Posted on 02/08/2006 5:09:35 PM PST by Mike Bates
On Tuesday's Hardball, the discussion turned to Jimmy Carter's remarks at the funeral of Coretta Scott King. The former president had brought up wiretapping. Host Chris Matthews observed: "Of course thats hot because J. Edgar Hoover was wiretapping Dr. King and feeding all the dirty to LBJ, you know?"
The former FBI chief had indeed wiretapped the late civil rights leader, but not on his own authority and initially not for President Lyndon Johnson. King biographer David Garrow wrote in a 2002 Atlantic Monthly article:
"On October 10, 1963, U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy committed what is widely viewed as one of the most ignominious acts in modern American history: he authorized the Federal Bureau of Investigation to begin wiretapping the telephones of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. Kennedy believed that one of King's closest advisers was a top-level member of the American Communist Party, and that King had repeatedly misled Administration officials about his ongoing close ties with the man."
Earlier in the program, Matthews had said that at Mrs. King's funeral, "Senator Ted Kennedy reminded us of the role his brothers had played with Dr. King, getting him out of jail back in 1960." This role included Bobby Kennedy inappropriately calling the sentencing judge in the case. There's strong reason to believe the Kennedys' sudden interest was politically motivated. Kennedy's call took place only days before the 1960 presidential election. So grateful was Dr. King's father that he announced, "Because this man was willing to wipe the tears from my daughter (in-law's) eyes, I've got a suitcase of votes, and I'm going to take them to Mr. Kennedy and dump them in his lap."
It's understandable that Teddy Kennedy wouldn't bring up his brothers' role in wiretapping Martin Luther King. But why wouldn't Chris Matthews mention their widely known involvement?
You can't equate the wiretaps of Dr. and Mrs. King with wiretaps of Al Qaeda agents and sympathizers.
I recently heard some LLL trying to say it was Nixon. The LLL does not take kindly to history, do they. Everything has to be revisionist history to suit their agenda. Kinda like Nixon's Viet Nam war also . . . .
By the way, what's an LLL?
ROTFLOL!! You're probably right!
You are correct! It was Kennedy who ordered the spying on King - not Hoover.
Chris is doing this because the left's mantra is DOMESTIC SPYING! And .. Hoover was a Republican ..?? At least I see the connection there - repub is bad - dem is good.
And .. Chris' fable isn't related to the NSA's computers listening in to FOREIGN TERRORISTS who are calling people in the USA.
The ultimate irony of ol Peanut Jimmy bringing up the wiretapping at the funeral was the Kennedys were trying to get evidence of the Reverends infidelity. Nice thing to bring up at the widows funeral.
I have seen some posts on FR referring to Loony Left Libs, or Left Loony Libs. I have also noticed as of late people are starting to replace MSM (Main Stream Media) with Antique Media. Wish the MSM would just die and go away - they are the propaganda arm of the DNC.
Ah. Thanks for the explanation!
Also see A former attorney general remembers the bugging of Martin Luther King Jr. just posted.
Jesus said, "Love thy neighbor"
Jesus did not say, "Love thy abstract idea of a neighbor."
Well .. somebody has to keep tabs on the enemy!
ROFL
You know, I guess there's no way to avoid this, given what we do here, but it occurs to me that whenever Chrissie says anything, no one really hears it until we mention it ;)
Thanks for the great link Fedora, a definite keeper.
JFK and RFK were wiretapping MLK
It was the Democrats who spied on Rev King. JFK.RFK and LBJ.
Spying on your political enemies and spying in a time of War on terrorists who present a clear and present danger to the US is not the same thing.
You may well be right. Gotta work on that.
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