King's message was peace ... but, we must face reality

By Mike Ullery
Chief Photographer
mullery@dailycall.com

Monday was a day of peace in America. It was a day of celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Across America there were marches and commemorative events to honor the great Civil Rights leader, who preached of a peaceful coexistence for all.

Since the reminders about King’s message of peace and listening to the remarks by YWCA keynote speaker Jeff Brown, I can’t get the conflict out of my mind.

Sure, King was a man of peace. Certainly, a world devoid of conflict and hatred is an idealist dream.

Unfortunately, I can’t help but believe that King’s dream is just that – a dream.

While messages of peace were ringing across most of America, Barack Obama was taking the oath of office in Washington, D.C. As King’s words and teachings echoed in our ears, the most corrupt and dangerous man in America was beginning his second term as dictator.

Never in the past century and a half has a president so divided America. Peace? How can we become a peaceful nation when we have a president who is intent on taking away our rights?

In another vein, we can dream of peace. But, we must look at reality. We live in a world that is full of individuals, organizations and countries that are evil and care nothing about the value of individual liberty or human life.

The First Amendment provided Martin Luther King the stage on which to deliver his message. The Second Amendment is what gave King the ability to stand on that stage and exercise his First Amendment right.

I find it ironic that our first black president is the one plotting to take away both of those formerly inalienable rights.

Equally ironic is the fact, yes fact, that in order for us to strive for a peaceful existence, we must bear arms and must be ready, willing and able to fight, be it against a tyrannical egomaniac president or a foreign dictator.

I recall the song “One Tin Soldier” by Coven. The Vietnam War-era song was featured in the film “Billy Jack.” In the song, the mountain people were a peace-loving group who wanted nothing but to be left alone. The valley people wanted the secret treasure that belonged to the mountain people, who offered to share with their counterparts in the valley. Greed ruled the day and the valley people slaughtered the mountain people to have the treasure all to themselves. It turned out that the “treasure” was a simple message – “Peace on Earth was all it said.”

The message was peace. But, did that make the mountain people any less dead?

Our forefathers built this country. They set the rules and principals as to what is required to be a part of what was the greatest nation on earth.

Our service men and women take an oath, to defend against all enemies foreign and domestic. The origins of that oath go back to the Revolutionary War. Foreign and domestic.

Those who choose to blindly follow others, even to choosing a peaceful existence under the rule of a tyrannical dictator, are doomed to be nothing more than slaves … if they survive. If they are allowed to live.

To those who would choose that route, I say, you are not really an American. Americans never bowed to tyranny and oppression. Just because this is the 21^st century does not mean that those dangers were left behind in another era.

They still exist and we must be ready to face, and if necessary, take up arms against, anyone who dares to steal what our fathers and grandfathers before them fought, and died, to defend.