Posted on 12/24/2016 12:03:03 PM PST by billorites
Christmas is still a time when God reveals His Presence, Power, Grace and Mercy and, though it may not always be apparent, His Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all Gods Children.
In the aftermath of the recent presidential election, and the despair and confusion many Americans feel over the nations direction, I awoke in the middle of the night with Martin Luther Kings charge reverberating through my psyche: "With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope."
That stone of hope is what saved our people through slavery, segregation, and the daily challenges of growing up in the complexities of the 20th Century.
A non-violent social movement like Dr. Kings required one to seek the best in ones adversaries. When we accepted the burden of challenging our perceived oppressors to find the best within each of us, we usually succeeded much to our surprise.
We were never allowed to be "victims." And, as the Bible taught, with the grace and power of God, we were "more than conquerors."
The success of our Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham was made possible through negotiations with 100 businessmen. In meetings arranged by an Episcopal Bishop, we bypassed the politicians, from segregationist Alabama Gov. George Wallace to Birmingham Police Chief Bull Conner, and reached an agreement with economic-minded pragmatists.
Thus, we were able to desegregate Birmingham in June 1963 an entire year before Congress passed the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Thats right. We reached consensus on our socio-economic common interest on issues that Congress is still trying to reverse.
Now, seeking light in another dark tunnel, I found myself pondering the controversial nomination of Rex Tillerson, the CEO of Exxon Mobil Corporation, to be our next Secretary of State.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
What movement is he talking about??
An interesting perspective from Young.
I suspect the BLM thugs will light him up over it.
Hasn’t Andrew Young been dead for about 35 years?
Did he mention it was the Republicans in Congress who passed the Civil Rights Legislation? You can bet your last dollar that he did not.
How nice to have a POTUS and a SOS who both come from the business world.
Anyone who hasn’t left the Ivory Tower by age 30 has been there far too long to be an effective politician.
Nope. He’s 84 and still a liberal.
Yes...brain dead. What a pathetic lunatic.
That’s what I was thinking. But apparently not. Maybe confused him with Ralph Abernathy.
Dead,no. Irrelevant, yes.
A fascinating slice of history.
Of course he neglects to mention that Armand Hammer was an agent of the Soviet Union . . . but, there still may be some truth in the idea that the 1960 visit led to a change in perspective of Gorbachev, who was attempting to insert elements of private ownership in the collective farms way before becoming leader of the USSR.
I like Young’s observation that oil company executive have FAR MORE EXPERIENCE in foreign affairs than the typical State Department diplomats.
He also accidentally failed to mention Wallace’s democrat party affiliation. What a surprise. NOT.
Whenever anyone from “the other side” agrees with us, our immediate reaction should be to sock ‘em in the nose.
That’s the ticket, FReepers.
Good point. The thing of it is is his editorial is one of optimism.
It feels like most of Trumps moves since his election have been positive for the United States. He has also put the world on notice that the world changed on 11-8-16. I hope he has instilled fear into McConnell and Ryan.
Young expressed optimism here. Optimism at the margin of the Democratic Party for life with the good guys may be able to really transform this nation. Democrats can get aboard or their Party will join the dust bin of history.
The United States proved many times since the Enlightenment there is nothing we can't accomplish if we don't lose faith in ourselves. The Democrats have done all in their power to destroy it. If Trump's policies and moves can help restore it, he will be as great a President as Reagan.
Welcome aboard, Andrew Young.
I said it when I saw Trump stand up to Megyn Kelly’s vicious and unfair attacks in her “chairing”’of the debates last year.
The man is an instrument of the Lord. His journey over the past few years shows nothing less than divine intervention in our politics
A friend of mine was on a trip to China with young. Friend off path and discovered kids chained to tables making electronics- he reported it to young who did and said nothing
This article makes no sense.
Agreed. Young's statement may be one of the most reasonable thinga he has said during his public career. In fact, given his political inclinations the statement could be viewed as an admission if not an awakening:
Statecraft has a tendency to be moralistic. Business is more pragmatic, seeking mutual self-interest rather than arguing absolutes of right or wrong.
Andrew Young was, years ago, a rather ridiculous mayor of Atlanta. My mom named her black dog after him. We bought the dog from a prostitute who wasn’t taking good care of him. The dog lived to be extremely old for a dog.
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