General Discussion

sheshe2

(83,929 posts) Fri Nov 28, 2014, 06:37 PM Nov 2014

"Until Justice Rolls Down Like Waters"

Once again we find ourselves reckoning with the reality that we live in a country where justice is applied unequally. But the truth is - unequal justice is no justice as all. To keep our "eyes on the prize," it might be helpful to step back and envision just what it is we mean by the word "justice."

Back in 1963, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke at the memorial service for the four little girls who had died in the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Imagine with me for a moment if he had said these words about the killing of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, or Tamir Rice.

And so this afternoon in a real sense they have something to say to each of us in their death. They have something to say to every minister of the gospel who has remained silent behind the safe security of stained-glass windows. They have something to say to every politician who has fed his constituents with the stale bread of hatred and the spoiled meat of racism. They have something to say to a federal government that has compromised with the undemocratic practices of southern Dixiecrats and the blatant hypocrisy of right-wing northern Republicans. They have something to say to every Negro who has passively accepted the evil system of segregation and who has stood on the sidelines in a mighty struggle for justice. They say to each of us, black and white alike, that we must substitute courage for caution. They say to us that we must be concerned not merely about who murdered them, but about the system, the way of life, the philosophy which produced the murderers. Their death says to us that we must work passionately and unrelentingly for the realization of the American dream.

When Dr. King quoted the scripture that says "Until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream," he was referring to something much bigger than what one police officer or one prosecutor does. And it was something much more audacious than what happens in a court room.

Now don't get me wrong. Dr. King said we should not "merely" be concerned about the murderers. Holding people accountable for their crimes is certainly a part of justice. But the truth is...he had a finger to point at all of us for our complicity.

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18 replies

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"Until Justice Rolls Down Like Waters" (Original Post) sheshe2 Nov 2014 OP

Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. William769 Nov 2014 #1

That he was William. sheshe2 Nov 2014 #2

Yes it was. William769 Nov 2014 #5

"One of the great men of the last century." And who but a fool or a bigot could argue otherwise? nomorenomore08 Nov 2014 #14

K&R.... daleanime Nov 2014 #3

It totally staggers my imagination to consider carefully what it might have been like 99th_Monkey Nov 2014 #4

This country is all about law and order. Justice? Not so much. Scuba Nov 2014 #6

Thank you oldandhappy Nov 2014 #7

Thank You For This Post rbrnmw Nov 2014 #8

Thank you for posting that video. logosoco Nov 2014 #18

Beautiful. And infuriating, too. He died almost 50 years ago. And we're STILL no closer. calimary Nov 2014 #9

"unequal justice is no justice as all" sheshe2 Nov 2014 #10

Mahalo, she~ "Their death says to us that we must work passionately and unrelentingly for the Cha Nov 2014 #11

Thanks Cha~ sheshe2 Nov 2014 #12

Thank you for the link, she.. it's a wonderful story of what human kindness is all about. Cha Nov 2014 #13

Here ya go: Amos 5:18-24 Brigid Nov 2014 #15

Thank you for posting that Brigid. sheshe2 Nov 2014 #17

king was a victim of murder too noiretextatique Nov 2014 #16

William769

(55,148 posts)

1. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Fri Nov 28, 2014, 06:42 PM

Nov 2014

One of the great men of the last century.

sheshe2

(83,929 posts)

2. That he was William.

Reply to William769 (Reply #1)

Fri Nov 28, 2014, 06:47 PM

Nov 2014

His greatness taken from us all to soon.

William769

(55,148 posts)

5. Yes it was.

Reply to sheshe2 (Reply #2)

Fri Nov 28, 2014, 07:06 PM

Nov 2014

nomorenomore08

(13,324 posts)

14. "One of the great men of the last century." And who but a fool or a bigot could argue otherwise?

Reply to William769 (Reply #1)

Fri Nov 28, 2014, 09:56 PM

Nov 2014

daleanime

(17,796 posts)

3. K&R....

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Fri Nov 28, 2014, 06:49 PM

Nov 2014

99th_Monkey

(19,326 posts)

4. It totally staggers my imagination to consider carefully what it might have been like

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Fri Nov 28, 2014, 06:54 PM

Nov 2014

if the racists & haters hadn't murdered MLK Jr. and Robert Kennedy.

