The Beginning and the End

"You tell me that it's evolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know that you can count me out"
~ Revolution by the Beatles

Over the last few weeks events in Oakland took a violent turn as a minority of people rioted after an Occupy Oakland protest. Even the police agreed that the rioters were not part of the Occupy Oakland group but a group of outsiders. In fact, the next day the true members of Occupy Oakland came out to help clean up. But with events such as this I thought it was important for me to state emphatically where I stand.

My position can be best summed up by the words of Martin Luther King Jr. back in December 11, 1964 "Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love."

If we truly want change we have to become part of the political process. By becoming part of the process we can change the world in a peaceful and orderly manner from the current one of injustice to a world built on justice. To quote Adlai E Stevenson, "As citizens of this democracy, you are the rulers and the ruled, the law-givers and the law-abiding, the beginning and the end."

Become organized, get involved, and most importantly: vote. Those are the keys to change.