On the 50th anniversary of Dr. Luther King’s speech of “I had a dream”, we had a protest of teaching of war and violence on a Jesuit Catholic campus that professes faith. After the “rally and trial” event when our message of Marquette University Teaches Killing really got notice Marquette today went back to turning on the “Ignore Button” to us. As Elie Wiesel, a prisoner of concentration camps, says “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. When we were attacked we respond and grow stronger in our resolve. This is what happened in the civil rights movement and with Dr. King. He writes from the Birmingham jail: ”they did not know what to do. When they finally reached for clubs, dogs and guns, they found the world was watching, and then the power of nonviolent protest became manifest.” Today hundreds of Marquette students walked by us as if we and our banners were not visible. What to do you do when ignored. It is a nightmare!

At the event today two Catholic Workers, who I feel close to, said things to me privately that I had only heard in the false allegations of Marquette University officials about my behavior on campus. It was like words in a nightmare.

When I got home I turned the TV on to relax and found myself watching the President of the United States giving a speech from the same spot Martin Luther King Jr. and using King to justify some of his policies that have lessen opportunities for minorities and created a more violent world, where we are about to go to war in Syria. As some of the black African American leaders on the Tavis Smiley and on TV today said about the President that King, while showing respect to the President would have scolded him on his policies of justice and peace, which has increased poverty, particularly on minorities and has killed many persons in the world. I saw later tonight a clip of President Carter’s speech where he pointed out the living nightmare that over 835, 000 African American males are in prison today, five times the amount when he left office. Watching the President’s speech, denying reality, was a living nightmare.

I was at get together tonight with some friends of the past. When they started talking about religion and politics I could not help but speak of some my views on the present that had changed from days of old. I felt that my views, even ones well researched, were offensive to them and something they did not want to hear. I could feel Pat, my wife’s, embarrassment, but did not know want to do when they started talking about how great the President was, about racial and peace issues but tell my ‘opinion of truth.’ I felt so out of place and again was in a nightmare.

This morning I came across on the internet a new draft of the mission statement of Marquette University. In light of our Pope’s recent statement that “Faith and Violence are incompatible” this statement was one full of hypocrisy. I knew the author and used to be friends with her and her family. She had requested comments and I was tempted to send her an email. I resisted. Tonight at the meal with old friends I saw this person and again did not say anything except exchange pleasantries. This too was a nightmare.

One thing I did today that was not a nightmare was worked in my gardens for awhile. Maybe I should do more of that during the day and leave the nightmares to the nights.

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