Today were the Democratic Debates in South Carolina, hosted by CNN and Wolf Blitzer. The final question asked of the 3 candidates, Senators,
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Barack Obama,
and
John Edwards
by Mr. Blitzer was this question:
If Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were alive today, why should he endorse you?
Both Senators Clinton and Edwards explained why. Barack Obama said:
"I don't think Dr. King would endorse any of us. . ."
He went on to explain his answer, but I say to the Senator, "RIGHT ON!" Rather than speak in the affirmative about his qualifications, he said he believed Dr. King would
"call upon the American people to hold us accountable."
Quote:
I celebrated by listening to NPR earlier who replayed many of Dr. Kings speeches and interviews. I also have a dvd of American Experience called Citizen King that I will watch later.
I honestly feel that to celebrate the legacy of Dr. King each of us should do something positive to make his dream a reality even if it's something as simple as watching a few You Tube videos of Dr. King and discussing them with your kids. Doing something positive certainly is not placing Dr. King in a political corner, but is a cheap exploit as far as I'm concerned.
I speak all of the time about politics-as-usual and how it needs to stop, well guess what?
It needs to stop. This country can no longer afford it; this country is in serious trouble, or isn't anyone noticing:
foreclosures increasing
loss of jobs/employment outlook worsening
educational systems not improving
Iraq War. . .
I started down a list of things, and just could not do it -- could not go on.
Yet there are those who continue down the road of playing the same old games.
I just reviewed an article entitled,
"LEFT OF THE RIGHT: Who Would Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Support For President?"
The publisher of this article -- no surprise to me -- asserts that Dr. King would support his candidate. Whoop de dooo! Is this really objective reporting, and yet I believe this person is one of Gather's correspondents (????) I hope I am wrong about that.
I would LOVE to assert that Dr. King -- were he alive -- would be supporting Senator Barack Obama, who (and everybody who knows me knows) is my candidate. It might be an interesting assertion since Barack Obama spoke at Dr. King's Church just YESTERDAY. Hmmm, I wonder why yesterday of ALL days. I would never do that, though; it would be disrespectful to Dr. King, that's what. It would be disrespectful, especially considering that there are seed, his children, still alive who would be in a far better position to answer that question than any Gather correspondent, politician, and/or me, IF someone were to take the time and have the respect to just ask them.
When are we going to stop exploiting this nation's leaders with such cheap tricks like this one?
I purposely made no comment on the article, and won't. I shall not feed or buy into the trash that exploits a great leader like Dr. King, and on the day set aside to commemorate and respect him. The action of this "correspondent" is unconscientiable, but this is exactly what happens when the game is politics-as-usual. It's dirty; anything and anyone is up for grabs -- including the inspirational leaders of our nation.
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Comments: 94
I'm going to look at it now for some laughs. Don't tell me it's serious, Nalita. I'm sure the issue is serious, but you can't expect a dissertation from a clown.
Martin Luther King has been used and exploited for years. People make themselves feel better by naming roads and highways after him.
Really, how is everyone celebrating Martin Luther King Day today
I'm just at work today, Shel. Nothing much going on and lots of people are off.
I agree. I have always told my connections that whatever they write does NOT stay within the parameters of the Gather community, but the entire www/Internet. Some of them have GOOGLED themself and now they SEE for themself exactly what I am speaking of -- that everything you write is like a fingerprint, except THIS fingerprint DOES NOT get erased, even when you delete you article.
What's my point?
My objection is FOR THE RECORD: I'm putting this person on BLAST.
Fine: play games, and I shall call you on it in a way that sticks to you -- Sir -- for good.
That is what I have done here.
I agree that our leaders -- not just King -- but many of them have been exploited. I don't know, maybe it is that time of month again, but I am just not feeling it today.
NO!
Who knows who King would support today.
The article is all a "what if" (and nobody will know) so you can't take any of it too seriously.
