Our nation has set aside this day to celebrate the life and great works of Martin Luther King Jr. And here at Hope n' Change, we think it's a particularly fitting occasion to consider the place of rhetoric and nonviolent protest in American life.
Many of Dr. King's pronouncements targeted a government and laws which were intended to silence a huge number of people. His speeches were powerful, passionate, and unashamedly filled with words like "morality" and "right"... and he did not hesitate to say that these were issues of life and death importance.
He drew crowds which were, to a large degree, not racially diverse. He rallied thousands on the National Mall in Washington DC. And in the end, he changed our nation for the better - not by violence, but by fomenting a revolution at the ballot box.
The parallels to today's Tea Party Movement are striking, including the use of non-violence as a fundamental principle. But the same tools and methods used by Dr. King are now being threatened from those on the Left (and sadly, the spineless on the Right). Laws are being proposed to restrict political speech, and a willing conspiracy between the press and the politicians exists to suppress the voices of those calling for a return to sanity and integrity in governance.
But would such suppression of language and peaceful protest result in a kinder, gentler America? Not according to Dr. King, who said "A riot is the language of the unheard."
Free speech is not the cause of violence. It is the cure.
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19 comments:
Free speech is not the cause of violence. It is the cure.
Amen, Brother.
I listened to pundits all weekend stumbling over and then apologizing (sometimes facetiously) for using now unpolitically correct words like "target" and "aim" and "shoot." It was refreshing to then hear Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey defend a person's ability to speak the "unvarnished truth." Everyone can recognize vitriol and learn to avoid it; but we need to recognize and condemn the kind of PC policing that sounds well-intended but whose greater aim is to eliminate dissent.
I find its interesting that people will use MLK for their own political ends (especially regarding race) but most of them really do not know what MLK actually SAID.....
I don't know the context of that final quote, but I dare say he wasn't condoning violence. I believe he was admonishing those in power to listen to the people and avoid the inevitable result of their deafness. I think this is what Glenn Beck misses in his call for nonviolence under any circumstances forever. That there is a limit to the amount of oppression/repression/suppression that any human can endure. We may not have reached that point yet, but many of us can imagine we see the glow of that fire in the distance.
Angry Hoosier Dad- You're exactly right; Dr. King was not condoning violence, he was simply exposing its roots.
It's very frustrating today to read the many articles talking about Dr. King's message of non-violence being SO applicable in the wake of the Tucson shootings...which essentially is a continuation of the lie that political rhetoric played any part in the tragedy.
The mainstream media is, in its own way, trying to use Dr. King to silence political debate and protect a corrupt and unsustainable status quo. A very odd memorial indeed.
I always enjoyed the 'judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin' comment... and the racists that loudly proclaim that skin color trumps all else.
Yeah, Looking at YOU, Jackson(s), Sharpton, Wrign, Obama....
"Wright" obviously, not "Wrign"...
I have said one thing time and again, in print and in person ...
Dr. King was on the road to finally ridding America of racism as we knew it as children. I was raised that ALL people are equal and judged by their actions, not their color. I marched with Dr. King in New York, when I was a teenager. Because he was right! My WHITE parents had taught me thusly! Never, ever doubt that I am very white! Raised as a good Irish Catholic, attending mass, etc.. I no longer am a self-proclaimed I.C., but that is not relevant here.
I believe Dr. King "had to go" because certain people, many who are still living today, decided they had a "cash cow" by screaming racism at the drop of a hat, for everything, percieved or real! Dr. King's success in ending segregation would "kill the goose that was laying the golden eggs". So he was killed. You will not convince me otherwise, regardless of who did the deed - he was killed because too many feared his success!
It is obvious today that I was, and still am, right.
All of those who SAY they are walking in his footsteps, and making his dream come true are not doing so. They foment racism at every turn, form groups that Dr. King would have spoken and rallied AGAINST every chance he got. If you believe in life in the hereafter ... Dr. King is rolling over in his grave (as my Grandmother used to say) about what is being done in his name today. When groups, businesses, and organizations are founded ON COLOR they INCREASE racism ... like all of the black and hispanic caucuses, the black and hispanic television networks, the black and hispanic chambers of commerce, the Black Miss America contest, schools that brag they are only for those "of color" and those that proclaim if you are "of color" you can receive a scholarship ... etc., etc., ad nauseum!
These are ALL things Dr. King was vehemently AGAINST! These are the things he was fighting, and gave his lIFE, to try and end!
You do not end segregation, by forming segregated groups! It is an oxymoron to think you do! You cannot end something by duplicating and promoting it!
