| Jimmy Carter |
|
60% |
[ 3 ] |
| Richard Nixon |
|
0% |
[ 0 ] |
| George Bush, Jr. |
|
20% |
[ 1 ] |
| Gerald Ford |
|
0% |
[ 0 ] |
| Lyndon Johnson |
|
0% |
[ 0 ] |
| Bill Clinton |
|
0% |
[ 0 ] |
| Ronald Reagan |
|
0% |
[ 0 ] |
|
| Total Votes : 5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:17 am
Hey everyone!
Happy three-day weekend!
LoL!
Actually, yes, what I am going to write is a bit more serious than that, and I should warn you all right away that some of you may not like everything that I have to say, and many of you may think that there is nsomething wrong with me... Whatever, it's okay, there probly is.
I would like to ask you all to please take a moment sometime today to actually reflect on the man that got you this holiday...
I am asking you to think...
I am not going to tell you WHAT to think, or how, just asking you to do so, and I will share a little bit of my own mind (and past eek ) with you.
Ever since I was very young I have been intrigued by this man, although he never actually made it onto my list of "heroes" until I was old enough to really understand a few things about him. And before he could reach that pedestal in my mind, first he had to go through the whole circle: from role model to someone I idealized to an idea that I focused anger on to a memory I pitied to someone I accepted to someone I admired.
Confused yet?
I know, I confuse myself more often than I can get sense out of me, but bear with me and I will explain.
As a young, naive and very idealistic and sensitive child, it was only natural that this man that they taught us about in school would inspire great awe in me. I saw him as Jesus' second coming (BTW, never mention anything of the sort in a religious school, or you will find your life very hard indeed) so to speak. Honestly, I thought he either was, or was directly related to, the "Savior".
I can see the indignation and question marks in some of your eyes, already and I am going to say something that might get me in even more trouble: What you need to understand is that I never actually thought of Jesus as God's spawn. I saw (and, still to this day, see) him as a normal man, who was able to save so many, through sheer determination and empathy. Of course, with the religious factor of my up-bringing, it was hard for me to see this, and I never actually was able to sort these things out until I was able to accept my feelings toward religion, and even then, there's a fragmented bit, due to the fact that I will never be able to pin-point anything in my mind, and also, I honestly have few memories of the past.
So, getting back to it, I wanted to be just like him (King, not Jesus), but I ended up idealizing him, the same way as many Americans, but to a far exaggerated extent. I saw him as flawless, and I didn't really know enough about him to fall into that conclusion. One of the harder things for me to learn in life was not to idealize people, and I still fail every once in a while.
In the 3rd grade, or maybe the summer after, so-called "reality" tackled me, came out of nowhere, really, and smashed me face-first onto the asphalt (trying to give you an idea of how it felt).
I don't think any of you would remember, but that wasn't a good year (1996). I always think of it as a dark spot on the calender of eternity. Everyone seemed to be having huge problems fall on them, myself included.
It got to me, bad... One night, one memory that is very vividly scarred into the front of my mind, my mother told me, "You can't save them all. You will have your own demons to fight, and trying to fight other people's as well will only make you crazy."
(My parents are realists to the core, and my mother has always spoken to me as an adult, because she has always believed that I had too much of a mind to bother with "child-speak". Usually this was a good thing, but sometimes I would have preferred to stay in the kiddy world of innocence)
I can't explain what happened, really... All I remember is how I felt, extreme physical pain, and something else that I won't even bother trying to put into words.
But, for some reason, after that I channeled my anger into my childhood heroes. I don't know why, but I believe it had something to do with them being able to do what I would never be able to do, and people encouraging me to do my best to walk in their footsteps, even though I was destined to fail.
As for King, the more I learned about him and the world, the more I realized that, if there was life after death, he was looking down upon us with tears in his eyes, thinking "What the ******** did I die for?!"
Eventually, I stopped thinking that way, instead thinking, "It is a little bit better. Not much, but enough."
And now that I have learned even more, I admire him. I no longer idealize or idolize him, I just admire the fact that he probably knew that nothing would ever be perfect, but he kept on trying, anyway, despite what it cost him, despite the pain it caused those closest to him, he tried his best, and gained something even more important than the Nobel Peace Prize and his own holiday.
See, he wasn't trying to make it better for just one ethnic group, or just one country or just one generation. He was romantic enough to believe that humans are better than we actually are, and he was wanting us all to help each other better our collective situation.
To those few of you who actually read this, and made it to the bottom, I never expected you to, but now you actually probably know WAY too much about me, so I'm sorry, but thank you.
Sincerely,
ninja
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:29 am
FUN FACT:
Did you know that Martin Luther King, Jr.'s sister was born on Sept. 11th?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:51 am
Bush is a hypocritical a*****e who needs to undergo much torture for the rest of his pathetic, wormy, puppet-life!!!
