"I Have a Dream" ~ MLK, jr.

[MagicaPractica]

delivered 28 August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

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.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. *We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by a sign stating: "For Whites Only."* We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."¹

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

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."²

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.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of
Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

 

[Salvor-Hardon]

Amen and amen.

 

[Chantilyvamp]

i get goose bumps every time i read that or hear it

 

[Cyberpawz]

And yet, as much as his dream has come to reality, so much more has been bastardized by the general public, people like Al Sharpton, and race pimps and whores of our day.

The only people today that hold the "black minority" back is themselves.

 

[rgraham666]

That is one of the world's great speeches.

And cyberpawz? Fuck off.

 

[Cyberpawz]

That is one of the world's great speeches.

And cyberpawz? Fuck off.

Nope, sorry... you obviously don't work in school systems, and you don't have to deal on a day to day basis what people like Al Sharpton and all those who say that the white majority is still suppressing the black minority from ever doing anything.

Rap, Gangsta-Rap, and many other type of music, as well as general population lack of morals, no family to fall back upon, gangs, and parents not caring how their kids are doing, or do, but do nothing because their kids are too wild for their parents to control.

I have worked in some of the worst school systems in the US, unless you have, or have volunteered in some of the worst places in the US, then don't tell me to fuck off, because you have no clue what you are even bitching about. I have seen them, I have the scars to prove it, and I have had to watch black on black violence back in the early 90's because of a fucking pair of shoes...

People who want to be helped can be, those who choose to play the vicim card are not worth my time. MLK's speech is great, and still strong statement, but the problem is that unless people are willing to help themselves, all the help, and the money from other people in the world won't help them in the long run, it will create a subculture dependent on other people's money and efforts to survive.

As a famous saying goes, "You can give a man a fish, and feed him for a day; or you can teach the man how to fish and feed him for a lifetime."

Now how about this, unless you've worked in the NY before the cleanup, Lowell, MA, and Lynn, MA before it cleaned it's act up, or how about Boston in the center of some of the worst crime areas in the entire state, then you have no experience like I do, and you have no comprehension about what I say, because unless you have experienced it, you will know that the only thing holding back the black minority in this country today is itself, and its dependency on money from the state via our tax dollars to give them an edge that no one else in this country has ever had, which is racism on its face but of course you don't want to hear that.

Martin Luther King said, "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

Not all men are created equal, nor will they ever be if they are dependent on other people. Respect comes from within first, and then is shown from without, if you don't respect yourself, then you shouldn't expect anyone else to respect you. If you don't respect people or things around you, then you shouldn't be expect to be respected.

Respect is a two way street, so is equal opportunity, if you are going to sit on your ass and be expected to be given respect or the opportunity to excel then you are going to fail, if you get off your ass and make those things happen in where you will excel, then you will be a greater person.

MLK proved that, the problem is that no one today is willing to do so again because they are afraid of being called an Uncle Tom, or the white man's puppet, which is sad.

 

[3113]

Nope, sorry... you obviously don't work in school systems, and you don't have to deal on a day to day basis what people like Al Sharpton and all those who say that the white majority is still suppressing the black minority from ever doing anything.

*Sigh* Some people just don't get it.

You're on an Author's forum. That's a place where there are people who admire words and ideas and how those ideas are expressed, as well as the historical, social, cultural, etc. of such words and ideas. In other words, we are not only reflecting on those past times and MLK, jr., etc. We are worshiping the words and cadence, the metaphors and power of this amazing speech.

Using this glorious speech as a springboard for your own personal bitch-fest about anything, whether there's any validity to your bitching or not, is rather like walking into a church during prayer and shitting on the altar in order to complain about the fact that the parish toilets haven't been cleaned. It doesn't get your point across. It only makes you look like someone who ought to be on everyone's ignore list.

So if you want to seem to be more than someone who goes off on a rant anytime anything said on this subject pushes that oh-so-sensitive little button of yours, if you want people to believe you have a valid argument that ought to be discussed, then start your own thread on the topic. Because no one on this one wants to talk to you about what you want to talk about.

As for your insistence that Rob or anyone else "obviously" doesn't work in the school system...obviously you don't realize that you don't know shit about any of us, and we don't know shit about you. You're an alt on an internet forum. We could all be teachers in the New York school system right now, and you could be some shlub in a garage who's never worked a day in his life. We don't know who the fuck you really are or if you really know what the fuck you're talking about...and you don't know who the fuck we are and if we know a whole lot more than you do about what you're talking about.

