Frankie for President!

We had a very good time in NYC... but were pretty much stranded at LaGuardia airport all day sunday. the flight right before ours left on time... But the in bound plane we were supposed to take to Detroit was diverteted to Newark airport due to the weather, so obviously our flight was cancelled. We were put on another flight standby that was cancelled, and finally got on a flight that left around 7pm. But the girls were just awesome at the airport. The funniest thing was that Frankie kept walking around the waiting area, going up to everyone and either waving to them and saying hi, or sticking her hand out to give them "five." She must have done this at least a hundred times. One guy said, Im voting for this little one for president. that is our franks! I think she was keeping spirits up as there were many stressed out travelers wondering when they would get home. Bee was cute on the airplane because when the fligt attendant came by to serve drinks, she asked our row what we wanted, and Bee said, May I have some bubbly water please? (she wanted the la croix seltzer). The flight attendant got a funny look on her face because I dont think she knew what Bee was asking for.

Its icing here today and public schools are closed anyway for MLK day. On NPR this morning they had an interesting report on how MLK began to take a stand on the vietnam war, and the problems that created for him in his relationship to folks in the administration who supported civil rights activities. They played part of his Vietnam speech (A time to break silence), which was delivered exactly one year before he was assassinated, and which I had not heard before... but two quotes struck me:

"This I believe to be the privilege and the burden of all of us who deem ourselves bound by allegiances and loyalties which are broader and deeper than nationalism and which go beyond our nation's self-defined goals and positions. We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for victims of our nation and for those it calls enemy, for no document from human hands can make these humans any less our brothers."

"And as I ponder the madness of Vietnam and search within myself for ways to understand and respond to compassion my mind goes constantly to the people of that peninsula. I speak now not of the soldiers of each side, not of the junta in Saigon, but simply of the people who have been living under the curse of war for almost three continuous decades now. I think of them too because it is clear to me that there will be no meaningful solution there until some attempt is made to know them and hear their broken cries....Here is the true meaning and value of compassion and nonviolence when it helps us to see the enemy's point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition."