Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor;

One of my assassinated heroes of the twentieth century (along with John Lennon) is much-honored (in word only, and then selectively) Martin Luther King. Here are some quotations which might now be applied to the Iraq war and also the war against terrorism:

"We must find an alternative to violence. The eye-for-an-eye philosophy leaves everyone blind."

"World peace thru non-violent means is neither absurd nor unobtainable. All other methods have failed. Thus we must begin anew."

"The choice is no longer between violence and non-violence, but between non-violence and non-existence."

Is there any consensus among members of Intertel who contribute to Port of Call in region VII, about ANYTHING? For example, some regard religion as a pernicious superstition, while others correctly define it as "kindness to widows and orphans in their suffering, and detachment from the world."

Do we totally misunderstand each other? As for me, I readily acknowledge that FALSE religion (which is the prevalent version in history) has done more damage thru the millennia than any other force among us. But, I protest not true religion as defined in the New Testament by James.

Here is a quotation from Winston Churchill: "We make a living by what we get. We make life by what we give."

I just got a new (not too great) version of the Tao Teh Ching by Lao Tsu. Like the libertarians, he was against meddling. He believed things should take care of themselves. I partly agree, but I do think that the parallel line to that is equally valid - that we are still our brother's keeper. As Lao Tsu puts it: "The good man is the bad man's teacher."

This is one instance of diverse views among our members, and there are others - both political and economic. These diverse views should all be permitted in Port of Call. But I wonder if, brilliant as we are, one (or a few or several of us) could determine whether there is any common ground despite our diversity - some things we would heartily agree on.

I have used the name of an icon, which is a form of propaganda known as "hitch your wagon to a star". But Martin Luther King's call for repentance from our violent ways (and I'm not meek and gentle either) is an instance of true religion at work. But he will get nominal tribute, mere lip service, as other prophets have these long centuries since "Eden".

Richard Kovac



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