If I see that article you mention I'll read it just to see who the writer thinks would be the choice of MLK if he were alive today and why. IMO he would support whoever would lead the nation with integrity.
No debate today please, please, please. Should not his holiday be a day of PEACE. But check out the article that his people wrote and then come back to me.
Who spoke at Dr. King's church yesterday?
Was it Hillary?
Was it Edwards?
Then come back and talk to me?
But that is neither here or there. The fact is I would have NEVER written an article about it. I would never thought to EXPLOIT a Kennedy, a Reagan, HECK I am going to shock some and say I would never even exploit "W" like that!
These are the leaders of our country. Sheeesh. Let's show some respect at the right times.
I mean the King of La La
Do not misquote misquote me. Gosh, by misquoting me, someone might believe that you British may have a personal vendetta against me. Britain speaks English AND writes English, so you don't have an excuse. Do it again, and I won't tolerate you on my threads:
Here is the correct quote:
"Peter.
No debate today please, please, please. Should not his holiday be a day of PEACE. But check out the article that his people wrote and then come back to me.
Who spoke at Dr. King's church yesterday?
Was it Hillary?
Was it Edwards?
Then come back and talk to me?
LadyNalita California Wine Fine/Georgia Peach W., Jan 21, 2008, 2:48pm EST"
Now we do not mind about Foreigners engaging in American politics, but understand that you do so
AS A COURTESY; IT IS NOT YOUR RIGHT IN THIS COUNTRY, LYNDON
Now either behave properly in this country or go back to Britain. I don't care -- Yes I do,
GO BACK TO BRITAIN, LYNDON
DO NOT PASS 'GO'
DO NOT COLLECT ANYMORE OUR AMERICAN TIME
-- JUST GO, YOU LITTLE ANNOYING TWERP!
.
Serious conversation -- yes, with people who care about this country, but not with people pretending to be Americans, but thumbing their noses at us -- NO!
I shall take my Sweetheart advice and be DONE with YOU!
The PEACH is DONE with YOU, Lyndon.
You are a NOT a connection.
You are not welcome on my threads, PERIOD.
You have NOTHING to contribute
The games -- it is the games that need to stop. I have read you and I understand that you are a Hillary supporter; fine. Speak on.
I've gotten a big kick out of the Republican candidates all trying on the Reagan clown suit too and claiming it's a perfect fit.
It is so true -- so true!
I share your sadness. That's why today -- here I am -- was supposed to be doing something else, but instead I am doing this,
You are right that I am a Hillary supporter. I have my reasons, LadyNalita. I know that you are an Obama supporter and you have your reasons.
You are correct. You said that leadership is not found in the most popular person, and that is true.
It is true that MLK was vilified -- yes -- up to, and even beyond the time of his death, well, in some cases, even today.
Some people saw him as a troublemaker -- yes, and others . . .no I shall say it, as a kisser of the butts of White people. He really went through a living hell, I thought, as I watched a documentary just a few days ago.
Joe, you know what I think is neat: Sue up supports a Republican candidate, as does the Colonel. I am not sure about the others, although I believe Shelley supports John Edwards. You support Hillary, and I support Obama. Yet as Americans, we can all find common ground upon which to meet and come together in a forum such as this. Sue and I -- Republican and Democrat and good buddies; I think it should be like that.
Why can't it be?
Who says it cannot be?
He understands that I am not going to follow his line, but I shall try to understand and respect it
I understand that he shall not follow mine, but please try to understand and respect it.
Some people have called us the ODD COUPLE -- not true.
*I already know it's Obama. haha*
I really do not care about Lyndon's article.
Lyndon has put on a false face -- pretending to be an American.
and he is a big joke.
I give him no creedence whatsoever. Let him do what he wants -- haha! -- as long as he let me alone!
I shall be very happy!
