There Is Injustice In America

(The following remarks were delivered by Bill Freeman at a progressive political rally called "Jam For Democracy" on Sunday, July 31, 2011, at the Orbit Room in Grand Rapids, Michigan.)

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” There is injustice in America. When the governor and the legislature give 1.7 billion dollars in tax cuts to the wealthy and the well off, at the expense of the poor and the middle class and retired people: There is injustice in America. When the governor appoints an Emergency Financial Manager to replace the elected leaders of Benton Harbor: There is injustice in America. When the Holland City Council refuses to pass a gay rights ordinance: There is injustice in America.

Good evening, I’m Bill Freeman, Chaplain of Interfaith Congregation in Holland. About a year ago I asked the Holland City Council to pass a gay rights ordinance. I can’t understand why they won’t. How many people have been to the Holland Tulip Parade? For those who haven’t, it’s a wonderful parade. People dress in strange costumes; women dress as men; women dance with women, women dressed as men dance with women. It is the gayest parade this side of San Francisco. So I don’t understand why Holland won’t pass a gay rights ordinance.

We need to take America back! Now I don’t mean that the way some people do. They want to take America back to the 1950s, before blacks had Civil Rights. They want to take America back to the early 1900s, before women had much of a voice in politics. They want to take America back to the 1800s, before there were child labor laws. That’s not what I mean when I say we need to take America back. We need to take America back from Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly! We need to take America back from Sarah Palin and Ann Coulter and Michele Bachmann! We need to take America back from Glenn Beck and the Tea Party and the Fox News Channel!

We can never again be led by people who are ignorant and incompetent! And yes, I’m talking about George W. Bush and Dick Cheney! We can never again be led by people who are ignorant and incompetent! And yes, I’m talking about Mitch McConnell and Eric Cantor and John Boner – I mean Boehner! We can never again be led by people who are ignorant and incompetent! And yes, I’m talking about Justin Amash and Bill Huizinga and Rick Snyder!

We need to be led by people who know that the wealthy and the well-off have to pay their fair share of taxes! We need to be led by people who know that Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid are necessities not luxuries! We need to be led by people who know that our future depends on public schools and public school teachers! We need to be led by people who know that unions got us the 40-hour work-week and weekends off! We need to be led by people who know that government is not the problem; government is “We The People”!

“This land is your land, this land is my land, from California to the New York Island, from the redwood forests to the gulf stream waters, this land was made for you and me.” This land was made for you and me. This land was made for black people and white people and Hispanic people and Asian people and Native American people. This land was made for Christians and Jews and Buddhists and Hindus and Muslims and atheists. This land was made for people who were born in Hawaii and people who were born in Kenya and people who were born in Mexico. And if people don’t understand that, then let’s take the plaque off the Stature of Liberty, the plaque that says, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free;” and let’s send the Statue of Liberty back to France and say, “Sorry, we can’t live up to this anymore.”

Now, I want to address my remarks to those people who are here to spy on us for the wealthy and the well-off. You know they’re here, you know they’re here. They’re the ones who are squirming right about now. Listen to me, go back and tell your bosses that we are real people. We’re not people who were paid to be here by the Kock brothers or the Heritage Foundation or the Fox News Channel. We are not Tea Party people! We are real people! We are people who have finally said to ourselves, “Wake up and smell the coffee – and not the tea.” We have finally realized that we’re getting screwed by the wealthy and the well off in this country and we’re not going to take it anymore.

So what can you do about all this? After all, you’re just one person. So what can you do? You can speak up! You can speak up on behalf of the poor and the middle class and the elderly! You can speak up on behalf of public schools and public school teachers! You can speak up on behalf of people who happen to be lesbian and gay and bisexual and transgender! Also, you can sign recall petitions, to get rid of politicians who are ignorant and incompetent. And you can vote! The wealthy and the well off hate it when you vote! Because when you vote, you’re on the same level that they are. They have one vote. And you have one vote. But there are a whole lot more of us than there are of them. So please vote.

President Kennedy said, in his Inaugural Address, “Let us go forth to lead the land we love; asking [God’s] blessing and [God’s] help, but knowing that here on earth, [God’s] work must truly be our own.” Ladies and gentlemen, let us go forth to lead the land we love; asking God’s blessing and God’s help, but knowing that here on earth, God’s work must truly be our own.

