Forum Post: Boycott and voting?

"And may we just share for a moment a few of those immortal words of the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi -- words which I think may help heal the wounds and lift our hearts. Listen to this immortal saint: “Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light." Those are the words of a saint. And may those of us of less purity listen to them well. And may America tonight resolve that never, never again shall we see what we have seen... And as this America is tested once again, we give our testament to America. And I do not think it is sentimental nor is it cheap -- that each and everyone of us in our own way should once again reaffirm to ourselves and our posterity -- that we love this nation -- we love America. This is not the first time that our nation has faced a challenge to its life and its purpose. Each time that we have faced these challenges, we have emerged with new greatness and with new strength. We must make this moment of crisis a moment of creation. As it has been said: “In the worst of times, a great people must do the best of things.” And let us do it... "“To every man his chance, to every man regardless of his birth, his shining golden opportunity. To every man the right to live and to work and to be himself. And to become whatever thing his manhood and his vision can combine to make him. This is the promise of America.”"..." We have been building patiently stone by stone, each in our own way, the cathedral of peace. And now we must take new initiatives. Every American, black or white, rich or poor, has the right in this land of ours to a safe and a decent neighborhood. And on this there can be no compromise. I put it very bluntly. Rioting, sniping, mugging, traffic in narcotics and disregard for law are the advance guard of anarchy and they must and they will be stopped...."WE DO NOT WANT A POLICE STATE, BUT WE NEED A STATE OF LAW AND ORDER. AND NEITHER MOB VIOLENCE NOR POLICE BRUTALITY HAVE ANY PLACE IN AMERICA"..."But we cannot be satisfied with merely repairing that which is old. We must also move beyond the enclosures of our traditional cities to create new cities, to restore our present cities, yes, and we must bring prosperity and modern living and opportunity to our rural areas. We must design and open America, opening new opportunities for new Americans in open land. I say to this audience, we have invested billions to explore outer space where man may live tomorrow. We must also be willing to invest to develop inner space right here on earth where many may live today. And now that third reality. Essential if the other two are to be achieved, is the necessity, my fellow American., for unit in our country, for tolerance and forbearance, for holding together as a family. And we must make a great decision: are we to be one nation, or are we to be a nation divided between black and white, between rich and poor, between north and south, between young and old. I take my stand. We are and we must be one nation -- united by liberty and justice for all, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. This is our America."..."Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream. Robert F. Kennedy as you saw tonight had a great vision.If America will respond to that dream and that vision, their deaths will not mark the moment when America lost its way, but it will mark the time when America found its conscience. These men have given us inspiration and direction. And I pledge...we shall not abandon their purposes. We shall honor their dreams by our deeds, now and in the days to come. I am keenly aware of the fears and frustrations of the world in which we live. It is all too easy to play on these emotions. But I do not intend to do so. I do not intend to appeal to fear, but rather to hope. I do not intend to appeal to frustration, but rather to your faith. I shall appeal to reason and to your good judgment."

(Hubert Humphrey 1968 emphasis added)