“I will hold up America to the lightning scorn of moral indignation. In doing this I shall feel myself discharging the duty of a true patriot; for he is a lover of his country who rebukes and does not excuse its sins.” — Frederick Douglass
Today, while we pause to honor the dream and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. we reflect on how we become a More Perfect Union! We need constructive criticism and honest dissent over the misperceptions and attack machines. Truth is always the main ingredient of freedom. While precedents and traditions are always a part of us, they can be flawed. We must never confuse our Constitution or the rationale behind Separation of Church and State as un-American. America has never been about monolithic thought. It never suffices or makes us stronger. Rebuking Reverend Jeremiah Wright, while dismissing Reverend Pat Robertson as a kook, will never do.
Our main concern now should be about turning the page. As we do, we must never again allow the voices of a few to think for the rest of us. “We hold these truths to be self-evident…” It takes ALL of us!
