"I'm so happy that I didn't sneeze..."
For those of you familiar with Dr. Martin Luther King's last speech in Memphis, Tennessee, this may be a familiar quote. If you've only listened to the last 60 seconds, and this quote is unfamiliar, listen to the whole speech. It's worth seeing the calm, resolute determination of the man - and you'll discover why Dr. King said, "I'm so happy that I didn't sneeze."
Dr. King left an indelible impression on the American people. It is noteworthy, in this speech, frequently known as the "I've been to the mountain top," speech that Dr. King refers to one of the earliest documents of our nation, the Bill of Rights. He makes mention of the right to peaceably assemble, the freedom of the press, the freedom of speech and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances, or as Dr. King puts it, "the right to protest for rights."
Dr. King was familiar with the Bill of Rights. He knew what it meant to participate in non-violent activism.
Today - as we celebrate Martin Luther King Day, we should read the Bill of Rights and then remember the Preamble to the Constitution:
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility...do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
Dr. King had it right. We have a right to peaceably assemble. We have a right to petition the government for redress of grievances. We have a right to freedom of speech. May we do so in order to form a more perfect Union and to insure domestic Tranquility.
www.iangilyeat.com
Dr. King left an indelible impression on the American people. It is noteworthy, in this speech, frequently known as the "I've been to the mountain top," speech that Dr. King refers to one of the earliest documents of our nation, the Bill of Rights. He makes mention of the right to peaceably assemble, the freedom of the press, the freedom of speech and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances, or as Dr. King puts it, "the right to protest for rights."
Dr. King was familiar with the Bill of Rights. He knew what it meant to participate in non-violent activism.
Today - as we celebrate Martin Luther King Day, we should read the Bill of Rights and then remember the Preamble to the Constitution:
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility...do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
Dr. King had it right. We have a right to peaceably assemble. We have a right to petition the government for redress of grievances. We have a right to freedom of speech. May we do so in order to form a more perfect Union and to insure domestic Tranquility.
www.iangilyeat.com
Posted by Ian Gilyeat at 1/16/2012 6:00 AM 
Categories: Agency, Freedom of Speech
Tags: Individual freedom U.S. Constitution Bill of Rights
Categories: Agency, Freedom of Speech
Tags: Individual freedom U.S. Constitution Bill of Rights
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