Wednesday, January 27, 2010

RIP Howard Zinn -- 1922-2010

My friend Thomas Gallagher said it well, with a brief statement and a quote from Howard:

Thomas Gallagher: I will miss your voice Howard. We will all have to speak up that much more to break the silence...

"The challenge remains. On the other side are formidable forces: money, political power, the major media. On our side are the people of the world and a power greater than money or weapons: the truth. Truth has a power of its own. Art has a power of its own. That age-old lesson – that everything we do matters – is the meaning of the people’s struggle here in the United States and everywhere. A poem can inspire a movement. A pamphlet can spark a revolution. Civil disobedience can arouse people and provoke us to think, when we organize with one another, when we get involved, when we stand up and speak out together, we can create a power no government can suppress. We live in a beautiful country. But people who have no respect for human life, freedom, or justice have taken it over. It is now up to all of us to take it back." - Howard Zinn


I count myself blessed to have heard Howard in person. I pledge to join Thomas and our friends in speaking up more.

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