I caught the last half of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech “Beyond Vietnam – A Time to Break Silence” (click here to listen/read it) on NPR this evening. It was playing on a program called Alternative Radio.
It’s fairly remarkable to listen to Dr. King talk about Vietnam. While listening, it’s impossible not to think about Afghanistan and Iraq and why in the world the United States hasn’t learned that forced nation-building is a messy, unpredictable business. I felt like his comments about the U.S.’s actions, the world’s reactions, and the people caught in the crossfire in Vietnam could be applied directly to today’s situation.
I’d encourage you to listen to it or read it, he eloquently cuts right through the rhetoric of the Vietnam war, the same that is currently being used by politicians to justify the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and to demean people who question them.
Also, this thought crossed my mind: Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. I never learned about Vietnam in school; truthfully, I know very little about it. Indeed, virtually everything I learned in History class was a high point of American history, perhaps along with some stories of courageously enduring the low points. How can we be expected to avoid the mistakes of the past if our past mistakes are ignored and covered up to avoid embarrassment and shame?