As his administration tries desperately to wrong every right that King made, Bush attempts to gain support by doing crap like this!!!
He is unfit to say the names of better men, and in Hell, his tongue will be ripped out and stapled back in and ripped out and stapled back in repeatedly!!
*is indignant, because she was dumb enough to read this article that she was sent* -for future reference, people, Chuckee HATES the Bush family, with a passion that should never be put into hate-
George W. Bush Honors Memory Of Martin Luther King, Jr.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush on Monday hailed Martin Luther King Jr. as a towering figure and called on the country to honor his legacy by showing compassion to those in need.
"It's fitting that we honor his service and his courage and his vision," Bush said during a visit to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library with first lady Laura Bush.
His comments came on the federal holiday honoring the birthday of King, who would have been 79 on Jan. 15. An advocate of peaceful resistance and equality for people of all races, King was assassinated in April 1968.
The president said that the federal holiday in King's memory is "an opportunity to renew our deep desire for America to be a land of promise to everybody."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:52 am
How is that a fun fact? haha.
Anyway, I also admire that man. I admire anyone who can hold their composure in the midst of terror, anger, hatred and all those negative things. I still haven't decided if war is necessary in this world (but I'm kinda leaning towards yes), but I personally would never join. I wouldn't be able to. I myself am someone, I feel, who does everything I can for people around me. It's taken me a while to realize giving people things and having people take them from you and abuse you are completely different, but I think I can realize the differences now. Despite the negative things that have happened in my life, I am still full of unselfishness and a passion to help others. I see no reason for hate in my life despite the fact that others have said I have plenty of reason to harbor anger. I've actually had someone tell me they're surprised I'm as nice as I am... that if they'd been through certain things I had, that they'd be bitter towards the world.
I saw I Am Legend last month and remember the part where the main character explains why he loves Bob Marley so much. Bob Marley was scheduled to play at a peace rally and was shot 2 days before by someone protesting the rally. He ended up in the hospital but 2 days later, he was at the rally. The quote that got me was "the people that are trying to make the world worse never take a day off , why should I? Light up the darkness."
which is precisely how I feel. I do my best everyday to rub off on anyone who's around me. I hope that if I can put a little positivity in someone's day, perhaps they'll have hope for another day. Just like that commercial, where one good deed is passed to another... I loved that commercial. I should find it and put it on my myspace. wink
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:14 am
PukeFacedFreak How is that a fun fact? haha.
Anyway, I also admire that man. I admire anyone who can hold their composure in the midst of terror, anger, hatred and all those negative things. I still haven't decided if war is necessary in this world (but I'm kinda leaning towards yes), but I personally would never join. I wouldn't be able to. I myself am someone, I feel, who does everything I can for people around me. It's taken me a while to realize giving people things and having people take them from you and abuse you are completely different, but I think I can realize the differences now. Despite the negative things that have happened in my life, I am still full of unselfishness and a passion to help others. I see no reason for hate in my life despite the fact that others have said I have plenty of reason to harbor anger. I've actually had someone tell me they're surprised I'm as nice as I am... that if they'd been through certain things I had, that they'd be bitter towards the world.
I saw I Am Legend last month and remember the part where the main character explains why he loves Bob Marley so much. Bob Marley was scheduled to play at a peace rally and was shot 2 days before by someone protesting the rally. He ended up in the hospital but 2 days later, he was at the rally. The quote that got me was "the people that are trying to make the world worse never take a day off , why should I? Light up the darkness."
which is precisely how I feel. I do my best everyday to rub off on anyone who's around me. I hope that if I can put a little positivity in someone's day, perhaps they'll have hope for another day. Just like that commercial, where one good deed is passed to another... I loved that commercial. I should find it and put it on my myspace. wink LoL! How did you get this post up so fast? I dunno, I just thought that it was ironic that 9/11 was the day of his sister, and also the day that marked the official beginning of the backslide that we've been in ever since... And, also, I should point out that Bob is also on my Heroes List. LoL! I've never seen that movie, but I've heard that story. If you want more irony, though, I just pulled Marley out of the player sweatdrop and replaced him with Croce (I miss my dad, for some stupid reason...) And, on to the serious stuff: I must disagree with you on the war point. I was just arguing with one of my childhood friends over it. She wants to join the air force. Her argument was that it was necessary to weed out the bad people. I couldn't believe that someone as sweet and kind, and as religious as she is, would say such a thing! Who is an individual to presume to judge? Granted, people can prove that they're bad, in which case we should start closer to home: ASSASINATE THE BUSH FAMILY!!! Okay, but seriously, what makes a person think that war is necessary? It is only necessary to the arms producers, to the thieves, to the corporate monopoly on our lives! Granted, I believe that war is a human condition, and I used to believe that it was a way to keep humans from over-population.... Then I found out that human instinct during times of war is to breed like rats! Check out how the teen pregnancy rate has risen since the Bush admin started! And the suicide rate stopped rising (last I checked it hadn't quite started falling yet, but I should check that again, cause it HAS been a while). But overall, it isn't NECESSARY! I am so happy that you haven't let the problems you've had get to you.... I wish I was as strong as you are, I admire that, and hope you never fall! I try my hardest, but I still hate... Just thinking about the Bushes makes me feel like I have Torette's!!! LoL!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:39 am
I really don't like the idea of war, but unfortunately I think it's crucial that we have it. If we just sat here and did nothing, we'd be viewed as a weak country and would already be under a communist dictatorship. I don't really know how to say it, but the reason we're safer here in America is because we have defended ourselves with war.
