[Peace-discuss] Re: MLK events, Ricky's letter

[John W.]

At 09:10 AM 1/20/2008, n.dahlheim at mchsi.com wrote:

>Ricky,
>
>     Definitely write this letter up and send it to the 
> News-Gazette.  People must be reminded about the real
>history of MLK.  People must know his frailty as well as his inner 
>suffering.  They must know his sweeping
>vision for the world, and they must know how much our government spied on 
>and harassed him.  Most of
>all, they must know that after the flurry of civil rights legislation at 
>the end of the Kenney and the
>beginning fo the LBJ Administrations; MLK linked racism to larger systemic 
>issues of poverty, materialism,
>and militarism.  He became extremely radical.  If more Americans today 
>heard his April 1967 speech at
>Riverside Church than his "I Have A Dream Speech", they'd be more 
>skeptical about where our country is
>going and maybe more motivated to do something about it.
>
>          Nick


Uhhhh...I don't think Ricky said quite all that in his comments 
below.  Fortunately books have been written about Dr. King.  But you can't 
MAKE people read them.  And you can't MAKE people understand them properly 
even if they do read them.




>----------------------  Original Message:  ---------------------
>From:    "John W." <jbw292002 at gmail.com>
>To:      Ricky Baldwin <baldwinricky at yahoo.com>, peace-discuss at anti-war.net
>Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Re: [Peace] reminder: Martin Luther King events
>Date:    Sat, 19 Jan 2008 20:27:21 +0000
>
> >
> > It strikes me, Ricky, that your thoughts here, reworded only slightly,
> > would make an EXCELLENT letter to the News-Gazette.
> >
> > John Wason
> >
> >
> >
> > At 02:20 PM 1/19/2008, Ricky Baldwin wrote:
> >
> > >An example of the level of cooptation of MLK Day events.  I am a big
> > >proponent of supporting MLK
> > >Day celebrations and events when we can, including ads in the booklet,
> > >etc., but it doesn't always
> > >make sense.  To bring in a war contractor to commemorate an antiwar 
> leader
> > >... 'irony' just isn't
> > >a strong enuf word.
> > >
> > >Not only that but the kickoff event was held in a hotel which many of us
> > >helped picket because it
> > >was built with nonunion labor imported from out of town instead of local
> > >union labor.  The fact
> > >that Martin Luther King Jr died in Memphis supporting an AFSCME garbage
> > >workers strike seems lost
> > >on the planners.
> > >
> > >'Lost' is a kind way of describing them, by the way.  Someone else noted
> > >that among the list of
> > >sponsors are several of our fellow citizens who were at one time involved
> > >in an organization known
> > >notoriously by its abbreviation, a repetitive letter K.
> > >
> > >Ugh.
> > >
> > >Let's hope none of us ever gets famous enuf to be remembered in this 
> way ...
> > >Ricky
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >--- john martirano <johnmartirano at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > > Im sure others noticed the keynote for the kickoff this afternoon's 
> MLK
> > > event:
> > > > * Keynote: Joyce Tucker, VP Global Diversity and Employee Rights for
> > > > the Boeing Corporation
> > > > So a VP from one of the largest US war contractors is going to talk
> > > > about "Transforming Our Communities Through Peace & Justice"... Boeing
> > > > is also making inroads into domestic surveillance.
> > > >
> > > > John