People like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Malcom X, Jeremiah Wright, and many, many others all have gotten very rich, by fomenting and promoting segregation and racism, while stating they are against it and are following in Dr. Kings' teaching! Notice I have deliberately NOT referred to them by their 'self proclaimed titles' that they claim. That is to be men of God! In my opinion they are surely not, regardless of what they say ... Reverends. They are users of their fellow blacks for personal gain! Yet they give good speeches, are able to motivate crowds and get people all fired up ... while lining their pockets with gold and silver. To me they are nothing more than very good snake oil salesmen, great orators; but certainly NOT Men of God.
WHY is no one really looking at this?
The answer lies within our government lackeys. They know if we are busy fighting each other, verbally, and in person, talking about the misuse of laws to benefit ONLY one or two segments of our society ... we will not be focused on what they are doing behind the scenes to turn our country in a socialists empire. As every magician knows ... misdirection lets you accomplish many things ... while people are looking elsewhere!
Americans need to wake up ... rid oursleves of the usurpers to the thrones, and get on about ending those things that constantly drive us apart from one another. Dr. King had a wonderful dream ... but GREED, and the LUST FOR POWER, killed his dream AND him. I'd like to see it come back and succeed, but sadly I don't think I will in my life time.
Doc - Northern Nevada. I agree with most everything you just wrote. I would only add that the most tragic thing our nation did to poor people in this country (and it had it's greatest impact on black people) is institute policies that broke up their families. And we exacerbate the problem by the "soft bigotry of low expectations" as practiced by Affirmative Action.
Earl, Doc - +1 each!
mlkj was an hero
Doc - Well put. I also think that Dr Martin Luther King is 'rolling over in his grave' because America did not judge a man by the content of his character, but, instead by the color of his skin. Then, made him our 44th President. Had we judged him by (or were even aware of) the content of his character instead of the color of his skin, he would not be President now.
Anonymous:
We will never know if Dr. King would have voted for Obama, like Colin Powell and so many black Americans did, solely for his skin color. I will continue to believe that he wasn't that shallow.
Readers- Outstanding remarks. All I'll add is that Barack Obama was (and is) uniquely empowered to aid the cause of racial healing in this country, but has tragically chosen instead to fan the flames of racism for his own political gain.
The real racists are the ones who scream they are the VICTIMS of racism. I believe it is true also that the 'love of money' has turned many a black leader from their (I assume) intended course of toneing down the racists in this country.
Readers- Racism definitely still exists in our country, and we haven't achieved Dr. King's dream yet. In fact, we've been losing ground.
Why? Because while some hateful and ignorant racists will always be with us, they do less damage than the "poverty pimps" who foment anger and keep black Americans subjugated for their own power and enrichment, and the "soft bigotry of low expectation" liberals (as Earl pointed out) who are so in love with the idea of being the "Good Massah" that they won't allow black citizens to escape their control.
Stilton ... they cannot allow the black Americans to become aware of that control, nor to escape it! That would, and already really is, causing many of them to 'see the real light' and vote for the conservatives. This scares the libs silly! They are losing the 'black ghetto' vote and they KNOW IT! So much so that some of them, like our own Dingy Harry, have started catering to the 'brown ghetto vote' to stay in power! That worked in his favor along with all of his dirty tricks and voting booth shenanigans to keep him in office this time. When the 'brown vote' realizes what the Dems are doing ... who is next? The yellow vote? Whomever it is you can be assured the libs and socialists will convince them that their way is "the only way to escape the tryanny of the conservatives !"
Just my take on how things are going ... right in the ol' crapper!
And let us remember that Gay Pride marches are the longest running series of peaceful protests ever staged by anyone. 40 years of ever expanding worldwide peaceful protests to rid us of unjust laws, many which still exist. Back 40 years ago when these protests were first staged it was still illegal to mail political information FOR rights for gay folks in the US mail. Our very personal lives were outlawed until 2003; and we feared the knock on the door. There are still quite prominent people calling for a return of the police state against us, as part of the "debate" as to whether gay folks are full citizens or just 3/5s persons or something. Yes, 40 years of non-violent, even festive, (which annoys many straight people, oddly) First Amendment grievance redressing protests against a societal, religious, familial and political oppression that was all encompassing in the attempt to keep gay people oppressed. It's gotten better, but alas, we have no Martin Luther King, Jr. Or anyone really, to speak our cause. And in that way we gay folks are very TEA party too in stopping the oppression, by going one by one through our families and friends. Sad that the debate still rages, with the very niece of MLK, Alveda King, insistently bleating that gay people want the "extinction" and "genocide" of the human race. We are, of course, used to the 'blood libel' that gay folks are intent on destroying civilization by the mere honest recognition by society that we exist as part of God's plan, and not against it.
Jim Hlavac- Good point. The tools for peaceful protest and expression need to be available to everyone - not parceled out on a case by case basis, or only to causes that are popular with the majority or those in power.
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