Now, I don't know a lot about the reasons we went to war and all that, but I think it's pretty shitty that we say we're going over there (wherever there might have been at the time) to promote peace and blah blah, and then we end up stealing stuff from them (I guess mostly oil). So yeah, we need it most... but do we have to steal it? Gosh. I don't know, maybe that's America's way of saying "hey, we saved you, now give us something in return." This is why I don't open my mouth on certain things... I don't know enough to stand behind my opinions. I always love debating abortion though.
If Stuart were reading this, he'd have A LOT to say... and I don't think this debate would ever come to an end with him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:38 pm
PukeFacedFreak I really don't like the idea of war, but unfortunately I think it's crucial that we have it. If we just sat here and did nothing, we'd be viewed as a weak country and would already be under a communist dictatorship. I don't really know how to say it, but the reason we're safer here in America is because we have defended ourselves with war.
Now, I don't know a lot about the reasons we went to war and all that, but I think it's pretty shitty that we say we're going over there (wherever there might have been at the time) to promote peace and blah blah, and then we end up stealing stuff from them (I guess mostly oil). So yeah, we need it most... but do we have to steal it? Gosh. I don't know, maybe that's America's way of saying "hey, we saved you, now give us something in return." This is why I don't open my mouth on certain things... I don't know enough to stand behind my opinions. I always love debating abortion though.
If Stuart were reading this, he'd have A LOT to say... and I don't think this debate would ever come to an end with him. Sweetheart, do you honestly think that you're safer in America? The largest supplier of weapons to our own "enemies"? The country with the highest number of murders per year? Where drive by shootings happen and are forgotten about the next week? Where people would rather not watch the LOCAL news cause of all the s**t that goes on, so they pretend that someone else's problems are bigger? If there is a human being within a 500,000 mile radius of you, DON'T assume that you're safe! I am an American, I love my country. Unfortunately, I hate what it has become in recent years... I hate watching from afar, especially! I hate seeing people turn on their own beliefs simply because of the power of media-conditioning. The way I think of it is that if we minded our own business, we wouldn't need to put so much more funding into the military than into the education system! And if our education system were better, we might just be able to solve our own problems. Did you know that Egypt's army is actually more than a match for ours? That a lot of troops get trained here? That with one or two other middle-eastern allies they could reduce us to, well, nothing? And we're dicking around in their backyard? Doesn't that scare you a little? In all honesty, one can never know everything, but this whole subject has had a direct and terrible effect on my life, so I gather up every little bit of info that I can find. So, when I say that the reason that we're TOLD we invaded Iraq is not the reason that we actually DID, I say it with the ability to back it up. Also, if you think about the word dictatorship and compare it with the Bush admin, you might find something there that you didn't really wanna know....
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 2:07 pm
[ ] We had a 4 day weekend (A teacher inservice day was on Friday).
I remember watching a video about MLK in my sophomore history class. I didn't know that he'd be 79 if he was still alive. []
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 2:34 pm
T i f a [] We had a 4 day weekend (A teacher inservice day was on Friday).
I remember watching a video about MLK in my sophomore history class. I didn't know that he'd be 79 if he was still alive. [] cool what's a teacher inservice day?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 3:19 pm
canada doesnt celebrate this holiday ._.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wakki Darkmoon Vice Captain
|
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 5:23 pm
PukeFacedFreak How is that a fun fact? haha.
Anyway, I also admire that man. I admire anyone who can hold their composure in the midst of terror, anger, hatred and all those negative things. I still haven't decided if war is necessary in this world (but I'm kinda leaning towards yes), but I personally would never join. I wouldn't be able to. I myself am someone, I feel, who does everything I can for people around me. It's taken me a while to realize giving people things and having people take them from you and abuse you are completely different, but I think I can realize the differences now. Despite the negative things that have happened in my life, I am still full of unselfishness and a passion to help others. I see no reason for hate in my life despite the fact that others have said I have plenty of reason to harbor anger. I've actually had someone tell me they're surprised I'm as nice as I am... that if they'd been through certain things I had, that they'd be bitter towards the world.
