What Does a Conservative Do on Martin Luther King Day?

The Claremont Institute ^ | January 17, 2005 | Ken Masugi

[Stoat]

What Does a Conservative Do on Martin Luther King Day?

 

How should conservatives celebrate Martin Luther King Day? We can honor the high-minded, patriotic side of King, who spoke of the American Dream, of a color-blind society that evaluates people on “the content of their character.” That would truly be an aristocracy of merit, a conservative idea if there ever was one. This King was the one calling us back to the ideals of the American Founding and reminding us that its legacy was not fully enjoyed by all. In this view, the Civil Rights Revolution, for which he became the principal (though by no means sole) spokesman, flowed from the American Revolution and completed the constitutionalism demanded by it. This King revived regard for the fundamental institutions of this country, cruelly and unjustly denied by a faction. Shelby Steele brings out this King most admirably.

But there is the other King conservatives loath—and with good reason. This King stressed unlawful action (civil disobedience) where bargaining with local notables might have prevailed. He lobbied for the extension of the welfare state, with all its disastrous consequences, in the claimants and in the growth of the bureaucracy. Moreover, he irresponsibly attacked his own country on the issue of Vietnam. He provided legitimate cover for a radical left that contained the worst elements of American life, posing as our true patriots. His crowning achievement, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, turned out to be a vehicle for the centralized regulation of political life. A plain reading of it sought to relieve individual injuries to one’s civil rights; the bureaucratic interpretation (the one that has prevailed) established group remedies, hiring and promotion quotas, and the emphasis on race-based solutions that bedevil our laws today. Similarly, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has subordinated state and local governments to the whims of the Justice Department. Thus King's version of equality cut off the relationship between the civil rights cause and the ideals of the American Founding; far from protecting limited, constitutional government his vision led to unlimited government. And all this does not mention the plagiarism and infidelity that infected his character.

Despite its equality on the federal holiday calendar, we cannot honor Martin Luther King Day with the same solemnity or joy we offer any number of other federal holidays. There were surely better approaches to establishing equal civil and political rights for all than the path which led from Brown v. Board of Education to the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, as they have come to be interpreted and then modified, not to mention the detour of the Great Society welfare state. But King has become that focus, that shorthand, for the road to equal rights, from Birmingham to the Lincoln Memorial. It would be worse than pointless to abolish the holiday. The just cause transcends the man. We must focus our attention on that cause. In doing so, it would be far better to honor the better angels of King’s character in the Presidents we honor next month—Washington and Lincoln.

[chemainus]

I am totally in favor of Inauguration Day being a Holiday as well as Election Day. Patriotism, government participation, freedom, exercising our rights publicly make for a great reason to celebrate....not MLK at the expense of another good and noble part of our culture.

[nmh]

bttt!

[Alberta's Child]

That's a very good point. Ironically, I believe the establishment of Martin Luther King Day as a national holiday has done more to cheapen the basic notion of a "national holiday" than it has done to honor the man.

[Zionist Conspirator]

I think presenting ourselves to be ritually kicked on the tush, the way Jews used to be on "good fr*day," would be appropriate.

Isn't it amazing how these "universal" messiahs can't redeem everyone without creating an "accursed race" of irredeemable villains?

[gridlock]

This conservative pulls out his well-worn phonograph copy of the "I Have A Dream" speech and plays it for anyone who will listen...

[wtc911]

But there is the other King conservatives loath—and with good reason. This King stressed unlawful action (civil disobedience) ....

There was once a tea party in Boston.....

___________________________________________

And, as I recall, a bit of Civil unpleasantness around 1861 that red-blooded conservatives here don't seem too upset about.

[wtc911]

A smart conservative says "so what?" and gets his own work done.

[mhking]

Black conservative ping

If you want on (or off) of my black conservative ping list, please let me know via FREEPmail. (And no, you don't have to be black to be on the list!)

Extra warning: this is a high-volume ping list.

[Non-Sequitur]

I believe that Dr. Masugi was meaning to suggest that Dr. King and his followers could have addressed many of their concerns via existing legal channels without needing to resort to illegal means...

In the south of the 1950's? Where the Klan and Jim Crow were at their height of power? Where even the U.S. Justice Department could not guarantee that the laws of the U.S. would be enforced by local coutts? Those legal channels?

Dr. King wasn't perfect, but then again neither were Washington or Lincoln. In fact, the last perfect man got nailed to a cross 2000 years ago. But Dr. King was a leader at a time when it was very dangerous to be a leader in the black community. He was a leader when it meant that the whole force of state and local government would fall on his head for getting out of line. He took his stand and literally changed the world for blacks in this country, North and South. He should be respected for that.

And Dr. Masugi seems to forget that Lincoln and Washington lost their holidays under Richard Nixon, long before the King holiday was established.

[Ebony and Ivory]

Isn't Ghandi similar to a founding father that rested india from British control? If so, I don't think the two are comparable. It would be more comparable to have a George Washington Day than a MLK day.

my two cents.

Ivory

[LauraleeBraswell]

Michael Savage needs to take crazy pills, he's out of his mind.

But hey, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

[LauraleeBraswell]

Where is the right to treat human beings like second class citizens?

It was an unjust and unfair system

[LauraleeBraswell]

I suppose every black person should have just waited until the KKK was able to Tolerate their presence!


You need to shut up. You really make me sick with your ignorance.

[rdb3]

The truth is known by some.

---

You're right, SP. In fact, the truth about you is known by some here as well.

[Don Corleone]

Just curious, do you know if there's a Mahatma Gandhi Day in India, where all Government offices are closed? I honestly don't know

Or a MOTHER TERESA day?

[nonliberal]

I know this is horrible but myself and some friends go to KFC for lunch every MLK day.

[goldstategop]

The author's wrong about civil disobedience. King responded to his critics in his famous "Letter From A Birmingham Jail." He never advocated disobeying the law in general or contravening the orderly principles of society. But he did say the Christian is not obligated to obey a law that contravenes the law of God and distorts or oppresses the human personality. Citizens are duty bound to disobey a law that says you're not equal with the rest of God's Children and moreso if it is a law you had no part in making. And King emphasized that one is willing to bear punishment for breaking such a law to bring the attention of the community to the fact of its injustice. No conservative can condone anarchy but no conservative can condone injustice as well.

[Meldrim]

Go to work. Find something productive to do if you have the day off. Personally, I celebrate February 6th.

[stand watie]

REMEMBER DR. KING!

when dixie gets around to building The Hall of Southron Heroes & Martyrs, MLK will have a ROOM in the museum.

free dixie,sw

[k2blader]

What Does a Conservative Do on Martin Luther King Day?

Work.