Hence, the "fuck off."

All you've done is come across as someone who's interrupting a beautiful symphony because you can't help yourself, you hear music and you have to bitch and complain about how badly you were treated while teaching music. Presuming we trust you and care about your opinion, why do you think we'd want to discuss that here and now in THIS thread?

Get it?

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

Unfortunately, the only part of that speech that are remembered by most people are the words, "I have a dream." That's just sad.

 

[Cyberpawz]

*Sigh* Some people just don't get it.

You're on an Author's forum. That's a place where there are people who admire words and ideas and how those ideas are expressed, as well as the historical, social, cultural, etc. of such words and ideas. In other words, we are not only reflecting on those past times and MLK, jr., etc. We are worshiping the words and cadence, the metaphors and power of this amazing speech.

Using this glorious speech as a springboard for your own personal bitch-fest about anything, whether there's any validity to your bitching or not, is rather like walking into a church during prayer and shitting on the altar in order to complain about the fact that the parish toilets haven't been cleaned. It doesn't get your point across. It only makes you look like someone who ought to be on everyone's ignore list.

So if you want to seem to be more than someone who goes off on a rant anytime anything said on this subject pushes that oh-so-sensitive little button of yours, if you want people to believe you have a valid argument that ought to be discussed, then start your own thread on the topic. Because no one on this one wants to talk to you about what you want to talk about.

As for your insistence that Rob or anyone else "obviously" doesn't work in the school system...obviously you don't realize that you don't know shit about any of us, and we don't know shit about you. You're an alt on an internet forum. We could all be teachers in the New York school system right now, and you could be some shlub in a garage who's never worked a day in his life. We don't know who the fuck you really are or if you really know what the fuck you're talking about...and you don't know who the fuck we are and if we know a whole lot more than you do about what you're talking about.

Hence, the "fuck off."

All you've done is come across as someone who's interrupting a beautiful symphony because you can't help yourself, you hear music and you have to bitch and complain about how badly you were treated while teaching music. Presuming we trust you and care about your opinion, why do you think we'd want to discuss that here and now in THIS thread?

Get it?

Admiring a speech from someone just because it came from someone who died for an idea doesn't make it more or less than what it is.

What most people don't realize or care to realize is that MLK was far from the person we are told he is through the school systems, and if we knew then what we now know, we may never of had a MLK Day and his speech would be another blip on the pages of history of speeches.

You claim you admire the person, and the ideals behind the person, I call BS on that, all you care about is the speech and its ideas... not the person, for if you knew the things about MLK that the historians know now, you'd not celebrate it the same way you do now, or claim to.

I celebrate the idea behind the speech, but I don't celebrate the people who are bastardizing the idea into their own political views. (past or present)

Unfortunately, the only part of that speech that are remembered by most people are the words, "I have a dream." That's just sad.

Yes it is.

 

[cloudy]

geez, another bigot for my ignore list.

they're crawling out of the woodwork lately.

 

[Cyberpawz]

geez, another bigot for my ignore list.

they're crawling out of the woodwork lately.

Not a bigot, a history major, with family that knew MLK personally.

 

[Liar]

Admiring a speech from someone just because it came from someone who died for an idea doesn't make it more or less than what it is.

And what it is, is a brilliant speech. Both in spirit, context, content and execution.


*sigh* I fear the age of great orators are over. Everything today must be tailored for four second talking points for maximum repetition in tv timeslots.

 

[cloudy]

Not a bigot, a history major, with family that knew MLK personally.

a bigot with an axe to grind who makes an ass of himself by assuming things about others.

buh-bye.

 

[Weird Harold]

And what it is, is a brilliant speech. Both in spirit, context, content and execution.

And still relevant 44 1/2 years later, both as a Symbol and as a Goal. The people who need to heed Dr. King's speech are fewer and often differently hued than the people it was originally about, but the Dream still remains to bring to fruition.

*sigh* I fear the age of great orators are over. Everything today must be tailored for four second talking points for maximum repetition in tv timeslots.

I fear you are correct. It's no coincidence that Dr. King was a minister; because only Churches have need of public speaking skills beyond the "four second sound bite" level -- it was already true forty-five years ago and gotten much worse since.

 

[rgraham666]

And what it is, is a brilliant speech. Both in spirit, context, content and execution.


*sigh* I fear the age of great orators are over. Everything today must be tailored for four second talking points for maximum repetition in tv timeslots.

