2007
Submitted by Joseph Tracy (An artist, teacher and member of Friends Meeting , Bennington VT)
The idea I want to share with you burrowed into my heart like a seed when I heard and started to think about a Johnny Cash song called The Man in Black.* The idea is to wear black on Mondays in symbolic protest and mourning.
* lyrics below
Many Americans are feeling deeply grieved about the radically unconstitutional nature of the recently signed Bill on the Detention and treatment of Suspected Terrorists (Called The Military Commissions Act). It outlines procedures by which the Military or Justice Department may detain without limit suspected "terrorists". This is defined as anyone suspected of being a threat to US national security. As you can plainly read, the language is loose enough to fill many prisons with people innocent of any crime. It cancels habeas corpus for any non-citizen and appears to make provision to include any citizen labeled "enemy combatant". Such detainees are subject to "coercive interrogation", and any "information" or "confession" gained can be used against the detainee by a military commission. The definition of torture is up to the executive branch so there is nothing to stop the continuation of the cruel practices already documented. The law exonerates all who have engaged in torture under orders during the Afghan and Iraq wars. There is more, and I encourage you if unfamiliar with this law to read about it.
This unconstitutional act comes at a time when our society is beginning to fully recognize the unlawful and immoral nature of the Iraq war. It follows hard on the heels of the discovery of massive unwarranted surveillance program, and the white house's assertion of the executive power to spy on anyone anywhere here or abroad without a warrant.
The growing opposition to these things has nothing to do with partisan politics, but with fundamentally immoral and unconstitutional abuses of power. Those who oppose these things should oppose them under any party banner. We cannot rely on a political party to bring change but must make our protest to be clearly seen and heard.
Here's where Johnny Cash comes in. I would like to make a proposal for a modest, but potentially very effective symbolic statement. The proposal is for those who oppose the unconstitutional use of spying, detention without due process, and unprovoked war, to wear black clothes every Monday of every week until all of these practices have been renounced and reversed. The black is to mourn and quietly protest the loss of Iraqi and American lives, and to mourn the loss of our constitutional right to habeas corpus, due process, and protection from unlawful search and seizure.
If that is too complicated wearing black is a way to say no lying, no warrantless spying, no torture and no wars of aggression. Let's mourn our mistake, heal our differences, and find a better way. The action must continue past any election until the practices and legal justification for the practices have been reversed.
The potential power of this idea is that it requires no gasoline, no protest permits, no break from the routine of our lives and as it grows it becomes a constant and powerful reminder to political leaders from both parties, to the media and to our fellow citizens that without this common moral ground we will lose what is best about our country, and that we are in a country where government gets its authority from the consent of the governed. It does not require eloquence on the part of the individual because it speaks without words, but it also invites the political dialogue that is needed at this time. If we participate in this action , we must prepare for peace and not war, and respond to opposition with all the wisdom and respect we can find in ourselves. I hope you will commit this idea to thought and prayer, and that you will embrace it and share it with members of your communities as a way we may join together to speak truth to power.
Man In Black Lyrics by Johny Cash
Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on.
I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.
I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me.
Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black.
I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.
And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen' that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen' that we all were on their side.
Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.
Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black
