Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
We Have A Dream
By California Yankee Posted in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. | History — Comments (6) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Take some time today to think about the life and times of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. America is a better place because of his efforts:
There is more to do, but progress has been made.
Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 6 Comments (0 topical, 6 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Mostly I think how disgusted he would be with those who evoke his name as a shield against any who question their own corrupt "moral" authority. My guess is that he would now scarcely recognize those who surrounded (or claim to have surrounded) him in life.
I think he would find very few to embrace on the left and doubt very much that he would be calling Justice Thomas or Secretary Rice "Uncle Tom", or "Oreo", or any of the other hate spewed from the left. Rather he would celebrate and embrace their accomplishment. I am confident that he would have more respect for Judge Janice Rodgers Brown (sp?) then he would for Justice Ginsberg.
Did the man have faults? Yup, but there but for the grace of God go I. No man is perfect.
Dr. King will always be in my Pantheon of great Americans, not for what he wanted for himself, not for what he wanted for black Americans, but for what he wanted for America. He too wanted America to be that shining city on a hill where men could achieve what they were capable of achieving.
What is left? All people are privy to the same rights and responsibilities in this country. Last time I checked, no states sponsor slavery. Segregation was abolished. Fact: a while back, I had a girlfriend who wanted to go to school and applied for scholarships, about 5 in total. She met the criteria, however, because she was white, she was declined on all 5 applications. I actually called the administrations for these scholarships to inquire why she was not awarded one even though she met all of the criteria.
"She's not black." was the response from all 5. I did make the effort if they could direct me to where I could find a scholarship for white people only and they said there weren't any.
Fact #2: I work in corporate America and have been exposed frequently to this bias. When hiring people, the race card is alway pulled out and everyone pats themselves on the back for hiring a minority, even though the individual is unqualified.
While I respect Mr. King, I am under the impression that this issue will never get put to rest because there is always "more to do." I think someone needs to explain what this "more" is.
but there is much that can be done to ensure better educational opportunities for all Americans. It is no longer racism that holds people back in our society (except for the "soft racism" of low expectations). Inner city schools are in crisis (as are many in the suburbs). Bringing up the quality of education will not only take the wind out of the sails of race-baiters, but is an imperative in this age of increasing international competition.
Yes, affirmative action is wrong and counter to the "dream that...they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Here is a quote that should be better known and understood: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere-MLK". Affirmative action is an injustice and it is never be acceptable to commit an injustice against one individual in the name of "justice" for another individual. Hope is on the way in the form of Super Tuesday for Equlity".
Another thing we shouldn't do is flog one "group" for the outcomes in another "group". If MLK day is to become all that it can and should be, we need to be truly inclusive. We should remember today that a large cross-section of Americans came together to make a better society (Republicans like Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Javits, Dirksen; Democrats like LBJ; and those who died for the cause including Cheney, Schwerner, Goodman and Liuzzo). Today is a day for all Americans. We need to look forward with hope not back in anger. Today my Alma mater is having a "celebration" of MLK day that includes readings by Malcolm X. I complained to an administrator that this event wasn't "inclusive", and he politely responded that he wanted to "include" people who considered Malcolm X a valid civil rights leader. This is not the way forward. True inclusiveness never involves pandering.
When someone says there is "more to be done" that can be an opportunity to talk about vouchers (popular in failing school districts) or putting the kids first and the teacher's unions second. Unfortunately, "more to be done" has, in the wrong hands, become a brickbat to be tossed at members of another group. I am suggesting that we all accept that those feelings exist, that they are largely valid and that working together, we can "get the job done" and continue to create an ever more inclusive society.
In theory, theory and practice are the same.
In practice, they are not.
-Attributed to Yogi Berra
I made a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day video that I think EVERYONE will enjoy. It’s really short, and should put a smile on your face.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=AtugYg42mmc
David Spates
Neither MLK or JFK would likely be invited to speak at the 2008 Democratic Convention.
ChiefMinion, I do agree that MLK would be a big admirer of the great Janice Rogers Brown, but I also think he would give Justice Ginsburg credit for overcoming discrimination (Justice Frankfurter denied her a clerkship despite her brilliant academic record), personal trials (she went thru law school while caring for both her infant child & cancer-stricken husband), and her advocacy for what she believed in (at least as a private citizen, not a judge).
Also, remember that RBG was practically drummed out of the ACLU & NOW for stating that Roe was poorly written gibberish, and that in any event a legislative solution was much better than a temporal bit of judicial whim.
Guess if I'm going to get upset when Thomas is attacked, I have to give Ruthie credit where it's warranted, tho I think she's a lousy Justice & poor writer, don't get me wrong. :)
STEVENS, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which SCALIA, J., joined.
MLK pushed our country to stay true to the principles of our founders, as stated in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence: "that all men are created equal." A color-blind society, where all people are judged on merit alone ... it's hard to think of something more consistent with bedrock conservative values.
"If all men were just, there would be no need of valor."
- Agesilaus