Which is probably why I don't watch TV anymore.

Fast food just doesn't do it for me.

 

[slyc_willie]

Which is probably why I don't watch TV anymore.

Fast food just doesn't do it for me.

Indeed. Blatant sensationalism is only for the ADHD multitudes in America. I really, really hate to quote Rush, but his euphemism of the 'drive-by media' is pretty apt.

On a related note, taking the bus back from downtown this afternoon, I noted that the very first seat of the bus, instead of being padded in blue as were all the other seats, was now yellow, with a legend inscribed:

"Reserved for the memory of Rosa Parks."

 

[Cyberpawz]

[/QUOTE]

And still relevant 44 1/2 years later, both as a Symbol and as a Goal. The people who need to heed Dr. King's speech are fewer and often differently hued than the people it was originally about, but the Dream still remains to bring to fruition.

I agree, and it won't happen till people stop expecting the government to do it for them.

I fear you are correct. It's no coincidence that Dr. King was a minister; because only Churches have need of public speaking skills beyond the "four second sound bite" level -- it was already true forty-five years ago and gotten much worse since.

You can thank Cable television and 24 hour saturation of useless information for that.

a bigot with an axe to grind who makes an ass of himself by assuming things about others.

buh-bye.

I'd like to introduce you to my friend, he is called Kettle, he is also black.

 

[Cyberpawz]

What I find sad about this topic is how people missed the entire concept of his speech, yes it is nice, yes it is in what some people call beautiful, but the fact is that the message has been lost on the general population of this country, and its congressmen and women since then.

People even here are missing part of the story, king wanted equality and fairness to all religions, nationalities, and beliefs, even if it went against his.

Now if you can tell me, in the true meaning of his message that it has happened in this country, I will shut up, but I think the proof is in the pudding in where this forum is a good example of that in where King's message has not been heard or understood.

The issue I have is that the country and people inside it has bastardized his message, and has allowed state and federal racism to continue through the Affirmative Action Act. Dr. King would never of wanted what we call Affirmative Action to of ever existed, for it is everything he was against.

I feel sorry for those people here that think I am a biggot, I'm far from it, but if you can't see what I say through my posts here, then the racist and biggot isn't me, but the ones that are closed minded and not willing to let people talk about someone who's views have been destroyed by the same people that walked with him.

 

[Misty_Morning]

Cyberpawz......it's called inspiration.

I understand your frustration.

You say that folks folks just don't get it (in a way). That we don't understand.

I say this....Have you lived in the deep South?

Have you lived in Mississippi?

Have you lived in Memphis?


I have.

I have seen the hatred on both sides.

I'm not trying to "one up you", but don't assume that you know more than others.

Today I choose to rememeber a man, and the eloquent words he spoke, the way he inspired others to strive to make a difference, through peace.


And today...I chose to remember those words. Today I chose remember where we, as a society were, and where we are now, and where we need to strive to be.

If you give up now, you give up on "OUR" future.

 

[keeblercrumb]

What I find sad about this topic is how people missed the entire concept of his speech, yes it is nice, yes it is in what some people call beautiful, but the fact is that the message has been lost on the general population of this country, and its congressmen and women since then.

People even here are missing part of the story, king wanted equality and fairness to all religions, nationalities, and beliefs, even if it went against his.

Now if you can tell me, in the true meaning of his message that it has happened in this country, I will shut up, but I think the proof is in the pudding in where this forum is a good example of that in where King's message has not been heard or understood.

The issue I have is that the country and people inside it has bastardized his message, and has allowed state and federal racism to continue through the Affirmative Action Act. Dr. King would never of wanted what we call Affirmative Action to of ever existed, for it is everything he was against.

I feel sorry for those people here that think I am a biggot, I'm far from it, but if you can't see what I say through my posts here, then the racist and biggot isn't me, but the ones that are closed minded and not willing to let people talk about someone who's views have been destroyed by the same people that walked with him.

Whether you believe yourself to be a racist or not, the tone and content of your posts clearly are. Your very first post clearly demonstrates you see the speech and message is about "them" which kind of misses the point of his "dream"... and perhaps demonstrates we have a way to go as a free nation.

1963 was a different time. Racism was institutional and codified in law in many parts of the country. Racism was also endemic in the rest of the country when it came to those basic elements of the American Dream... housing, schools, jobs and opportunity.

Slavery and it's more recent institutional incarnation Segregation is the sobering legacy of our democracy and freedom. Even as our founding fathers penned the words we so cherish, the institution of slavery was rampant in the land in ironic counterpoint to concepts being codified.

