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I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
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And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

more info http://www.usconstitution.net/dream.html
http://www.suntimes.com/news/blogentries/index.html?bbPostId=BzKCuA9muk4JCzCGxMVY321lpB8ZuNo8icjt2CzDbfvsHLw3dG&bbParentWidgetId=B7sYvm7oI1Qmz1ERanb5EfZn

Hillary Clinton (April 4, 2008)
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When Dr. King protested the Vietnam War, he wasn't just speaking on behalf of black soldiers, but all soldiers and civilians - Vietnamese and Americans alike. When he worked on behalf of the poor here in America and around the world, he wasn't just speaking for the poor he knew, that he could see with his own eyes, but the poor who knew no boundaries of geography or color. And when he stood against discrimination, he wasn't just seeking to free African Americans from the shackles of slavery and the past that had been shaped by that abomination; he was seeking to break the shackles of hatred on the hearts of us all.
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The tenacity of Dr. King's faith is all the more extraordinary when we think of the ways it was tested. By all the critics and the media attacking his work, by the death threats, the bombings, the beatings, the stabbings, the murder, the grinding hard work day after day of just getting up and moving on, even the speech he gave here at this great complex wasn't supposed to be delivered. The crowd demanded it. And he came. He always answered the call. .
.......Dr. King imagined one knit back together by our shared humanity. He saw so many going hungry in a land of plenty, but he envisioned an America where our prosperity was shared. He saw America embroiled in an endless war, but imagined a principled peace. While our problems were grave, he never stopped believing that our promise was greater. He saw us not as we were, but as we could and should be.
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Whether we are oppressed by tyranny, poverty, war or discrimination, that faith, that determination to keep fighting, working, building and believing has and always will carry us forward as long as we remember and as long as we remain committed to fulfilling Dr. King's legacy and dream.
Soon I will write about Obama's comments
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide

Dear Antonios,

Thank you for the speeches you've given us here.

Nelson Mandela is another leader who advocated change. Mandela set an example of forgiveness. When he gave Hillary Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea a tour of the prison on Robben Island where he was confined for eighteen years, on their visit to South Africa, Mandela explained that he had years to think about what he would do when and if he got out. He went through his own truth and reconciliation process, which led him to make the remarkable statement at his inauguration when he introduced three of his former jailers.

Forgiveness is not an easy task anywhere, anytime. The loss of life or liberty is painful, more so if it results from what Dr. Martin Luther King called "the stale bread of hatred."

For most of us mere mortals, forgiveness is harder to summon than the desire to settle old scores. Mandela and Dr King showed the world how to make the choice to forgive and move forward.

Let us hope that America's Presidential condidates will take heed.

I just note....that in both cases.. Dr King... and Mr Mandela...

the themes of Gods universal love (King)... and forgiveness (Mandela) run strong.

I don't know anything about whether Mr Mandela has a personal faith in Christ, but his words certainly emerge from the example, and words of our Lord, and certainly not from the pages of Marxist 'social theology'

Perhaps it is worth underlining, that these 2 huge advances for Justice, similar to the ending of the Slave trade, were driven by Christ honouring sentiments.

Perhaps Jesus would say..in the words of a parable ..."Well done my good and faithful Servant"

Dear David,

In Bill Clinton's book, 'My Life,' Clinton explains that when he visited South Africa he asked Nelson Mandela, "I know you did a great thing in inviting your jailers to your inauguration, but didn't you really hate those who imprisoned you?"

To which Nelson Mandela replied:

"Of course I did, for many years. They took the best years of my life. They abused me physically and mentally. I didn't get to see my children grow up. I hated them. Then one day when I was working in the quarry, hammering the rocks, I realized that they had already taken everything from me except my mind and my heart. Those they could not take without my permission. I decided not to give them away." Then Nelson Mandela looked at Bill Clinton, smiled and said, "And, neither should you."

After Clinton caught his breath, he asked Mandela another question.

"When you were walking out of prison for the last time, didn't you feel the hatred rise up in you again?"

"Yes," Mandela replied. "For a moment I did. Then I thought to myself. 'They have had me for twenty-seven years. If I keep hating them, they will still have me.' I wanted to be free, and so I let it go."

Mandela smiled again. This time he didn't have to say, "And so should you."

When we turned on the television and watched Nelson Mandela take the last steps in his long walk to freedom - it was an incredible moment. Through twenty-seven years of imprisonment and abuse, Mandela had endured, and triumphed, to end apartheid, liberate his own mind and heart from hatred, and inspire the world.

David, each of us find our inspiration from different sources.

I know when I was feeling particularly crushed and my husband saw me slumped in my chair with my head in my hands, he place a reading on my desk. The verse was from Galatians 6:9: "Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."

I went back to work.

Democratic National Committee Statement on Fortieth Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Assassination
April 04, 2008 - "Today we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a transformative American leader whose life was cut tragically short 40 years ago. As we reflect on this solemn occasion, each one of us should reaffirm our commitment to continuing Dr. King's fight for social justice, equality, fairness, and inclusion for all Americans. "Among the many lessons of Dr. King's life, he taught us that our Democracy must be nurtured. That the work of making America a better place is a lifetime commitment. Each one of us must fight for the shared values of an America where we stand up and stand together for the least among us, for our children, our veterans, our communities, the very things that define who we are and what we believe. "This year's presidential election provides a ray of hope in the realization of Dr. King's dream. Across the country we've seen historic turnout as Americans from all walks of life are making their voices heard to move our country forward. Today the Democratic Party reaffirms its commitment to work towards the beloved community Dr. King envisioned. "