Say a prayer for our own country, which all of us love ...

The History Place is an archive of great speeches and other ... stuff. Take a moment right now to follow this link and read and/or listen to the audio clip it contains. Barack Obama reminds us of the power of words and oratory ... maybe that is not so hard after almost 8 years of GW Bush. But with the 40th anniversary of his death tomorrow, April 4, reflect not only on Martin Luther King, but also on another man who touched greatness, Robert Kennedy.

"Amid the tragedy of the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, April 4, 1968, an extraordinary moment in U.S. political history occurred as Robert F. Kennedy, younger brother of slain President John F. Kennedy, broke the news of King's death to a large gathering of African Americans in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The gathering was actually a planned campaign rally for Robert Kennedy in his bid to get the 1968 Democratic nomination for President. Just after he arrived by plane at Indianapolis, Kennedy was told of King's death. He was advised by police against making the campaign stop which was in a part of the city considered to be a dangerous ghetto. But Kennedy insisted on going.
He arrived to find the people in an upbeat mood, anticipating the excitement of a Kennedy appearance. He climbed onto the platform, and realizing they did not know, broke the news."

The time has come for America to hear the truth about this tragic war.

Today, while driving around, we heard excerpts from several speeches by Martin Luther King Jr. Hearing his voice, his amazing oratory skills, was inspiring, but left us with a hollow feeling, too. Because we tried to think of a public speaker today who could write and deliver such eloquence and transcend his time. But, we came up blank. Some are saying that Barack Obama may be that person. Time will tell. At this point, I see him inspiring a lot of followers when he speaks, but I get this feeling that I've heard it before. It may be a message we need to hear today, but I'm not sure it is original or that any of his speeches will be written about 40 years from now. Yet when you read King's speech "Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam" (from April 30, 1967, at the Riverside Church, New York) Or listen to it (below) it still resonates, and even casts a large shadow over today's Iraq War.