FATHER, WE WANT TO PRAY TO YOU FOR THE SOULS OF THOSE WHITE MEN WHO YESTERDAY BEAT OUR CHILDREN TO A PULP, WHO YESTERDAY TRAMPLED ON OUR CHILDREN, WHITE AND COLORED, OUR CHILDREN WHO RODE THE FREEDOM BUS TO MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA! WE WANT TO PRAY TO YOU TO TAKE THE SOULS OF THOSE 200 WHITE MEN FOR PROPEOR CHASTISEMENT, AFTER WE HAVE TRAILED THEM, AFTER WE HAVE TRACKED THEM DOWN, EVERY ONE OF THEM AND EXECUTED THEM IN THE SPIRIT OF LOVE AND JUSTICE! WE WANT YOU TO TAKE THEIR SOULS, AFTER WE HAVE REARRANGED THEIR BODIES. 

 

ONE PARAGRAPH OF THE WHITE NEWSPAPER, ONE PARAGRAPH ONLY SAYS, “AT ONE TIME, TEN OR FIFTEEN WHITE PERSONS WERE BEATING ONE NEGRO AS HE STRUGGLED ON THE GROUND.” LET US PRAY FOR THESE TEN OR FIFTEEN WHITE PERSONS AND LET SHOW LOVE TOWARD THE, BUT LOVE PROPERLY ADMINISTERED. THE LOVE THAT IS STRICT. THE LOVE THAT IS ALL EMBRACING. LET US SHOW LOVE FOR THESE TEN OR FIFTEEN WHITE BEASTS BY SAVING THEM FROM COMMITTING ANY MORE CRIMES AGAINST OUR PEOPLE. BY SAVING THEM FROM FURTHER BRUTALITIES. BY SAVING THEM FROM WORSE CRIMES. LET US SHOW LOVE FOR THESE WHITE PEOPLE BY SEARCHING FOR THEM, FINDING THEM AND EXECUTING THEM NOW! 

 

LAST NIGHT WAS SATURDAY NIGHT. AND ALL OVER THE NATION, HOW MANY OF OUR PEOPLE FOUGHT EACH OTHER IN BARS? HOW MANY OF OUR PEOPLE HAD ENRAGED ARGUMENTS OVER MINOR TRAFFIC MISHAPS? LAST NIGHT WAS SATURDAY NIGHT. HOW MUCH MONEY WAS WASTED THAT COULD HAVE BEEN SPENT FOR FREEDOM? HOW MUCH BLOOD WAS SPILT THAT COULD HAVE BEEN SPILLED TOMORROW? 

 

AND, THIS IS SUNDAY MORNING AND ALL OVER THE NATION HOW MANY OF OUR PEOPLE ARE IN THE CHURCHES? PRAYING FOR FAVORS, ASKING GOD FOR SELFISH THINGS? HOW MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE FORGOTTEN THE TEARS WEPT BY JESUS FOR THE POOR AND THE OPPRESSED ARE IN THE CHURCHES, PRAYING FOR THEMSELVES, TRYING TO EARN THEMSELVES A PLACE IN SOME FUTURE HEAVEN, WHILE OUR CHILDREN ARE BEING MURDERED IN THE STREETS OF ALABAMA? HOW MANY OF OUR PEOPLE ARE IN THE CHURCHES WHO HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT THE BIBLE SAID THAT WE MUST FIGHT AS WELL AS PRAY? 

 

IN ONE PARAGRAPH I READ, FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, AND IF THIS WHITE DOMINATED PRESS TELLS THIS MUCH OF THE TRUTH, I SHUDDER TO THINKN OF WHAT MUST HAVE REALLY HAPPENED IN ALABAMA, ANOTHER PARAGRAPH SAID, “ONE NEGRO GIRL WEPT UNCONTROLLABLY AS THE VIOLENCE CONTINUED.” THEY SAY THAT JESUS WEPT BUT REMEMBER THAT JESUS SAID, “I COME NOT TO BRING PEACE, BUT A SWORD!” 

 

“ONE NEGRO WAS LEFT UNCONSCIOUS IN THE STREET,” ANOTHER PARAPGRAPH, “AND AN AMBULANCE CALLED TO THE SCENE REFUSED TO PICK HIM UP.” AH, THESE WHITE CHRISTIANS, THEY READ A CENSORED BIBLE! THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN. 

 

HORACE COURT, AN ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOGRAPHER FROM ATLANTA, WHOSE CAMERA WAS SMASHED, SAID THAT “HE SAW TWO NEGROES STOMPED INTO THE GROUND AND ONE LOOKS LIKE HE IS BADLY HURT.” SO, WE SEE THAT THIS BEAST THAT WE ARE PRAYING FOR, THIS MOB OF ANIMALS WHOSE SOUL WE DELIVER TO YOUR CARE, FATHER, THIS MOB, WHEN IT IS ENRAGED, EVEN TURNS ON ITS OWN. 

