And as I ponder the madness

[Ripley]

of Vietnam and search within myself for ways to understand and respond in compassion, my mind goes constantly to the people of that peninsula. I speak now not of the soldiers of each side, not of the ideologies of the Liberation Front, not of the junta in Saigon, but simply of the people who have been living under the curse of war for almost three continuous decades now.

MLK said those words.

How many of us Americans say the same thing about this war on Iraq? We know that Dick's making loads of money for himself and his have-more friends through no-bid contracts that STEAL American tax dollars to no end.

Where is the Opposition Party?
Where is morality in our Congress?
Why have they allowed this war and graft to continue?
What will change when either H or O becomes President?

I used to ponder the madness until I became acutely aware that only One Party runs America. The party of Greed controls your tax dollars. Your tax dollars have been placed in investments by those with short-term visions who think they can hedge a bet on their control of the last oil reserves on the planet. And now the new commodity is Water.

We need to stop this.

[Ripley]

1. More relevant MLK words

Somehow this madness must cease. We must stop now. I speak as a child of God and brother to the suffering poor of Vietnam. I speak for those whose land is being laid waste, whose homes are being destroyed, whose culture is being subverted. I speak for the poor of America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home, and dealt death and corruption in Vietnam. I speak as a citizen of the world, for the world as it stands aghast at the path we have taken. I speak as one who loves America, to the leaders of our own nation: The great initiative in this war is ours; the initiative to stop it must be ours.

STOP THE WAR ON IRAQ