I would have hoped MLK was by now simply thought of as a great American who brought the ugly reality of segregation and racism to the public consciousness and forced us to look at. That he chose non-violence as the medium of change is even more remarkable and undoubtedly saved this country from being wracked with racial violence far in excess of what we have actually experienced.

And you? You want us to know the "dirty secrets" of MLK? And you think this will somehow change his legacy and the power of his words? You are mistaken. I am moved by his words, by his example of courage and leadership in very dangerous times and places as his assassination was to prove.

Perhaps Thomas Jefferson fucked sheep and Abe Lincoln wore pink undies... I frankly don't care and I sure as hell don't care what dirt you care to throw at MLK's memory. His words and his example are what inspires me.

I will even concede the racist aspect embodied in Affirmative Action and if you want, you can start a thread on that subject. But that there are still people such as yourself who see our country as "us and them", suggests that the necessity for it may not be over.

Even when you damn with faint praise his words, your allusion to his "real" secret character apparently known only to you "historians" demonstrates your true feelings about him. So racist? Yeah... I think you are comfortable wearing that shoe.....

-KC

 

[Cyberpawz]

Cyberpawz......it's called inspiration.

I understand your frustration.

You say that folks folks just don't get it (in a way). That we don't understand.

I say this....Have you lived in the deep South?

Have you lived in Mississippi?

Have you lived in Memphis?


I have.

I have seen the hatred on both sides.

I'm not trying to "one up you", but don't assume that you know more than others.

Today I choose to rememeber a man, and the eloquent words he spoke, the way he inspired others to strive to make a difference, through peace.


And today...I chose to remember those words. Today I chose remember where we, as a society were, and where we are now, and where we need to strive to be.

If you give up now, you give up on "OUR" future.

Actually I've lived in Washington DC, I've also lived in Tennessee, my mother is also from West Virginia, so yes I've seen what you have, and I've seen the hatred you talk about, but the problem is that in today's day and age people are more or less content with it, and mouth pieces like Al Sharpton and his ilk poison what MLK stood for.

AA is racism, yet we call it a step forward, Obama says he would not be where he is if it wasn't for AA, well that may be true, but we may never know. I prefer to like or associate myself with someone who got on somewhere by merit, not by a special committee that decided we needed more of a specific race or gender.

MLK insisted we treat everyone the same, but how can we do that if the government won't allow us to?

MLK may of been a great man, his message may of been correct, but because people are stupid and can't understand what the true meaning of equal opportunity means then I guess we are stuck with racism as common practice.

If MLK could, he would be spinning in his grave, for although MLK was for something, his message to strive has been lost by politics and bigotry, and racism.

 

[Cyberpawz]

Whether you believe yourself to be a racist or not, the tone and content of your posts clearly are. Your very first post clearly demonstrates you see the speech and message is about "them" which kind of misses the point of his "dream"... and perhaps demonstrates we have a way to go as a free nation.

1963 was a different time. Racism was institutional and codified in law in many parts of the country. Racism was also endemic in the rest of the country when it came to those basic elements of the American Dream... housing, schools, jobs and opportunity.

Slavery and it's more recent institutional incarnation Segregation is the sobering legacy of our democracy and freedom. Even as our founding fathers penned the words we so cherish, the institution of slavery was rampant in the land in ironic counterpoint to concepts being codified.

I would have hoped MLK was by now simply thought of as a great American who brought the ugly reality of segregation and racism to the public consciousness and forced us to look at. That he chose non-violence as the medium of change is even more remarkable and undoubtedly saved this country from being wracked with racial violence far in excess of what we have actually experienced.

And you? You want us to know the "dirty secrets" of MLK? And you think this will somehow change his legacy and the power of his words? You are mistaken. I am moved by his words, by his example of courage and leadership in very dangerous times and places as his assassination was to prove.

Perhaps Thomas Jefferson fucked sheep and Abe Lincoln wore pink undies... I frankly don't care and I sure as hell don't care what dirt you care to throw at MLK's memory. His words and his example are what inspires me.

I will even concede the racist aspect embodied in Affirmative Action and if you want, you can start a thread on that subject. But that there are still people such as yourself who see our country as "us and them", suggests that the necessity for it may not be over.

Even when you damn with faint praise his words, your allusion to his "real" secret character apparently known only to you "historians" demonstrates your true feelings about him. So racist? Yeah... I think you are comfortable wearing that shoe.....

