Doing Your Part...

Thanks to First Things for raising my awareness of this desperate need:

The Cook Speaks Out For Freedom

Image by wallyg via Flickr

That giant bell with the crack down the side was called the State House Bell until the abolitionist movement came along. Around 1830, black slaves called it The Liberty Bell because they had not reaped the benefits of the American Revolution but were as interested in freedom as their liberated, white brothers.

Below is sonnet written by a professional cook who decided to speak his mind. These words are posted in Independence Square, a few yards from the Liberty Bell. It's impossible to walk by this little known piece of history without stopping. H. R. H. Moore did not know his poem would be seen by zillions of tourists in the future and might not have cared. All he wanted was freedom.

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The Liberty Bell
by H. R. H. Moore

Ring loud that hallowed Bell!
Ring it long, ring it long;
Through the wide world let it tell
That freedom's strong

That the whole world shall be free --
The mighty crowd, the mighty crowd --
That the proud shall bend the knee,
The haughty proud.

Ring, ring the mighty bell,
In the storm, in the storm!
Brothers! It shall herald well
Fair freedom's form

Ring it southward, till its voice
For slavery toll, for slavery toll;
And freedom's wakening touch rejoice
Both limb and soul.

Ring it o'er the Negro's grave!
Ring it deep, ring it deep;
Its tones are sacred to the slave,
In freedom's sleep

Ring it, till its startling tones
Thrill young and old, young and old;
Till despots tremble on their thrones,
And their blood run cold

Ring it, till the slave be free,
Wherever chained, wherever chained;
Till universal liberty
Four aye be gained.

Ring it, till the young arise
To freedom's fight, to freedom's fight;
Spring gladly toward the kindling skies,
All clothed in light

Ring it, till the bonds of sect
Be torn away, be torn away;
Till every man as God's elect,
Kneel down to pray.

Ring it, till the world have heard,
And felt at length, and felt at length
Kill every living soul be stirred,
And clothed with strength.
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While I do plan to celebrate freedom on this Fourth of July holiday, I will also remember that throughout history in various parts of the world, there have always been oppressed peoples. Those who have courage will cry for justice. Those who have ears to hear will respond.

I wish everyone a happy Independence Day and hope we will learn from our past and allow our souls to be stirred. Let freedom ring.

Saying No To Tyranny

Image via Wikipedia

Last week, the nation of Honduras made freedom look easy. Details from Hacer.com:

What happened in Honduras was not a standard coup. The Supreme Court ordered the army to remove [Manuel] Zelaya from office. The Congress, albeit after his detention and exile, voted unanimously for his removal and confirmed his constitutionally mandated successor to fill the remainder of his term in office.

Prior to his exile, Zelaya had insisted on a referendum to allow for his reelection in direct violation of the Honduran constitution. In other words, he set out to perpetuate himself in office. Roger Noriega, a former Bush administration official and a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, puts it clearly: “Zelaya brushed aside every other institution of the state in insisting on a referendum that would benefit his selfish interests.”

Of course, we know it is not always this way. Others have tried and failed. Still others have had no resources to even start a quest.

Which is why it is good to give thanks and celebrate freedom in its various forms. Freedom to pursue a better life is good. Freedom of worship is even better. Or how about freedom from oppression, physical or spiritual? These are gifts from God.

In a day or two, I will begin celebrating my Independence Day. But before, during, and after all that, I will celebrate the tiny nation of Honduras that has been threatened with dictatorship for years. They said, "No," to tyranny and won. You don't suppose we might learn from their example?

Pro-life Art

Awwwww! Sometimes art can be more than beautiful, as exemplified by this Ph.D. project at the London Royal College of Art.

Brazilian student Jorge Lopes has pioneered the conversion of data from ultrasound and MRI scans into life-size plaster models of living embryos using a method called rapid prototyping. 'It’s amazing to see the faces of the mothers. They can see the full scale of their baby, really understand the size of it,' said Dr Lopes.

I'm trying to imagine being pregnant and holding a life-sized model of the baby in my womb. Kudos to pro-life art.

Never Can Say Goodbye to the King of Pop