Today in History

[H2O Man]

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I found the gun rally in Virginia rather peculiar on the Martin Luther King holiday. I understand that there is a tradition in that state of lobbying on this day. Amendment 1 allows for adults who dress themselves in the same manner as they dressed their GI Joe dolls in the childhoods to hold a rally. It's better they do that during the day, rather than don a white sheet at night. And at least they weren't yelling, “Jews will not replace us” and carrying torches.

A public discussion about the Bill of Rights, and the entire Constitution, can be a good thing. The symbolism of yesterday's rally on the King holiday communicates what those people believe. If we truly believe in the message of King's life, we must respond to their message that clearly advocates violence as the means of securing “rights.”

In every generation of our nation's history, there have been conflicts between those who seek to expand upon social justice, and those who would deny rights to other groups of people. Previous generations of citizens lived their lives the way that they did – not only to secure rights in their lifetimes – but to insure those rights for future generations. King and others lived their lives the way they did, so that you and I can live the way we do. And they expected us to carry that torch forward.

It's our turn. We are in one of the most intense generational struggles in American history. The Constitution provides the tools we need to win the fight. That includes impeachment, and it is very important to recognize that, despite what the Senate does, is a huge victory. As Speaker Pelosi said, for the rest of history, Trump was impeached. And everyone from the grass roots to the Democrats in the House of Representatives took part in that.

In the past, good people fought to expand the Constitution to include more than wealthy white men. The struggle was to provide more groups with the rights promised by that Constitution. In a curious twist, the Trump position is that he does not need to follow the Constitution, but is a monarch, instead. We are seeing this general right-wing dynamic at play in other countries where democracy is being attacked.

In his final, and most intense year of life, King connected the struggle for Civil Rights domestically with the fight for Human Rights internationally. King was not the first to grasp that important connection. Perhaps most significantly was the role of Malcolm X. Despite attempts to identify Martin and Malcolm as complete opposites, the two influenced each others thinking. (Karl Evanzz 1992 book, “The Judas Factor” documents this in fascinating detail.)

We find ourselves as part of a global struggle today. It includes everything from the rise of authoritarian power to global warming. It would be easy to feel overwhelmed by all of this. Indeed, there were times when King felt overwhelmed. There were times when he dealt with fear. More, there were times when Malcolm felt overwhelmed, and when he experienced fear. They were, after all, human beings, living in uncertain and often violent times.

What can we learn today from Martin Luther King's example? While none of us will be great in the manner that King was, he did set out examples for us to both study and practice. Each one of us has the capacity to conduct ourselves as if Martin were here leading the way. That's an option available to each and every one of us. And we can do this as the trial that just started in the Senate unfolds.

No matter how this process unfolds, and the eventual outcome, it is essential that each one of us works hard, between now and November, to make sure that the Democratic Party wins both the White House and Senate, and holds on the House. Again, that is one option that is available to us, if we all do our best to make it happen. It won't happen, however, if we as individuals leave to to others to do, or worse yet, leave it to fate.

It will not be easy. Nothing of real value ever is. Impeaching Trump wasn't easy. But it has real value. And it's a heck of a good start for 2020.

Enjoy the trial,
H2O Man