mhking
Freeper since April 14, 2002
mhking can be found almost anywhere on Free Republic. Mostly, he is looking for news threads that may be of interest to his "Black Conservative" ping list. If the subject matter catches his interest, you can be sure he will speak his mind - eloquently and with a well-placed touch of wit.
When I requested personal information from mhking, he obliged by sending me his bio in his own words:
"I've been described as a true 'Renaissance Man.' I went to both Purdue & Howard Universities, and finished prior to my degree in early '86. I've worked in radio dating back to 1979, and in the computer biz as far back as 1985. I've been a disk jockey, a news reporter, a computer salesman, a retail store manager, a talk show host, a radio station general manager, and a professional curmudgeon. Much of the time, I'm honest to a fault, but I (at least I try to) mean well.
"I'll be 40 the week before Christmas; my now-40 year-old wife (Rachel) and I met in Jr. High, went to rival high schools and started dating in our sophmore year of college (20 years ago this past summer!). We got married in 1985 (our 17th anniversary was just last week)."
mhking, "she-who-must-be-obeyed"
(aka Rachel) and 11-mo-old Lynese
"We've got three kids; Jasmine is 14, a freshman in high school who puts us through her teenaged angst with distressing regularity. My son Mitchell is 9 and is everything I could want and hope for. Lynese is 11 months and runs the entire household (yes, even overriding "She-who-must-be-obeyed," aka Rachel). LOL!
"I've been called plenty of things over time...'Uncle Tom,' 'Oreo,' 'Sellout,' & 'Lawn Jockey' for starters. But now, a new epithet has been tossed my way: 'Bush-bot.'
"Presumably, the name is used to refer to someone who follows lock-step the policies of the Administration and the President in a 'cult of personality.' While I find that I whole-heartedly support the war on terrorism in general and the war on Iraq in particular, to call me a 'Bush-bot' would be furthest from the truth. While I support the Bush Administration on the war, I find a deep chasm between myself and the administration on the issue of immigration. We have no business opening up the borders of this country to illegal immigrants. If we do, the 'trickle' of people who hop the Rio Grande will turn into a torrent that we won't be able to stop.
"I grew up in Gary, Indiana, in what some have considered a disadvantaged community. I didn't see it as such. I have both my mom and dad to thank for that. They're both educators, my father retired, and my mother soon to be. My dad's folks lived across town from us, and also had strong social and cultural ties in the community."
Four generations of King men: mhking,
his Dad Curtis, his brother Rick, his
Grand-Dad Emery and his son Mitchell
"When I was coming up, if you discussed politics in Gary, it was automatically assumed that you meant Democratic politics. In my mind, black equaled Democrat, period. I bought into the mantra that 'liberal' meant good and 'conservative' meant bad, without question. Of course, as a youngster, I thought I could change the world that way as well. We all had that 'invincible power' at that age.
"When I went to college, first at Purdue, then at Howard, I continued to follow 'the party line' as set forth by the so-called black leadership, but I began to question parts of the message that were being presented to me. I didn't think much about it though - my mind was on business and trying to make money. Plus I had other things on my mind: the woman who I currently refer to as 'She-who-must-be-obeyed'."
In 1994, after stints both on local TV and talk radio in Gary, mhking was asked to run a black radio station, WIGO in Atlanta. Finances were shrinking and his family was growing, so he eagerly accepted.
Front: mhking's "Bohemian" sister Courtney, mhking,
Rachel, Lynese and Carolyn (family friend).
Back: Mitchell and Jasmine
As a talk radio host, mhking challenged his black Atlanta listeners to "think outside the box." When he vocally disapproved of the Atlanta Public Schools' decision to contract with a minority business rather than the non-minority lowest bidder, he was soundly ridiculed by his listeners. It was at that point that it was cemented in his mind that he was truly a conservative. He decided to join Project 21 and has never looked back.
mhking sums up his beliefs in this way: "My core beliefs are simple. We all have rights. I don't have any more, nor any less rights just because I'm black. I believe that we must have financial accountability in government. I believe that individuals must also be accountable for their own actions. We must have a strong defense in order to secure our freedoms, and a small government allows us to hold and keep those freedoms. A large, bureaucratic mess does nothing but benefit a small number of people, and those are the ones in power.
"Does that make me a 'Bush-bot?' I think not. Just a dad, a husband, a son, a man. One who is proud to be conservative and proud to be an American."
It's my pleasure to present another of FR's Finest! Today that Finest is mhking!
Take a bow, mhking, the spotlight is yours!
|
|
|
|
|
A Few of FR's Finest.....