Thank you and God bless you and Yahweh bless you and Allah bless you and Dios bless you and the universe bless you.

We Give Thanks For Teachers

Let us lift up our thoughts and prayers.
All that is holy, loving and true:
We give thanks for teachers,
who help children learn.
We give thanks for teachers,
who help children think.
We give thanks for teachers,
who help children have fun.
We give thanks for teachers,
who help children grow.
We give thanks for teachers,
who help children know.
Now and forevermore:
Let it be. So be it. And: Amen.

Class Warfare

His first day of life began not so well
When his inherited stock in IBM fell.
By the age of three his life was a mystery
At Harvard would he study business or history?
Business it was and boy were his parents proud
When he graduated with honors, magna cum laud.
He began his career with great pomp and promise
His first job was to fire Susan, Frank and Thomas.
He was grateful each one of them left without a fight
Although they’re over 50, they’ll find new jobs, right?
Everyday after work he passed the same homeless man
He avoided eye contact and never dropped a dime into his can.
He voted for those who kept his taxes low with every maneuver
The party of Harding and Coolidge and Herbert Hoover.
He believed that Jesus died for his life as a sinner
An easy belief where at least every Christian was a winner.

Then on the evening news he saw an image giving him pause
A child starving in Africa: Was he part of the cause?
For the first time in his life he felt something deep in his heart
Something called compassion and it tore his world apart.
He sold all his possessions and gave the money to the poor
He worked tirelessly to end poverty, so the poor would be no more.
He no longer believed that only Christians would be saved
That all others were somehow morally depraved.
He stopped going to the club and his church membership ended
The politicians he used to vote for he no longer defended.
He supported other politicians and found a new house of prayer
A spiritual place where they welcome everyone there.
Some thought he was crazy, half out of his mind
Giving up his privileged life, leaving his riches behind.
But he felt he was right, as if called from above
To seek a world filled with justice, peace and love.

We Give Thanks For Poetry

Let us lift up our thoughts and prayers.
All that is holy, loving and true:
We give thanks for poetry,
for words that convey meaning and feeling.
We give thanks for poetry,
and for poems that don’t always rhyme.
We give thanks for poetry,
and for poets, like Robert Frost, Emily Dickenson and Maya Angelou.
We give thanks for poetry,
and for people who appreciate poetry.
We give thanks for poetry,
that helps us to see and understand.
Now and forevermore:
Let it be. So be it. And: Amen.

We Give Thanks For Blueberries

Let us lift up our thoughts and prayers.
All that is holy, loving and true:
We give thanks for blueberries,
which are now in season.
We give thanks for blueberries,
which are abundant and cheap.
We give thanks for blueberries,
which we hope are brought to market by well-compensated workers, farmers and others.
We give thanks for blueberries,
which are so darn plump, juicy and delicious.
We give thanks for blueberries,
which either prove the existence of a gracious God or prove the existence of an exquisite evolution.
Now and forevermore:
Let it be. So be it. And: Amen.

We Give Thanks For America

Let us lift up our thoughts and prayers.
All that is holy, loving and true:
We give thanks for America,
at least for the America that supports the poor.
We give thanks for America,
at least for the America that supports a strong middle class.
We give thanks for America,
at least for the America that supports the super rich and big corporations paying their fair share of taxes.
We give thanks for America,
at least for the America that supports protecting the environment.
We give thanks for America,
at least for the America that supports public education.
We give thanks for America,
at least for the America that supports equal rights for all.
We give thanks for America,
at least for the America that supports peace all around the world.
Now and forevermore:
Let it be. So be it. And: Amen.

We Give Thanks For Justice

Let us lift up our thoughts and prayers.
We give thanks for justice,
for those who work to make the world a better place.
We give thanks for charity,
for those who act compassionately toward people in need.
We give thanks for inclusion,
for those who welcome all people with open arms.
We give thanks for forgiveness,
for those who are able to replace revenge with love.
We give thanks for lifelong learning,
for those who search for truth and think for themselves.
We give thanks for community,
for those who find strength in sharing laughter – and sometimes tears – with others.
Let it be. So be it. And: Amen.