Today is the national observance of Martin Luther King. Always on this day, I always revisit the I Have a Dream speech. Today I sit here and think, know that something has happened to set us back. 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 am starting this thread so that others can revisit MLK's speech. I was raised that we are all equal. The quote above is how my parents brought me up. Judge not by skin or race but by character. No bashing- just please enjoy the speech. I think MLK was a great man and a great spokesman. Regardless, he seemed to listen to all. I have linked the clipped part of his speech, the most well known section but there is more to the speech then what is normally played. Martin Luther King I Have a Dream Speech - American Rhetoric
I hold the belief that we all bleed the same red, so there is actually no difference in any of us at all!!! If our internal arraignments are all the same, then what the hell difference does skin color even mean!!!
The biggest problem is not skin color, but rather cultural differences with iconic role, models taken straight from a gangsta culture fostered by a system that decided it was better to enslave an entire class with social dependency rather than letting them choose and work their way to freedom and equality. As a result, I am 97 % more likely to shoot a black person in defense of my life than I am a white person so it would be absolutely stupid to ignore the most obvious clue of a potential threat, political correctness be damned. There is a 3% chance that you will be welcomed into my immediate AO until you show me that "Character" exists and isn't just some one-side PC crap that might get me shot or robbed or put working more hours to feed my family because you are too convinced that the world owes you and are entitled to a share of my earnings rather than working for your own. I have no issues with being labeled a racist by people that espouse such a double standard.
Agreed that culture is a major part of the problem. Up here in Canada we don't see the intense crime in "black neighborhoods" that ya'll do State-side. However...we DO see it with our Natives/Indians and in dense populated immigrant neighborhoods....particularly those at or below the poverty line. Talk:Crime in Canada - Wikipedia " "Although aboriginal persons make up 3.6% of Canada's population, they account for more than 20% of Canada's prison population. The prevalence of aboriginal persons incacerated in Canada is thus 3x the number per capita of incarcerated African-Americans in the United States of America." " It is there because the large representation of America's black people in crime statistics is commonly commented on (51% of homicides from 11% of the population, according to Crime in the US) and seen as a significant piece of America's crime picture. Canada's aboriginal population being three times more likely than America's black people of committing crimes is noteworthy if nothing else. 72.
Used to be active in the civil rights things in Fla. Texas, and New Mexico. Was arrested a couple times in LA and Miss, did the marches and sit in etc and was very supportive of the movement when it began in the 1950's. They seemed to want to be part of the American dream and they were getting the wrong of the stick at that time. After the great society and all the legal changes, etc, in the 1960's by sometime in the 1970's it became obvious to me they they no longer had the same dream as I had and did not wish my help in changing the attitudes of society, but somehow we owed them something and had to tolerate some division of our society into "ours" and "theirs" and that for some reason, past slavery, white privilege, poverty, past educational policies, past employment policies, etc, we owed them a living and all kinds of free stuff. I said good bye and good luck and never looked back. I have black friends, am very willing to support their dreams, but am no longer willing to support some groups that seem to re guard me in disdain. Dr. King had a dream in which race disappeared and we all treated each others as equals and each person had rights based on his humanity. It was a beautiful dream and it was not limited to any one race or society, As near as I can see, that dream is almost gone, each group is fighting for its clan, racial, social, gender group, etc and doesn't really want to be equal, but rather to be above the others and have their "rights" protected and made law to all the other groups.
King was going a bit radical by the time he was assassinated and apparently, and unfortunately, the BLM crowd are starting to play on that.... He apparently plagiarized parts of his famous speech but personally I have never held that against him. I would not go so far as to call the man a saint as remember reading about some of his vices but think he did have a good idea and brought it far along. But, in my opinion, his dream is dead and the fault lies in the black community themselves, mainly their leaders. Sorry, but that is how I feel...
Mr. King was Plagerist, as well as an Adulter, These are personal Failings, which do detract from his Message, in my book... However he did garner a good amount of Good Deeds, in his cause, and therefor in my book, he does deserve some notoriety. But, a National Holiday... come on... Now if there was a Booker T. Washington National Holiday, I would be up for that....
Many think that King was an opportunist, playing on Rosa Parks actions, he was a good speaker, preacher if you like, but the National Holiday left a sour taste in many peoples mouths, especially when you realise that the only national holiday that the United States celebrates that is named after an individual is MLK day. Hindsight being 20/20 it doesn't look like anybody was paying attention to his speeches, things have definitely gotten worse in the past 8 years, they were supposed to have gotten better ... Rancher
Compare MLK day to the loss of Washington's Birthday and Lincoln's as well. Net loss of one holiday. I'll give King credit for inspiring Jesse (the mouth) Al (the dolt) Shirley (the whiner) and let us not forget John (the mimic (Lewis)) to take advantage of the original cause of seeking equality. Looks like we've overshot that mark.
Ycch. Obviously celebrating MLK day is hazardous. We should campaign to take it off the calendar. (Don't get all fired up, it is sarcasm in case it isn't obvious. And, if you don't like sarcasm, look away. PC is really an interference.)
My only thought is that I tried to order a new firing pin for my Naval Company .45-70 line launcher and they were closed, so I have to call back tomorrow.
It is not just the King thing, boss did not close down or pay holiday pay for the day when it first came out, when asked why, he said he hadn't got the check to cover his expenses to do that from the government yet. They make it a holiday, want you to honor it and pay for it, and they take the credit. Government rules and regs aren't free. Someone has to pay the costs associated with them, training unqualified minorities, lower productivity, added forms and paper work, days off, etc, and a small business can not just pass them on or write them off.
