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My personal musings about anything that gets on my radar screen--heavily dominated by politics.

2008-01-22

Martin Luther King's Dream 

Have you ever actually read the entirity of MLK's famous speech? I hadn't--not until last year, at least. The estimable Mark D. Roberts posted the entire speech on his website. A very interesting read, I must admit.

For instance, I had never heard this passage in the old newsreels:

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

I wonder how Al Sharpton and Tawana Brawley feel about this particular passage.

Or this one:

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

I wonder what the ACLU would have to say about that particular passage.

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

That is a very uplifting sentiment--the sort of hopeful vision completely missing from the Democratic debate tonight, or from the Democratic rhetoric in the halls of Congress. More importantly, the rhetoric of the so-called "civil rights" movement of today has taken on the distinct air of complaining without purpose.

By contrast, Martin Luther King's "Dream" is full of hope, and of purpose, and of truth. I wonder if it will ever be possible to match his like again.

So, you could read all about the little kerfuffle on the floor of the Colorado Senate today about the legacy of Dr. King. Or, if you've never read or heard the whole thing, you could honor Dr. King by learning the totality of what he said. To simply know "I have a dream . . . ." is to know just the beginning of this man's wisdom and talent.
Posted by: Michael / 1/22/2008 01:08:00 AM

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