Selma, MLK, and Living in Extraordinary Times.

  I thought it only fitting to devote my blog on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to the movie about one of his many victories in the Civil Rights Movement, but also to the movement as well as growing up during those extraordinary times.

  The longer I live, the more I realize how much history I have lived through. All of us live through history but many times we don’t really think of it in the context of history, we think of it more as what was happening in our lives, our families lives. But when you look at your life in a greater context of the times in which you lived your life you may find that your life is steeped in extraordinary times.

  I saw the movie, “Selma” the other day. I cried during parts of it. Although I was a very young child during the march from Selma to Montgomery, I was in fact living in Montgomery, Alabama during that time. Too young to remember, but my mother was not. As a young mother it made her think of what kind of world she wanted her daughter to live in. My mother, although born in Ohio, was the definition of a daughter of the south. Her mother was from Savannah, Georgia and so she learned about the south from her mothers perspective. I remember her always saying that the Civil War was “The War Between the States”. My mother even had a bit of a southern accent and her sensibilities were truly southern. But my Mom was not subjected to much in the way of racial bias, although I think that had a lot to do with her family’s black housekeeper/nanny Jewel, who my mother loved as a second mother. Jewel in fact was also from the south so the perspective my mother had growing up was very old style southern. I think much of what she learned began to be challenged when she joined the Air Force right after high school. For now she was around people from all over the country. By the time the march from Selma to Montgomery happened my mother had received an education by virtue of living around so many different people. One thing that she had always said to me growing up was that their was a lot of racism in the North as well as the South. The difference she said was that in the South it was out in the open with written laws and those signs that we have all seen and been disgusted by. She said that in the North it was unwritten, but still done. I’m not sure that I agree with that assessment but then again I still see so much racism in this country and it comes from all parts of the country.

  The movie, “Selma” was very moving and I truly believe that every American should watch it. Not for the historical content per se, as with any movie creative license was taken, but I believe it should be seen more for the human content. So many people in this country feel that racism is dead, which is truly ludicrous, it is more alive than I would have thought after all we have been through as a nation. I thank God it is not as bad as it once was, but we still have a long way to go. One take away that I got from this movie was that it took white Americans getting involved to help the cause of civil rights. Sad, but it is really true. It is true today as well. Which to me only proves my statement that racism is still alive and well in the USA. Back in the 60’s it took televised violence against black Americans to get white Americans involved. The same thing happened during the Vietnam War, watching college students being beaten and killed by the Police and National Guard sworn to protect their fellow Americans that turned the tide in this country. If you have the opportunity to see, “Selma” I encourage you to do so. Without Martin Luther King Jr.’s movement, this country could have had another civil war, their were factions of the civil rights movement who were more into violent overthrow than the peaceful resistance that MLK preached. Without him this could have easily gone another way and our history could have been much bloodier then it was.

  Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s exposed me to so much history in this country, so many changes. Much more than I could ever cover in one simple blog post. But I am proud of my Mom and Dad for bringing me up to be the person that I am. One who has NEVER uttered the “N” word a day in her life, one who still carries the guilt and shame of calling a black friend I was fighting with as a child, a brown cow, because I was mad, In frustration it was the worst thing I could think of to call her and I KNEW the minute it came out of my mouth that it was wrong and it has literally haunted me ever since, It lowered me to the lowest form of human, a lazy and stupid thing to say, once out of my mouth it could not be taken back. But I will say that it is the only racial “slur” I have ever uttered. Having been a witness to the horrific things said and done in those extraordinary times, I am proud to be the person I am. I have been friends with so many people who don’t look like me, I’ve been exposed to many different cultures and I feel so much richer as a human being for it. You can’t put all people in a box or a category and say that ALL people of that race, culture, or religion are the same. It is closed mined and ignorant. There is so much we can learn from others if we’d only give everyone a chance and leave our prejudices at the door. There is so much more we can learn from history so that we don’t continue to repeat it. While we have come a long way, don’t fool yourselves into thinking that the fight is over. There are statistics aplenty that prove that we are not where we should be.

  My only grandchild is half Asian, the thought that she might face racism makes me sad. The fact that one of my son’s friends, whom I look at as a son, is a very large African American male, that he could be beaten or killed based on that is so terrifying to me. He is a great kid, sweet and easy going. After the Eric Garner case in NYC I found myself really afraid for him. His cousin too. But mainly I was afraid for him because of his size, which I find comforting when he comes to my house and envelops me in his arms and gives me a big hug. Reminds me of my Dad who, although white, intimidated people because of his 6 foot 6 inch size. The difference is that this child’s size (he’s in his early 20’s) combined with his skin color could cause him to be killed. No one should have to worry about that. You can’t help your size or your skin color. But you can help how you react or interact with people. Treating each person as an individual, as a human being just like you, is a good place to start.

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Protests, Torture, and Historical Perspective.

   The other day I was reading some Facebook posts about the current protests going on in this country (USA). Many questions and feelings were expressed in these posts. Many of them were angry at the inconvenience of the protests and others were upset at the violence of some of these protests. One of the most telling posts I read was from someone who asked what the protesters expected to gain from this. Many answers were given and most were derogatory. For me the answer is simple. As a self professed student of history I am in awe that some do not understand what protests are all about. Through history there have been countless protests and you might be surprised to know that no matter what the protests are about, many become violent at some point. There is always a faction that will bring it to that point. But we make a mistake in assuming that violence is sanctioned by the majority of protesters, it is not. This is the definition of the word protest:

n. (prō′tĕst′)
1. A formal declaration of disapproval or objection issued by a concerned person, group, or organization.
2. A public demonstration or organized effort to show disapproval about something, especially a governmental policy or practice.
3. Law A declaration of objection and reservation of rights, made when action would otherwise imply consent or agreement: payment under protest.

