Wednesday, February 08, 2006

And though the body sleeps, the heart will never rest

President Bush changed his mind and attended Coretta Scott King's funeral. I was reading some excerpts from his remarks and came across this:
Coretta had every right to count the cost and step back from the struggle. But she decided her children needed more than a safe home--they needed an America that upheld their equality and wrote their rights into law.
Now how are those words even allowed to pass his lips? Does he even see the contradiction? Mrs. King did see it. She recognized the struggles of gay folks as being akin to anyone struggling for basic human rights for whatever reason.

There is a reason I'm glad that Bush was at the funeral. He had to sit on the dais and listen to Rev. Joseph Lowery receive a standing ovation for his lil' poem:
We know there was no weapons of mass destruction over there
But Coretta knew and we knew that there are weapons of misdirection right down here
Millions without health insurance, poverty abounds
For War, billions more, but no more for the poor.

2 comments:

Michael Guy said...

All good points; I was traveling and missed much of the coverage. I believe her life was one of quiet dignity in the face of adversity.

I did catch a glimpse of Oprah's near-tears eulogy at the musical tribute; it was so very eloquent and fitting.

Michael said...

I saw Oprah's eulogy as well. I've had mixed feelings about her lately, but you can't fault her generosity or her heart or her spirit.