Warbird Information Exchange

BDK, I think the topic as suggested for K5083 and myself to take the course at Swathmore is worth pursuing. Read the course desription carefully; it certainly doesn't say tyrants or unjust govt. should be ignored; just another way of confronting them. Take a look at the civil rights movement. We tend to admire some macho combat pilot, Marine charging ashore at Iwo, or maybe a Japanese fighting to the death. But there is another kind of bravery, Martin Luther King confronting racism. First it was smart, if Blacks had tried armed revolution, they would not only lost the battle, but probably the war to change public concience. I grew up in the Sourh, I never saw any outright violence, but I remember school segregation. The Texaco station had Colored restrooms as well white, and I once looked inside just to see what it was like. I didn't think much more about it than we do now on gender seperation. With MLK, it became obvious that he was vastly morally superior to the KKK. When cops murdered 3 civil rights workers and KKK blew up Black children in church, they lost any chance with me and most decent people even in the South. It took time and cost some lives(probably a lot less than a war) , but in the one little Negro preacher kicked the KKK's butt. If there is anything better in US than years ago, it is civil rights. Practically no one would say a Black person could not eat in any restaurant, attend any school or enter politics or the military. And there was another little guy in India, Mr. Ghandi!

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

Dr. King did a fantastic job in the fight against racism. He is truly one of the greatest Americans. I only wish some of his "followers" carried on in his footsteps rather than lobbying to create a class of professional victims living off government handouts. They have undermined a lot of his success.

Dr. King had the benefit of a great following (all blacks and most whites) and the US had fought a civil war that set the stage. The segregation issue he was fighting was more or less isolated to the South. He did however bring greater awareness to the entire country and taught us to look more deeply into our hearts.

In Iraq there are a number of violent religious factions, each wanting to mutualy exclude the other not only from power, but from existence (life). With a dictator like Saddam, there was no opportunity for discussion or education. If the coalition can foster a government on the principles of human rights, justice and fairness, the situation will likely improve over time.

Religion seems to breed a special kind of knucklehead however. While there were church burnings and murders in the South, these were rare exceptions rather than a way of life. Until the Islamic community is willing to stand up and say that terrorism and suicide bombing must stop, this problem will be worldwide. After all, it is the moderate Islamics that are supporting the Islamo-facist terrorists.