What do these protesters hope to accomplish? What every protest does, to bring attention to issues that deserve attention and hopefully these protests will lead to change. Others have. Here are some perfect examples…

Without the Suffragettes we women would not have the right to vote. These women protested for our right to vote, and yes, MANY became violent believe it or not. In England women smashed store windows. Does that sound familiar? When people are incensed over what they feel is injustice emotions run high, as does adrenaline levels. So these women organized in the 19th century and protested for decades before the 19th Amendment passed in 1918 and eventually ratified by all states in 1920. THAT is why people protest. Each protest has a goal in mind, the goal is normally change. To read more about the Suffragettes here  is a good resource about the Women’s Rights Movement: http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/WIC/Historical-Essays/No-Lady/Womens-Rights/

Another series of protests that led to change is this country is the Civil Rights protests of the 60’s. This is something that ties a bit into what is going on now. We fool ourselves into thinking that racism is not an issue in this country. While I am not sure about the Michael Brown situation in Ferguson, Mo., I wasn’t there and I understand why the grand jury didn’t indict the officer. However, I do have issue with the fact that this young man was shot 6 times. There are overwhelming incidents of young black men being killed by police officers, a disproportionate amount in fact. I am not here to bash the police. I know many are good men and women who work hard to serve and protect their communities. I would like to hope that the good ones would fight to get rid of those who are not worthy to wear the badge. I know people are tired of these protests, but the black community is tired of losing young men to the justice system that favors whites over blacks in the courtroom as well as on the streets. Don’t get me started on Eric Garner! That is on video and yet the officer in that case is not being charged? This could have easily have been handled without any physical confrontation and certainly without Mr Garner dying, leaving behind a wife and 6 children. I hope these protests yield positive results, but it is going to take a lot of work and much of it involves Police departments serious;y policing themselves.

Here are the protests that I remember very well as a child growing up. Protests to end the Vietnam War. At first these protesters were vilified as long haired hippie freaks and traitors to their country. But these protesters were right, they knew what was going on. They eventually influenced public opinion, especially when men wh came back from the war joined them. Check out the movie, “Born on the Fourth of July” about Ron Kovacs, starring Tom Cruise, it is one of the best about this subject. The generation tried the same thing with the Iraq War and I believe that they also changed public opinion.

These are the reasons that people protest and why they do. I hope the next time you wonder what protesters hope to accomplish, you will keep this in mind. There are reasons and there will always be rabble whenever you get large crowds together.

Now on to torture. The CIA report on torture recently came out and while many of us are horrified, there are others who delight in it and think that it is necessary. History shows us that TORTURE DOES NOT WORK! The U.S. and Great Britain have always prided themselves on being against torture and vilified countries that routinely use it. But we wrapped it up in the name, “Enhanced Interrogation Techniques” and said it was necessary in order to get information from “enemy combatants”. Have we learned NOTHING from history. It doesn’t work! In medieval times they used the rack and dozens of other devices to get information and confessions. Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII, was charged with adultery and beheaded based on confessions that were tortured out of several men, including her own brother. A friend of mine posted a meme stating that if you don’t like torture you shouldn’t be a terrorist. I’ve also seen others state that the 3,000 people killed on 9/11 was torture. OK the men who did this were killed, they were Saudi’s. We have done nothing but invade country after country trying to avenge the death of our fellow Americans. What have we accomplished? Well, Bin Laden is dead, which is great as he was the mastermind.  Did we get the information about where he was from torturing someone? Nope we sure didn’t. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), was a POW in Vietnam and he was tortured and he has repeatedly said that torture does not work. But we paid 2 Psychologists over 80 million dollars to develop these “enhanced interrogation techniques”. One of those techniques was waterboarding. Do you know that waterboarding has been around since the Spanish Inquisition?

Yeah, so that was 80 million well spent. Put yourself in the place of someone who is being tortured. Seriously. Wouldn’t you say anything to get the pain to stop? I think that the majority of us would. That is why torture is not to be considered an “interrogation technique”, it is punishment nothing more. I Thought we were better than this. And yes I am sure I will get flack for this, as I already have on Facebook. More Christians support torture than non-Christians. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. Hmmmm, really?

tor·ture
noun
1.
the action or practice of inflicting severe pain on someone as a punishment or to force them to do or say something, or for the pleasure of the person inflicting the pain.
synonyms: infliction of pain, abuse, ill-treatment, maltreatment, persecution; sadism
“acts of torture”
great physical or mental suffering or anxiety.
“the torture I’ve gone through because of loving you so”
synonyms: torment, agony, suffering, pain, anguish, misery, distress, heartbreak, affliction, scourge, trauma, wretchedness;

Well it has been done to women who were imprisoned for protesting  for the right to vote, seems as though this torture was for punishment purposes. This same thing was done at Guantanamo, only it was done anally. Neither seems right to me. Especially these days when an I.V. or stomach tube would accomplish the same thing if the reason was to make sure they didn’t die from not eating. But this was torture and punishment pure and simple.

Remember when we were horrified by pictures such of these from Abu Gharaib? Are we so scared that we are willing to forego our humanity because the terrorists have? How can we justify being better people? Have we sunk as low as the terrorists? And how many terrorists have we created in turn by this kind of behavior. I worry for our troops who we’ve sent in harms way.

The point of all of this is that protesting and torture, as well as other things, are steeped in history. Anything happening today can be referenced in the past. History is a great teacher and if we forget it we are doomed to repeat it as it seems we are.

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