 

A MOB OF 200 WHITE PEOPLE WAS WAITING WHEN THE GREYHOUND BUS ARRIVED. 200 WHITE PEOPLE! HOW MANY OF OUR PEOPLE WERE AT THE RACES YESTERDAY IN SAN FRANCISCO? HOW MANY OFUS WERE AT THE BALL GAMES IN CHICAGO? HOW MANY AT THE DANCE LAST NIGHT AT THE ELKS? HOW MANY WENT TO JAIL LAST NIGHT FOR SPEEDING? HOW MANY FIGHTS? WHY CAN’T WE SPILL ALL THE BLOOD IN ONE PLACE? WHY CAN’T WE ALL GO TO JAIL IN ONE CITY? IF WE WANT TO SPEED, LET US SPEED TO ALABAMA! 

 

ANOTHER PARAGRAPH SAYS, “THE SELF-STYLED FREEDOM RIDERS RAN FOR SAFETY, FINALLY MANAGED TO BREAK AWAY FROM THE MOB AND RUN FOR SAFETY.” HOW MANY OF US WERE THERE TO HELP THEM FIND REFUGE? 

 

YES, THE CHILDREN WERE THE FREEDOM RIDERS BUT, NOW, WE NEED FREEDOM FIGHTERS TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN. WE ARE SOMEWHAT TIRED, TIRED OF THE CRUELTY! WE NEED A VACATION. LET SOME FIVE OR TEN OR TWENTY THOUSAND OF US TAKE OUR VACATIONS TOGETHER THIS EYAR. LET US ALL GO TO ALABAMA ON A TURKEY SHOOT! THE CONSTITUTION GIVES US THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS. LET US USE THIS PORTION OF THE CONSTITUTION ON A GREAT TURKEY HUNT! LET US ORGANIZE A GREAT HUNTING EXPEDITION IN ALABAMA! THEN, LET US SEE HOW MANY WILL BE WAITING FOR US AT THE BUS STATION WHEN WE ARRIVE, NOT BRIGHT-EYED, IDEALISTIC CHILDREN, BUT MEN, HARD MEN, READY TO DIE FOR FREEDOM! 

 

LET US IMMEDIATELY BEGIN NOW TO TRACE, TO TRACK DOWN, GET THE NAMES, GET THE PICTURES OF EVERY ONE OF THESE 200 ANIMALS WHO WERE WAITING WHEN OUR CHILDREN, BOTH WHITE AND COLORED, ARRIVED ON THE FREEDOM BUS THAT THEY TURNED INTO A BLOODY CHARIOT OF CRIME. AND THOSE OF US, WHO FOR MANY YEARS HAVE LISTENED TO THE TEACHING OF MAHATMA GANDHI, AND TO OUR BELOVED REVERAND MARTIN LUTHER KING, WE HAVE COME TO THE END OF A LONG ROAD AND WE KNOW NOW THAT LOVE ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH! GENTLE LOVE IS NOT ENOUGH. THAT WE WHO LOVE OUR FELLOW MAN AND, EVEN AS REVERAND KING TEACHS US, LOVE OUR ENEMIES, WE MUST USE THE PROPER LOVE FOR THEM. WE MUST USE THE LOVE THAT SAVES THEIR SOULS! WE MUST USE TH ELOVE THAT SAVES THEM FROM CRIME AND SOMETIMES, WE MUST PUNISH! SOMETIMES WE MUST CHASTISE AND SOMETIMES TO SAVE THEM FROM CAPITAL CRIME, TO SAVE THEIR SOULS, WE WILL BE FORCED TO PUNISH THEIR BODIES. FOR THERE IS NOTHING IN THE TEACHING OF MAHATMA GANDHI, NOTHING IN THE TEACHING OF THE CHRISTIANS OR THE MUSLEMS OR THE OTHER RELIGIONS THAT TELLS US THAT WE MUST TURN OUR BACK WHEN OUR CHILDREN ARE BEING EATEN BY BEASTS! THERE IS NOTHING IN ANY OF THE GREAT PHILOSOPHIES OF LOVE THAT TELLS US THAT WE MUST BURY OUR HEADS IN THE SAND WHILE OUR GIRLS ARE WEEPING UNCONTROLLABLY! 

 

NO, ALL THE THREE BILLION PEOPLE ON THIS EARTH PRAY TO MANY GODS BUT ALL GODS HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON. THE ARE JUST AND THEY EXPECT US TO DEFEND OUR OWN. THE WHITE RACIST OF THE SOUTH AND HIS BROTHERS IN THE NORTH NEED TO BE SAVED. THEIR SOULS MUST BE SAVED AND WE MUST CARRY THIS SPIRITUAL TEACHING TO THEM, AND IF THEY FORCE US, IN ORDER TO SAVE THEIR SOULS, WE WILL HAVE TO TAKE THEIR LIVES! 

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