Kennedy would have been President, I have absolutely no doubt, and King
would have been in the streets, "making Kennedy do the right thing".

This contemplation makes me incredibly sad

Scuba

(53,475 posts)

6. This country is all about law and order. Justice? Not so much.

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Fri Nov 28, 2014, 07:33 PM

Nov 2014

oldandhappy

(6,719 posts)

7. Thank you

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Fri Nov 28, 2014, 08:50 PM

Nov 2014

All of us. Yes.

rbrnmw

(7,160 posts)

8. Thank You For This Post

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Fri Nov 28, 2014, 08:58 PM

Nov 2014

logosoco

(3,208 posts)

18. Thank you for posting that video.

Reply to rbrnmw (Reply #8)

Sat Nov 29, 2014, 06:05 PM

Nov 2014

I recently got that song for my ipod. Because it's been too long in coming!

Right after I watched this video, I turned my ipod in shuffle mode back on, and it played "power to the people". I am going to take that as a good sign!

calimary

(81,511 posts)

9. Beautiful. And infuriating, too. He died almost 50 years ago. And we're STILL no closer.

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Fri Nov 28, 2014, 08:58 PM

Nov 2014

Rather, the opposite seems to be true more often than not.

Just freakin' damn INFURIATING.

sheshe2

(83,929 posts)

10. "unequal justice is no justice as all"

Reply to calimary (Reply #9)

Fri Nov 28, 2014, 09:07 PM

Nov 2014

Yes it is infuriating that our ugly past keeps repeating itself.

We have to try harder, calimary.

Good to see you~

Cha

(297,724 posts)

11. Mahalo, she~ "Their death says to us that we must work passionately and unrelentingly for the

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Fri Nov 28, 2014, 09:16 PM

Nov 2014

realization of the American dream."

Talking Points Memo ✔ @TPM
Follow
Ferguson protestors across U.S. crash Black Friday http://bit.ly/1FCoKCb
9:39 AM - 28 Nov 2014 119 Retweets 50 favorites

TalkingPointsMemo

Ferguson Rally in Portland Oregon..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5883791

sheshe2

(83,929 posts)

12. Thanks Cha~

Reply to Cha (Reply #11)

Fri Nov 28, 2014, 09:24 PM

Nov 2014

See Trianas's post here and read the history of that sweet boy, Devante. That child is a keeper with so much love in his heart and such a sad background. His two adopted moms have done him so much good.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025883452

Cha

(297,724 posts)

13. Thank you for the link, she.. it's a wonderful story of what human kindness is all about.

Reply to sheshe2 (Reply #12)

Fri Nov 28, 2014, 09:41 PM

Nov 2014

Brigid

(17,621 posts)

15. Here ya go: Amos 5:18-24

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Fri Nov 28, 2014, 11:16 PM

Nov 2014

The Day of the Lord

18 Woe to you who long
    for the day of the Lord!
Why do you long for the day of the Lord?
    That day will be darkness, not light.
19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion
    only to meet a bear,
as though he entered his house
    and rested his hand on the wall
    only to have a snake bite him.
20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light—
    pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?

21 “I hate, I despise your religious festivals;
    your assemblies are a stench to me.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
    I will have no regard for them.

23 Away with the noise of your songs!
    I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 But let justice roll on like a river,
    righteousness like a never-failing stream!

New International Version (NIV)

sheshe2

(83,929 posts)

17. Thank you for posting that Brigid.

Reply to Brigid (Reply #15)

Sat Nov 29, 2014, 05:55 PM

Nov 2014

noiretextatique

(27,275 posts)

16. king was a victim of murder too

Reply to sheshe2 (Original post)

Sat Nov 29, 2014, 05:51 PM

Nov 2014

i think it is important to remember that he was a victim of the same type of racist insanity that still drives some people to kill others because of their race.

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