McCain is too old. I believe that either Barack or Hillary can beat him in November. So, I suppose, I will be happy when he gets the nod. Something tells me that he won't win, however.
if you ever get a chance to tour the visitor center in Salt Lake; do so! There is a spiral ramp that takes you up from a statue of Adam and Eve all the way to the top level where there is a statue of the resurrected Christ and the starry heavens above. But along the way you will pass quotations from various American luminaries, as well as paintings of familiar Bible stories, as well as not so familiar stories from the Book of Mormon. Unless you are intellectually on your toes, I suppose you could leave that center thinking our founding fathers believed in Mormanism.
Except it didn't yet exist during their lifetimes!!! Masterful illusion!
That's all that happens when one invokes what one thinks our founders would have thought of a candidate, bill, or social program; it is just propaganda for an agenda.
I think that at 71 years old, McCain is too old. Consider that he will probably not live to be 80 years old (which would be nine years from now). So, his VP will probably be the president. We would once again have a President who wasn't chosen by the people. But, if he's all the GOP has, well, so be it.
I've visited the Mormon Temple here and it stands majestically, being seen from many parts of the Bay Area, and it IS a site to see and visit.
Aaah man, the one that -- the hub, Salt Lake City -- I could only imagine. If I ever go there, and it really is not that far away (thank you) on the list. I shall forget that.
James, as far the comment about the Framers, well. . .your point is powerful one. But I have a number of Mormon friends. I shall saaaay,
No comment.
For the sake of argument let us agree that the newsletters came out of his office. Does that mean that he personally approved them?
Have you seen the Barack Obama TV commercials where the Senator says something like (and he does this preceding the commercial):
"My name is Barack Obama and I have approved this commercial."
Now why do you think he is doing that? Especially when the commercial is obviously a pro-Obama commercial?
I am not trying to defend Ron Paul. I am simply saying that in this information society many things can be altered to appear to be something other than what they were.
I celebrated by listening to NPR earlier who replayed many of Dr. Kings speeches and interviews. I also have a dvd of American Experience called Citizen King that I will watch later.
I honestly feel that to celebrate the legacy of Dr. King each of us should do something positive to make his dream a reality even if it's something as simple as watching a few You Tube videos of Dr. King and discussing them with your kids. Doing something positive certainly is not placing Dr. King in a political corner, but is a cheap exploit as far as I'm concerned.
I have aunts -- 3 at least pushing 90. They were not as physically active as McCain. I guess the bottom line is that you cannot call a person's time for them -- probability? Okay, but you just never know.
I suppose that I can't see how Ron Paul didn't know of those newsletters. So, I'll drop the issue if that's okay with you.
Now I shall be opportunistic. . .can I have your comment for my article????
So it is feasible and very much so that Ron Paul is not racist at all, yes?
I do not know how to respond, other than you are correct, in my opinion.
McCain!!!
I am not going play politics-as-usual.
By the way, we absentee voting Californians have our ballots.
Believe it or not, there was a time when everything for me was Hillary. I believed in her leadership skills, but I was sooo wrong. I learned this (how wrong I was) when Hillary voted for a resolution and knew better. I -- as a Hillary supporter -- looked at her and I knew, saw it in her eyes, that she knew better. That was it for me, for the eyes do not lie.
I only hope that Obama does not destroy my hope in his ability to lead. Who else in the Democratic party would be left?
Resisting the firehose blast (the firemen were white)
Trying to shove away the police dog ripping his pants.
"Run damn you, run," armed with billy clubs the white crowd chants.
Then the "Coloreds," man and woman, young and old, just sat down,
They would stay and have their way, for this too was their town.
And the TV evening news turned good folk's stomachs inside out,
Well people, to me that's what Doctor King was all about.
There is so much wisdom in your words, and that is the nice thing about (well, I mentioned Jeff H, earlier) exchange: if you really listen, openly and intently, you may actually hear, see and LEARN something new.
and Angie again, as we call this election -- and yes I am guilty of it -- you are correct, no one REALLY knows the outcome; no one REALLY knows what November 2008 holds. Heck, if someone had told me in 1997 I would ever THINK of voting Republican I would have pulled my proverbial gun out and aimed. Things change. People change based on so many variables. . .
