Ed, get your facts straight. "Black Power" was a slogan widely used in the black civil rights movement in the late 1960s and in the 1970s. It was used by many who did not espouse violence, not only by the Black Panthers. Nonetheless, many white Americans at the time considered the slogan to be threatening; and for that reason, many of us who were involved in the civil rights movement thought it unwise to use such a slogan.

The question is very similar to the attempt to force a baker to produce a cake with a slogan he didn't like. What I'm hearing from many of you is that if your cause is right, then you are right in using an aggressive approach to promote the cause. And while you may have that right, I question whether such an aggressive approach is effective. You may "win," but you may well lose ground in the process.

I'll use another simile, since so many of you appreciate my similes so much. It's like a peacemaker who works patiently and respectfully to build trust and work out a compromise with an opponent. Just as the agreement is to be signed, a horde of righteous warriors run over the hill and slaughter the lot of them. And since they won the battle, they claim the "moral high ground."

And the survivors arm themselves for battle, and any chance of a peaceful agreement is lost.

So, what is it that the "winners" won?

In my 66 years, I have learned many times that although I thought I was right in what I thought and said, other people had a valid perspective, too. And sometimes, I had to back down and admit I was wrong. Backing down and losing face is one of the hardest things in the world to do, but sometimes it is one of the most courageous and effective things a person can do.

-Joe-