When Did M.L. King Become The Most Important Person In American History?

Toogoodreports.com ^ | January 20, 2003 | Lowell Phillips

[stand watie]

i KNEW MLK,Jr and he would be EMBARRASSED at all this attention AND was a modest man.

in point of fact, he would rather have had a day of re-conciliation than all thios "jumping around", done by people who did NOT know him.

FRee dixie,sw

[Verginius Rufus]

It would help if we could somehow get people into the habit of calling "Presidents Day" by its rightful name, "Washington's Birthday."

The MLK holiday saved some lives. The earthquake which hit the L.A. area on January 17, 1994, was on the MLK holiday, which meant that the traffic on the freeways was unusually sparse for that time of day on a Monday. A few people were killed when part of a freeway collapsed; a lot more might have been killed if it had been a normal workday with heavy traffic.

[Dave S]

MLK is now the only singular person with a US holiday! Take Jesus Christ.... ---- 1) We used to celebrate Jesus' birthday (christmas), but now it's called Winter Holiday. ---- 2) We used to celebrate the Holiest time of the year for Christians (Easter), but now it's never celebrated.

If you dont celebrate these holidays its because of your own choosing. Every other Christian celebrates them without any difficulty. Apparently, you are just pissed that they are government sanctioned holidays. Since when is government acceptance of your holidays necessary before they are special for you.

[wardaddy]

Well said....I have been cruising the King threads...basically keeping my "gator shut"...your post says about what I'd say but more eloquently of course.

[Dave S]

Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was not mentioned.

Be careful, your're only partly right. Emacipation Proclamation only freed slaves in the slave states that were in revolt against the Union. Slaves in those states that remained in the Union were not freed until after the war following a constitutional ammendment (14th?).

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

The first Civil Rights act was passed in 1957, the history of which has been expertly detailed in Robert Caro's recent installment of his LBJ biography series. The Birmingham bus boycott had already taken place by this point, but that's about it. You are correct that King stood up for his beliefs and that nobody's perfect. I'm just pointing out that many of the reforms that are credited to King had their origins before he has assumed a prominent position on the national stage. Eisenhower called in the National Guard in September of 1957.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

King used the communists to advance his agenda and the communists used King to advance theirs. I'm not saying King was a communist. But their was a confluence of interests, well supported by the historical record.

[RightOnline]

"K-12 education is actively anti-American, and uses lies to further leftism. Whatcha gonna do?"

Well, for starters, you can try what we've been doing for over 18 years: Home school.

[stand watie]

WELL SAID!

free dixie,sw

[Dave S]

King was not a Soviet agent, but he did associate, hire, and work with known communists. His later writings have an obvious Marxist streak.

To be fair, how many conservatives did he have knocking on his door to help out and participate in his marches or his organization. He used the help he got from where he was able to get it. Kind of like Reagan accepting money from the Log Cabin Republicans. If they want to support his agenda then he will take their support.

[stand watie]

all three of these men will, i predict, come dixie LIBERTY,will have a bust in the HALL OF SOUTHRON HERO-MARTYRS!

free dixie,sw

[Richard Kimball]

The question posed in the article title has a simple answer. Kissing King's *ss is the equivalent of the old loyalty oath. NFL threatened to pull Super Bowl from Arizona if they didn't have a King holiday.

Ever wonder where King got the money to go all over the US giving these speeches? He was underwritten by someone. His affairs are also documented, as is the fact that most of his speeches are simply eloquent talks saying, "gimme, gimme, gimme."

However, King has reached that level of legendary status that his name is now an empty vessel, and people fill it with what they want him to stand for.

[TRY ONE]

"Since when is government acceptance of your holidays necessary before they are special for you."

It's not, pal! Why has your Federal Gevernment gotten rid of Federal Sponsored holidays of all individuals (including Jesus Christ, Abe Lincoln, George Washington) but it shuts down every Federal entity to celebrate your man MLK??????

[Dave S]

The Birmingham bus boycott had already taken place by this point, but that's about it. You are correct that King stood up for his beliefs and that nobody's perfect. I'm just pointing out that many of the reforms that are credited to King had their origins before he has assumed a prominent position on the national stage.

If I recall correctly King was involved in the Birmingham bus boycott. That aside, Blacks did not have the legal right to stay at a motel, eat at a lunch counter, much less buy a home in a non-Black area until the mid 60's. Even then, they were not always able to do so even though to refuse was against the law. King was the most memorable speaker at the march on Washington prior to the passage of the 64 Civil Rights bill. By 68, he was getting sidetracked into Vietname Anti-War movement.

[traditionalist]

To be fair, how many conservatives did he have knocking on his door to help out and participate in his marches or his organization.

Conservatives had just as much a role in Civil Rights as did liberals. Who signed the 1957 civil rights act into law? Who ordered Federal Troops to enforce Brown v. Topeka? Which party had over 70% of the congressmen and Senators vote for the 1964 Civil Rights Act?

[traditionalist]

You are technically correct, but the Emancipation Proclamation established the political climante without which the 13th Amendment would never have been passed.

[desertcry]

MLKING DAY!

[traditionalist]

That aside, Blacks did not have the legal right to stay at a motel, eat at a lunch counter, much less buy a home in a non-Black area until the mid 60's.

That was only true in the South.

[Dave S]

Why has your Federal Gevernment gotten rid of Federal Sponsored holidays of all individuals (including Jesus Christ, Abe Lincoln, George Washington) but it shuts down every Federal entity to celebrate your man MLK??????

You protest too much. Christmas is still there whatever the feds call it. Lincoln and Washington got shoved together to save money (a worthy goal). As far as MLK Day, with the percentage of black employment in the federal government and state government for that matter, the entities would have to shut down or cut back whether it was a paid holiday or not.

Since when did MLK become my man. He certainly wasnt back in the 60's when he was still alive but Im not so petty that I refuse to see all the good that he did. What do you want to do lump him in with the Presidents and call it Good Citizens Day... BARF.

I dont get any of these paid holidays so I dont give a damn. I work today and I generally find myself working when the fireworks are going off on the 4th of July. I work when I need to. When I dont work, I dont get paid. Simple as that.