On one of my other King articles, Tom, Rory, and it seems as though a few other people mentioned how he had or would influence succeeding generations.
I am from one of those succeeding generations. What I recall in college was the desire. . .always the hesitance to spill it. Let us say that were it not for Dr. King and his very powerful message, this much earlier than my time in college, then our methods as students -- and students who were in leadership positions -- would have been more turbulent than what we were able to accomplish.
not available to us anymore; why?
King's movement took all that away -- gone, bye-bye.
Never mind that King was long dead and gone.
King has set the precedent.
If we did not buy-into the process
Then we would not be able to play at the table with the big boys.
MLK should not be exploited in this way.
They gave him hell when he was alive and they wait until after he is gone to finally pay attention to what he has to say?
This is just terrible.
I am so glad you brought this topic up. I'm so tired of people using Dr. Martin Luther King's name for their own benefit. What really makes me angry is when these people only honor him once a year, on his birthday.
"why would Dr. King. . ." but quickly correcting the "would" to a "should". Is this a case of tit for tat, or merely semantics?
NO!
No one can predict the actions or thoughts of another with accuracy, and especially not those of someone who has been deceased for nearly 40 years.
Doc, you always bring intelligent insight to the table. I never thought of it. You are probably correct.
Elaine and Baiden: It is really something isn't it? It is arrogance, and prideful. I am not afraid to speak up, that's what. It is the hope of these people that no one shall say anything, but because I do not care, REALLY DO NOT CARE that I SHALL call them on it whenever I see it. What is unanticipated, not even thought about is that these articles DO go out to the Internet -- they are seen. Someone might identify this person and know what they have done, as they present themselves in an otherwise innocent and less devious light. It is here for the record; facts do not lie.
Hi Lawrence (LH)
You certainly wrote a moving article yesterday; thank you again. So then, LH, you have it figured out, eh? Obama and Edwards? Hmmm. You may be correct, and time shall tell
Thank you to all!
I think that Edwards made a few points tonight. Obama clearly had the most support in the audience. What do you think?
Our country has never before and will probably never again experience leaders of this maginitude. I know Dr. King is looking down on our country and shaking his head and praying for us.
The song "Has anybody here, seen my old friend John" and talks of "Abraham, Martin and John". It talks of Bobby too and it says it all.
I'm in tears and I can't do this anymore today.
Love -
I empathetize with you. Our country has seen so much tragedy, and through all of it we still stand tall; Old Glory still reigns and flies higher than any other flag, Sharon. We are -- despite all of it, and through all of it --
the greatest country today and the greatest country that has ever been --
or at least that is my opinion.
Right now we are facing some challenges, major challenges -- yes! But, as we stand
UNITED, Sharon -- UNITED, how is it possible for us to fail. [that is NOT a question, but a statement of FACT.
We must do it -- stand UNITED, for that it our LEGACY our name.
We are:
THE UNITED STATED OF AMERICA.
We need to start acting like it.
Nobody, but NOBODY can take THAT away from us, and
Nobody, but NOBODY can defeat US, except
OUR OWN SELVES.
That is our legacy; that is our might; that is how powerful we are.
It may be that we have had sad days, Sharon -- those we commemorate, but we move forward as we learn from them, remember and vow to not make the same mistakes.
We.
WE.
I offer you ((((hugs)))) in the only way I can for now.
We are a strong people.
We have overcome before.
We shall overcome.
I thought all of the candidates shined in different areas. Each had their strengths, as well as their weaknesses.
Now, let us see what the voters in -- well for now -- South Carolina shall say.
(A specific answer to your question is that I did watch the debate, and taped it; CNN shall air it, probably 2 more times, though.)
The greatest union buster of all time.
The man is honored because he changed America. There is no President Johnson day, Mrs. Bill Clinton.......
Don, I cannot say what Dr. King would have done, but I am -- glad that you have the probable answer.
