Rally to honor memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Yesterday I had a chance to attend an extremely moving rally at our state house. We had labor folks, poets, doctors, teachers, students, community leaders from a broad spectrum of ethnic groups, religious leaders, advocates for the poor, unemployed, and homeless. All had important, unique perspectives to offer. Yet, for all their diversity, every speaker shared the same concern: the plutocrats want to destroy us quickly before we know what they're up to. The most important thing we can do is to awaken our family, friends, and neighbors.

What is the single most powerful piece of information that we can use to wake folks up? There are so many complex factors that help to explain the mess we're in. Yet I have found that one fact seems very powerful in relating to young, old, Republican, or Democrat-- the wealthiest 400 Americans control more wealth than the bottom half of all Americans. No one has trouble visualizing this. On the one hand, you have less people than often show up to a high school football game. On the other hand, half of the U.S. population. Has that small elite really worked harder than half of America combined? Is it reasonable for any society to be so lopsided? Once people learn this fact they desire to learn more, they become indignant, they are no longer merely ignorant sheep.

Our rally honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who fell to an assassin in Memphis. He was in Memphis to support striking public employees, who were sanitation workers. He never tired of urging workers of all races and creeds to organize to improve their lives. Now we must organize to defend our whole country, from the depradations of those who wish to squeeze every ounce of profit from us before throwing us away.