"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nationwhere they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the contentof their character. " Martin Luther King, Jr., August 28, 1963
Monday, January 17, 2005
Letter from the Birmingham Jail, 1963
...One may well ask: "How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?" The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all"
Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority. Segregation, to use the terminology of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber, substitutes an "I- it" relationship for an "I-thou" relationship and ends up relegating persons to the status of things. Hence segregation is not only politically, economically and sociologically unsound, it is morally wrong and awful. Paul Tillich said that sin is separation. Is not segregation an existential expression of man's tragic separation, his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness? Thus it is that I can urge men to obey the 1954 decision of the Supreme Court, for it is morally right; and I can urge them to disobey segregation ordinances, for they are morally wrong. ...
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority. Segregation, to use the terminology of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber, substitutes an "I- it" relationship for an "I-thou" relationship and ends up relegating persons to the status of things. Hence segregation is not only politically, economically and sociologically unsound, it is morally wrong and awful. Paul Tillich said that sin is separation. Is not segregation an existential expression of man's tragic separation, his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness? Thus it is that I can urge men to obey the 1954 decision of the Supreme Court, for it is morally right; and I can urge them to disobey segregation ordinances, for they are morally wrong. ...
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Quote of the Day 1/16/04
"A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perserverance, and to turn around three times before lying down." Robert Benchley
AKC Best in Show
While other bloggers gained fame in 2004 by breaking open Rather-gate and reporting on the shady exit polls from the November election, Banshee Blog gained fame in its infancy through its in-depth coverage of big time dog shows. That tradition of excellence will continue in 2005.
This weekend the American Kennel Club held the Eukanuba National Championship in St. Petersburg, Florida. The two day event was televised live for the first time this year. In total, there were six hours of live coverage. As usual, Ron Reagan, self-procalaimed stem cell research expert, anchored the broadcasts.
On Saturday, winners were chosen in the toy, hound, sporting and non-sporting groups. On Sunday, winners were chosen in the terrier, working and herding groups. Then all the group winners came back into the ring to battle for Best in Show. Heading into the final competition, the smart money seemed to be on the toy poodle out of the toy group. But in the end, it was Stump (formerly known as Stumpy) the bloodhound who was crowned AKC National Champion for 2005.
For those of you who were wondering, defending champ Cocoa the Norwich Terrier was not in the competition this year. The next big event on the dog show calendar comes up in mid February when the Westiminster Kennel Club Dog Show will be shown live from Madison Square Garden.
This weekend the American Kennel Club held the Eukanuba National Championship in St. Petersburg, Florida. The two day event was televised live for the first time this year. In total, there were six hours of live coverage. As usual, Ron Reagan, self-procalaimed stem cell research expert, anchored the broadcasts.
On Saturday, winners were chosen in the toy, hound, sporting and non-sporting groups. On Sunday, winners were chosen in the terrier, working and herding groups. Then all the group winners came back into the ring to battle for Best in Show. Heading into the final competition, the smart money seemed to be on the toy poodle out of the toy group. But in the end, it was Stump (formerly known as Stumpy) the bloodhound who was crowned AKC National Champion for 2005.
For those of you who were wondering, defending champ Cocoa the Norwich Terrier was not in the competition this year. The next big event on the dog show calendar comes up in mid February when the Westiminster Kennel Club Dog Show will be shown live from Madison Square Garden.
Friday, January 14, 2005
Quote of the Day 1/14/05 Lee-Jackson Day
“We have fought this fight as long and as well as we know how. We have been defeated. For us, as a Christian people, there is now but one course to pursue. We must accept the situation.” General Robert E. Lee
Lee-Jackson Day
The Generals Were Brought to Tears by Mort Kunstler
Yes, here in the Commonwealth of Virginia Lee-Jackson Day is a recognized holiday for state employees. This holiday remembers General Robert E. Lee and General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. Some may think that recognizing these two generals of the Confederacy is an outrage -- especially just a few days before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Ten years ago, I would have been outraged, too. I would have gone into a fit of rage at the thought of honoring the men who led those traitorous rebels into combat. After all, my sister and I spent many years of our childhood playing Civil War and driving Johnny Reb out of our front yard.
I have a different feeling about this now (and not just because I have today off from work). These two men are worthy of much admiration. No doubt, they were on the wrong side of the Civil War. But these men were not evil racists. Neither of them owned slaves and both thought that slavery was wrong. They were simply Virginians. And for reasons that I do not fully uderstand, their allegience to their home state trumped all other considerations. But this should not cause us to overlook their many virtues.
There is one other thing in particular that should be remembered on this day. Robert E. Lee did as much as any man to heal our nation after the horrors of the Civil War. It was Lincoln who said in his Second Innaugural, "With malice towards none and charity for all ...." But, it was Lee who lived those words out both in his surrender and in the way he conducted himself in the years following the war. In the spring of 1865, it became clear that the Confederacy could not attain a victory on the battlefield. At this time, President Jefferson Davis and others urged Lee to break up his army and send them into the hills of Virginia to wage a guerilla war. Lee refused. Instead, he chose an honorable surrender. He knew it was time to begin the nation's healing.
Lee demonstrated his willingness to help with the healing in his personal life, as well. Soon after the war, Lee was worshiping in his home church in Richmond. When it came time for communion, a newly freed black man came to the front of the church and knelt at the rail. No one knew quite what to do. There was a moment of pause. Then the defeated general rose from his pew and knelt beside the his fellow American to receive the Lord's Supper. It is moments like this that make both Lee and Jackson worthy of remembrance.
Saturday, January 08, 2005
What a mess!
As promised, I was working on the Banshee Blog template today. However, it seems that I have made a mess of things. The main thing I was trying to do was use a different comment feature. But, at the moment, there are no comments available at all. In addition, I have some mysterious narrowing thing going on. The posts get narrower and narrower as you scroll down the page. I think this narrowing also has something to do with pushing all of the sidebar items down to the bottom of the page.
I have contacted Blogger about my troubles. Hopefully, someone there will be able to help me out. In the meantime, please bear with me. I will send out a grand re-opening email when everything gets back the way it belongs.
I have contacted Blogger about my troubles. Hopefully, someone there will be able to help me out. In the meantime, please bear with me. I will send out a grand re-opening email when everything gets back the way it belongs.
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Quote of the Day 1/4/05
"Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man." Benjamin Franklin
Disasters - Natural and Man-made
Be proud fellow citizens. We have responded to the suffering of the victims of the recent tsunami. We are sending millions of dollars as well as supplying manpower. We ask nothing in return. The world expected us to act quickly and we have.
Be proud fellow citizens. We have responded to the suffering of the victims of the tyrant in Iraq. We are sending millions of dollars as well as supplying manpower. We ask nothing in return. But the world did not want us to act and now feels free to criticize and ridicule us.
Almost twice as many people died because of Saddam as did because of the tsunami. One disaster was man-made, one was an act of nature, and Americans responded to both with compassion and action.
What would have happened if the UN could have prevented the tsunami? Would they have “interfered” or would they have waited? Perhaps they would have passed a resolution!
Be proud fellow citizens. We have responded to the suffering of the victims of the tyrant in Iraq. We are sending millions of dollars as well as supplying manpower. We ask nothing in return. But the world did not want us to act and now feels free to criticize and ridicule us.
Almost twice as many people died because of Saddam as did because of the tsunami. One disaster was man-made, one was an act of nature, and Americans responded to both with compassion and action.
What would have happened if the UN could have prevented the tsunami? Would they have “interfered” or would they have waited? Perhaps they would have passed a resolution!
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