Thank you to both of you.
Hatred and fear have always worked hand in hand; they feed upon each other -- one nourishing and replenishing the other. That is why the minister's words in the American Cathedral in September 2001 are forever etched in my mind, and why I hate this war so,
"Let us not become the evil we deplore."
We missed that one. We messed up. We HAVE become the evil we deplore, by engaging in a war that should have never been authorized and never been waged. Now we are paying the price. We did not learn the learn the lessons of Dr. King, did we? Had we done so, we would have acted -- not based on hatred and fear -- based on understanding and love. At least -- the very least we would have waited and investigated more thoroughly.
Thank you, Joe.
It was not just the Black Muslims, but also other so-called dissident groups. . .leave it at that.
Here is the thing: far too many people who are NOT Black want to tell Black people about the "Black Experience" (haha!), which goes beyond ignorance, it is STUPID. Sometimes a person does not really show just HOW stupid they are until they open their mouth -- can you believe that madness???
I know oftentimes we sit back and allow them to mouth off, and later laugh at them, but when it comes to the days that you speak of, James? I was not there. I have sense to listen -- L-I-S-T-E-N!!!, for I know not of what I speak.
I had relatives, active in the Civil right movement where Ron Dellums and Huey Newton (and others) hung out at their houses, "kicking it" -- very close to people in the differing parts of the movement.
I LISTEN to these people, instead of thinking I know something and I don't know anything. YES! YES! Dr. King "messed up" a movement, a very well-planned movement to incite and induce violence on a national scale. It would have worked; James, I am TELLING YOU, IT WOULD HAVE WORKED!
[I am laughing now, because these people really had their stuff together],
but Dr. King messed it up with his movement of peaceful protestation. They did not know where he was coming from, and they did not know what to do with him; it was discussed. I am not going to go any further down that line. Suffice to say the dissident groups were in one accord about ONE THING, if nothing else:
Dr. King was "in their mix", to use today's vernacular,
for he was promoting the exact opposite of what their goals hoped to achieve.
You are so right on!
To me, what that candidate would say, would claim Dr. King would have done becomes immaterial and overshadowed by the visual metaphore of the whole thing. Talk about staging a photo op... How many times are we going to see footage of that event repeated in his campaign materials between now and the end of the election process? THAT is exploitation!
You bring up a very good point. You cannot see me right now. If you did, you would know -- in all honesty -- that I am pausing for a long time, because your point is well-taken, however there is another side to this and it is this side.
The candidate to which you speak, and I will respectful of you and NOT mention their name, did not put a gun to anyone's head and force their way into Dr. King's church. The logical conclusion to draw was that this particular candidate was invited by the leadership of that church.
That is not to say that were Dr. King alive today, that Dr. King would have invited said candidate to his church; I repeat NOBODY can accurately predict the actions of another, especially someone who has been deceased for decades.
I clearly see your point; we have no dispute there.
Here is another thing, Moh:
Which of the other candidates would have refused this same opportunity had it been offered them? Now, let's keep it real here. None of them would have. Furthermore, they would have been taking advantage in every way, shape and form of the photo ops, advertisements -- EVERYTHING that Madison Avenue and their PR people could use to milk this situation to the hilt and you know it.
That is the other side of the coin.
Do I like it? NO! Dirty politics? Probably. But it would have been even more disrespectful to refuse to speak at Dr. King's church on the event of his holiday -- when asked -- come on Moh, how disrespectful to Dr. King's memory and legacy to refuse to do that. Come back at me. I would like to hear more from you on this. You have made very good sense. Thank you.
it's half empty
foreclosures- both sides are at fault the lender and the borrower and we all learn
joblessness- actually at an all time low and staying there
education - are you smarter than a fifth grader
iraq war - a sad but necessary war
Preach it! Preach it!
All I need do is kick back and listen. This is good, very good. Why in the world did you stop????
Please come back. I would like to hear more -- PLEASE!