And until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race, there is war.
And until that day, the dream of lasting peace, world citizenship, rule of international morality, will remain but a fleeting illusion to be pursued, but never attained... now everywhere is war.”
-- Emperor Haile Selassie before the League Of Nations -- 1936 (See the entire speech)
How much has changed since these words above were spoken 76 years ago? Are we any closer towards that dream, or in much that same place as we were when the Emperor's pleadings were ignored by the American and European heads of state? President Obama would do well to study the words and heed the wisdom of this great leader.
The tragedy of Trayvon Martin, along with the recent miscarriage of justice embodied in the execution of Troy Davis launched me into deep examination of the concept of justice. What we consider to be fair, equitable and dignified seems to be a moving target. Of course, for anyone who knows me, it's no secret that my expectations for true social justice in this country continues to plummet. After all, how could the worlds largest exporter of unprovoked violence and senseless wars abroad be expected to be a beacon for justice at home?
I love America. I love my country so much, that I have the courage and the audacity to stand up and speak out when I think we're dead wrong, but more on that another time. As much as I'd sworn off writing this way, and made numerous attempts of retirement, I keep getting drawn into fiery rants on twitter and facebook.
As such, I wanted to expand a bit on some of my thoughts in a format allowing a bit more expression than the confines of the aforementioned social media.
I welcome your thoughts and comments.