Biden commemorates Bloody Sunday in Selma

Another pathetic act by the senile and demented 46th President! He likes it safe and nostalgic! Did he rant about lynching again? Or did he stand close behind to and touch some girl again?

First African American Tennis Players To Win Wimbledon

Posted: 9/6/2015

Trigger

Just watched parts of PBS American Masters Althea Gibson. Very fascinating how this woman become to be the best female tennis player of her time in 1957.

Only in 1975, Arthur Ashe won the male contest at Wimbledon.

Implications

The importance of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 is quite overblown. African Americans were advancing without the heavy hand of the federal government.

I am not sure whether the above documentary also showed the influence and importance of the trainer of Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe and many other African-American tennis players of that time. On the webpage to this documentary we read “Though a talented tennis player, Gibson was a street kid who lacked the genteel manner associated with the sport. It was under the tutelage of Dr. Hubert Eaton of Wilmington, NC and Dr. Robert W. Johnson [1899-1971] of Lynchburg, VA, two African American physicians who loved tennis and helped young African Americans who wanted to play, that she flourished.” Dr. Johnson probably deserves a documentary of his own. Wikipedia says about Dr. Johnson: “Known as the "godfather" of black tennis, Johnson founded an all-expenses-paid tennis camp for African-American children and hired instructors.[2] In these years in the segregated South, they had no public courts where they could learn tennis, and many did not have money for lessons. Johnson was instrumental in encouraging the athletic careers of both Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe, whom he personally coached.”

Martin Luther King Jr. Was Confrontational

Posted: 1/18/2015

Trigger

Just watched this documentary titled “MLK: THE ASSASSINATION TAPES” on the Smithsonian Channel. This documentary contains a lot of interesting footage from before the assassination of MLK.

A Pattern Of Confrontation

What caught my attention was that MLK apparently displayed a pattern of peculiar confrontation, first in Birmingham, AL later in Memphis, TN. I presume, MLK deliberately chose these two locations for his activities. In both locations, he directly confronted or challenged a powerful white individual known for having extreme views. In Birmingham it was the Commissioner of Public Safety Bull Connor in Memphis it was the mayor Henry Loeb.

The documentary also pointed out that this all happened during the very contentious Vietnam War period. Was it a good idea to push aggressively for civil rights during a time of extreme tension?

Reflections About The Documentary

1. I believe, the above documentary did not mention at all that the mayor of Memphis at the time, Henry Loeb, was a conservative, outspoken anti communist, and segregationist Democrat. Would this tough appearing mayor acted much differently had the sanitation workers been white? A question the above documentary never explored.
2. The above documentary fails to mention, if I remember correctly, that not all sanitation workers were black (see e.g. New York Times obituary of Loeb)
3. As the documentary was pointing out the position of the mayor was as follows “The Mayor argued that the strike was illegal under state law.”(Source above NYT article). I believe, the above documentary never explained what this meant
4. I was unaware about the massive rioting in conjunction with the sanitation worker strike going on for weeks that occurred before the assassination. If I remember correctly from the above documentary, martial law and a curfew were imposed by the mayor, national guard soldiers were in the streets guarding businesses and so on. So did MLK and his entourage (e.g. Jesse Jackson) contribute to a more peaceful development or to an improvement of the situation? I suspect that because the assassination overshadowed everything afterwards the prehistory has been what appears conveniently forgotten or downplayed.
5. Despite the rioting going on in the city, MLK decided to visit the city a second time
6. If I remember correctly, a scene from the above documentary shows MLK stating something like it was “criminal” to pay full time workers (referring to the sanitation workers) only part time wages. This is a very strong, offensive statement coming from a man who said he was sent by god. Did he get the facts right? Were perhaps white workers treated similar at the time?
7. The documentary showed public pronouncements by Reverend James Lawson, an associate of MLK, which came across as if from an aggressive, uncompromising politician than from a reverend on behalf of the strikers
8. Apparently, mayor Loeb was up against some powerplay by public sector unions (e.g. AFSCME or American Federation of Federal, State, County, and Municipal Employees), which were playing hard ball to unionize city employees and workers. How much was MLK aware of this and what was his view on that was, I believe, not quite clear from the documentary
9. As an aside, the footage of Ted Kennedy speaking in Memphis after the assassination is illuminating. He reads from his notes almost never taking his eyes of. He comes away as an amateur or third rated politician.

