by Travis M
Travinyle1
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| Martin Luther King Jr. in Birmingham jail |
The celebration of Martin Luther King's life is a Federal holiday I have come to appreciate more the older I get. Dr. King was a great American with courage who literally put his life on the line for an idea of freedom and equality for all races. He like many other revolutionaries was murdered because he posed such a threat to the establishment. He believed in this idea so much that he encouraged civil disobedience which ultimately meant breaking laws and sometimes being arrested. Dr. King organized non violent acts of defiance which began to spread across the country particularly in the south.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 crippled the budget of the Montgomery public transit system. During the 385 day boycott Dr. King was arrested. This boycott then inspired Rosa Parks to stay seated in her bus seat and not surrender it to a white passenger who had just boarded the bus. This act of defiance, which Parks was originally arrested for, resulted in a United State Supreme Court decision that led to the Alabama and Montgomery laws being ruled unconstitutional. Dr. King was also arrested in Albany Georgia for engaging in mass protest and continued civil disobedience. However this arrest ended three days later when Chief Pritchett arranged for King to be released. It is important to note that these nonviolent unlawful acts were organized by Dr. King and had specific goals to be achieved. He understood there came a time when signing petitions and waving signs were of no use and specific acts of defiance were needed.
It is a good thing the
Patriot Act was not in place during the civil rights movement. Rosa Parks and Dr. King could have been arrested and detained without any legal representation and charged as terrorists. Its saddening to see the hypocrisy with most who celebrate Dr. King's activism compared to the activism of today. These same "leaders" now claim anyone who is upset at government injustices for any reason including the Federal Reserve, the police state, or illegal wars should simply calm down and quit being so hateful and polarizing. Today Americans of any race who speak out against being forced by government to enter into a private contract with a corporation for simply being born are
called racists. Americans who stand for virtually any principle at all are considered potential domestic terrorists based on the
MIAC report. Just this past December
131 people were arrested in front of The White House while peacefully protesting the war in Afghanistan. Police spent hours arresting demonstrators, taking photos of them before placing them in vans. This protest included several high profile individuals such as
Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers, retired 27-year CIA analyst Ray McGovern, FBI whistle blower Colleen Rowley, and Pulitzer-winning former New York Times war correspondent Chris Hedges.A
new assessment had been released stating the military would be in Afghanistan until at least 2014. Where were Dr. Kings most avid supporters including the leaders of a government which has a holiday for him during these protests? Just this past week a blogger who simply ask his representative a question on video was
visited by the FBI. Is this the type of censorship of dissenting voices Dr. King would have hoped for in 2011.
You would be hard pressed to find anyone who would call Dr. King a "terrorist" but under current legislation that's exactly what he would be. John McCain and Joe Lieberman have recently
introduced a bill that would allow any person suspected of doing anything to even suggest harm against the United States to be held and imprisoned by the military. I don't think it is a stretch to assume Dr. King who opposed the war in Vietnam would be opposed to the current decade long occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Would he be in agreement with President Obama on
expanding both wars, the
bailout of Wall St, or signing the
extension of the Patriot Act? I highly doubt Dr. King would approve of the attack on civil liberties in this country he fought so hard to protect. Would he have been one of the people arrested in December in front of the White House protesting the wars? Would he support the
Army spying on protesters who want to end the
private, for profit Federal Reserve Bank which posted earnings of 78 billion last year? These are questions I doubt you will hear on any mainstream news media outlet this week. What we will hear is a whitewashed version of authorized history where it was heroic to protest a long time ago. It is increasingly obvious it is acceptable to protest as long as their is an opposition within the people for controlled division. If the protest includes all races and political parties against an establishment like the Federal Reserve it is not acceptable. While many are familiar with Dr. King's legacy few are aware of his criticism of the Vietnam War which he made clear in a
1967 speech. On Martin Luther King Jr's birthday this Monday I will be focusing on his actions of civil disobedience and his message of freedom for all people.
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter"
Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968)
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