-KC

I'll just say this now, if you can say that AA isn't racism, then you don't know the definition of it. And it belongs here because it is everything that MLK did not stand for, he wanted to remove racism, and to say that AA hinders that is a sham, and a lie.

If you actually do research about the man, beyond what the history books in your school teaches you, perhaps for once your eyes will be opened to a man that wasn't as holy and as perfect as everyone makes him out to be.

I will not say his ideas of an equal opportunity country is a bad idea, but even today we are far from it because of the fact that because no one is given equal treatment. Also if his words inspire you, than good for you, but if you actually listened to his words my words would not be insulting to you, because you would of learned to not only turn the other cheek, but to forgive my ignorance and to pray for me to better myself.

So don't get all high and mighty on me here, you are just as much of a hypocrite as I am if that's true, for if his words really do inspire you, then you'd of left my post alone and ignored it, but since you didn't... well... I'll let you do the logical conclusion.

 

[keeblercrumb]

I'll just say this now, if you can say that AA isn't racism, then you don't know the definition of it. And it belongs here because it is everything that MLK did not stand for, he wanted to remove racism, and to say that AA hinders that is a sham, and a lie.

If you actually do research about the man, beyond what the history books in your school teaches you, perhaps for once your eyes will be opened to a man that wasn't as holy and as perfect as everyone makes him out to be.

I will not say his ideas of an equal opportunity country is a bad idea, but even today we are far from it because of the fact that because no one is given equal treatment. Also if his words inspire you, than good for you, but if you actually listened to his words my words would not be insulting to you, because you would of learned to not only turn the other cheek, but to forgive my ignorance and to pray for me to better myself.

So don't get all high and mighty on me here, you are just as much of a hypocrite as I am if that's true, for if his words really do inspire you, then you'd of left my post alone and ignored it, but since you didn't... well... I'll let you do the logical conclusion.

"Turn the other cheek" applies to discourse? Who knew? Certainly not I. I always assumed it was part of the non-violence creed of MLK. But I don't remember him ever suggesting we keep our mouths shut when confronted with racism.

Even setting aside the cheek turning for a moment, I have forgiven you your ignorance, thank you. And I do hope you better yourself, you are certainly in need of it.

And again, you want to cast aspirtions on him, making vague statements about his alleged failings in some moral context. But since you missed the point the last time, let me say it again, I don't care. I never suspected him of being "holy and perfect". It is enough for me that he was courageous, dedicated and a force for beneficial change in our country. I trust even your "history" would concede that.

Speaking of points you missed, I most certainly acknowledge the racism inherent in AA legislation.... but you are fighting a battle that is long over, I would hope. I would also hope such legislation and programs will soon become unnecessary and archaic but that people such as yourself continue to float around... it gives pause to this optimism.

And how righteous of you to acknowledge that equal opportunity is "not a bad idea". But perhaps not a good one?

Give the man his due..... and his day. Save your racist bile for another time and place.

-KC

 

[Cyberpawz]

"Turn the other cheek" applies to discourse? Who knew? Certainly not I. I always assumed it was part of the non-violence creed of MLK. But I don't remember him ever suggesting we keep our mouths shut when confronted with racism.

Even setting aside the cheek turning for a moment, I have forgiven you your ignorance, thank you. And I do hope you better yourself, you are certainly in need of it.

And again, you want to cast aspirtions on him, making vague statements about his alleged failings in some moral context. But since you missed the point the last time, let me say it again, I don't care. I never suspected him of being "holy and perfect". It is enough for me that he was courageous, dedicated and a force for beneficial change in our country. I trust even your "history" would concede that.

Speaking of points you missed, I most certainly acknowledge the racism inherent in AA legislation.... but you are fighting a battle that is long over, I would hope. I would also hope such legislation and programs will soon become unnecessary and archaic but that people such as yourself continue to float around... it gives pause to this optimism.

And how righteous of you to acknowledge that equal opportunity is "not a bad idea". But perhaps not a good one?

Give the man his due..... and his day. Save your racist bile for another time and place.

-KC

As you have said racism isn't gone, and AA is a strong proponent of it, once we can remove AA from the books, then we can truly say racism is one step closer to being gone.

 

[keeblercrumb]

As you have said racism isn't gone, and AA is a strong proponent of it, once we can remove AA from the books, then we can truly say racism is one step closer to being gone.

I agree. As soon as the necessity for it is gone... I hope it disappears forever.

-KC