I saw I Am Legend last month and remember the part where the main character explains why he loves Bob Marley so much. Bob Marley was scheduled to play at a peace rally and was shot 2 days before by someone protesting the rally. He ended up in the hospital but 2 days later, he was at the rally. The quote that got me was "the people that are trying to make the world worse never take a day off , why should I? Light up the darkness."
which is precisely how I feel. I do my best everyday to rub off on anyone who's around me. I hope that if I can put a little positivity in someone's day, perhaps they'll have hope for another day. Just like that commercial, where one good deed is passed to another... I loved that commercial. I should find it and put it on my myspace. wink The one person that should be bitter at the world is me.... but I am not. Why do I say that I should be bitter? For one reason, (I really wasnt ready to tell yet) is that I am disabled. (Dont think I trying to top you guys....LOL!) I feel Hate, anger, bitterness to be a waste of my time, when Id rather have a attitude like "Im not gonna let this s**t get to me." or a good attitude. I think some ppl look at me and probably dont kno what to say or think "Hes probably angry at life" but I crack a joke or even smile and they feel good. You are right PFF, being positive is great and it rubs off sometimes in unexpected ways. I have known some who were angry at everything, just because of their disability. That kind of negativity rubs off. Thats my 2 cents.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:00 pm
chuckee T i f a [] We had a 4 day weekend (A teacher inservice day was on Friday).
I remember watching a video about MLK in my sophomore history class. I didn't know that he'd be 79 if he was still alive. [] cool what's a teacher inservice day? []
Not sure. All I know is that there's quite a few of them in the school year and the teachers have to be there, but not the students.
[]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 6:26 am
Holographic Elephant canada doesnt celebrate this holiday ._. Yeah... even then, he was a great man, it wouldn't hurt to remember him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 6:29 am
chuckee Holographic Elephant canada doesnt celebrate this holiday ._. Yeah... even then, he was a great man, it wouldn't hurt to remember him. I haven't lived in the U.S. since 2002... But I still "keep" this holiday.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 6:34 am
Wakkimus Warnerus PukeFacedFreak How is that a fun fact? haha.
Anyway, I also admire that man. I admire anyone who can hold their composure in the midst of terror, anger, hatred and all those negative things. I still haven't decided if war is necessary in this world (but I'm kinda leaning towards yes), but I personally would never join. I wouldn't be able to. I myself am someone, I feel, who does everything I can for people around me. It's taken me a while to realize giving people things and having people take them from you and abuse you are completely different, but I think I can realize the differences now. Despite the negative things that have happened in my life, I am still full of unselfishness and a passion to help others. I see no reason for hate in my life despite the fact that others have said I have plenty of reason to harbor anger. I've actually had someone tell me they're surprised I'm as nice as I am... that if they'd been through certain things I had, that they'd be bitter towards the world.
I saw I Am Legend last month and remember the part where the main character explains why he loves Bob Marley so much. Bob Marley was scheduled to play at a peace rally and was shot 2 days before by someone protesting the rally. He ended up in the hospital but 2 days later, he was at the rally. The quote that got me was "the people that are trying to make the world worse never take a day off , why should I? Light up the darkness."
which is precisely how I feel. I do my best everyday to rub off on anyone who's around me. I hope that if I can put a little positivity in someone's day, perhaps they'll have hope for another day. Just like that commercial, where one good deed is passed to another... I loved that commercial. I should find it and put it on my myspace. wink The one person that should be bitter at the world is me.... but I am not. Why do I say that I should be bitter? For one reason, (I really wasnt ready to tell yet) is that I am disabled. (Dont think I trying to top you guys....LOL!) I feel Hate, anger, bitterness to be a waste of my time, when Id rather have a attitude like "Im not gonna let this s**t get to me." or a good attitude. I think some ppl look at me and probably dont kno what to say or think "Hes probably angry at life" but I crack a joke or even smile and they feel good. You are right PFF, being positive is great and it rubs off sometimes in unexpected ways. I have known some who were angry at everything, just because of their disability. That kind of negativity rubs off. Thats my 2 cents. And you're absolutely right! And all anyone can do is try and follow your example But, when you're an over-sensitive insomniac, who has been ******** over too many times and in too many ways to count, and who thinks WAY too much, it gets kinda hard. When everyone else is sleeping, I am dwelling on what I've seen, and even when I'm "sleeping" I can't get away So, yeah... the anger is almost inevitable.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