Quotes From MLK’s Last Speech

The AFSCME posts his last speech under their history on their website here.

“Now we're going to march again, and we've got to march again, in order to put the issue where it is supposed to be. And force everybody to see that there are thirteen hundred of God's children here suffering, sometimes going hungry, going through dark and dreary nights wondering how this thing is going to come out. That's the issue. And we've got to say to the nation: we know it's coming out. For when people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.”

“We aren't going to let any mace stop us. We are masters in our nonviolent movement in disarming police forces; they don't know what to do, I've seen them so often. I remember in Birmingham, Alabama, when we were in that majestic struggle there we would move out of the 16th Street Baptist Church day after day; by the hundreds we would move out. And Bull Connor would tell them to send the dogs forth and they did come; but we just went before the dogs singing, "Ain't gonna let nobody turn me round." Bull Connor next would say, "Turn the fire hoses on." And as I said to you the other night, Bull Connor didn't know history.”

These are very confrontational, dangerous, and aggressive words coming from a man of nonviolence. His language was anything but nonviolent. These are words coming from a standpoint of strong self-righteousness. In a previous blog post about MLK, I have quoted from this speech as well.

Best Friend Of The White People

The above documentary shows an interview with a African-american activist in the aftermath of the assassination saying something like a white man just killed the best friend of the white people.

If I remember correctly from the above documentary and other footage that I have seen about MLK, then I would ask how many white people were actually in the inner circle of MLK? E.g. the above documentary did not show any, if I am correct.

Conspiracy Theory

I wondered why I had never learned of a prominent conspiracy theory surrounding the assassination of MLK.

Apparently when you do some research you find one. Not only that it is pursued even by the surviving King family (by Coretta Scott King and Dexter King). See Wikipedia articles here, here, and here.

The National Archives Material For Teachers

On this website of National Archives/Teacher’s Resources/Teaching with documents I found following (emphasis added):

1. “The Montgomery bus boycott, the freedom rides, the Birmingham campaign, the March on Washington, the Selma march, the Chicago campaign, and the Memphis boycott are some of the more noteworthy battlefields where King and his followers--numerous in numbers, humble and great in name-- fought for the equal rights and equal justice that the United States Constitution ensures for all its citizens.”
   [What a bellicose and glorifying language by the federal government]
2. “King, building on the tradition of civil disobedience and passive resistance earlier expressed by Thoreau, Tolstoy, and Gandhi, waged a war of nonviolent direct action against opposing forces of racism and prejudice”
   [I am not sure whether any of the three named authorities would have agreed with MLK and his methods.]

The National Archives presents among other things an “exhibit is a flyer distributed in the name of MLK to sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee” wherein the second paragraph says “This will be a march of dignity. The only force we will use is soul-force which is peaceful, loving, courageous, yet militant” (emphasis added). Do I sense a huge contradiction here?

Why A Series Of Blogs About MLK

This is only the latest blog post in a series of blogs about MLK I have written. Here are the other blog posts:
Martin Luther King Jr. Was A Radical Zealot

A Lesser Known Assassination Attempt On Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. On Rosa Parks

Was Martin Luther King An Agent Provocateur?

As I said before, there is absolutely no justification whatsoever for the murder of MLK. However, the immense adoration for MLK, the martyr, should be reviewed. MLK was certainly no saint.

I would also guess that MLK has been exploited by liberals and Democrats.

Had MLK lived on, as we all wish and he himself wished, I would guess, we would see him today in a very different light.

I think, in many ways MLK was an irresponsible, obsessive single-minded leader deliberately fueling the flames and claiming non-violence in a time of a controversial war and severe anti-war tensions following the assassinations of JFK and Malcolm X.

Civil Rights Has Been A Pretext For More Big Government

Posted: 7/29/2014

Thesis

I would strongly argue that without the so called civil rights movement and the civil rights legislation in the U.S. in the 1950s and 1960s, by today African-Americans or simply black Americans would be today as well off or nearly as well off without both of them had the natural progress of a free society and free markets been allowed to take its course.

The role of the federal government’s should have been to enforce the law. Meaning that perpetrators of crimes against black Americans should have been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law including, if necessary, capital punishment.

The civil rights unrest primarily served as a pretext for the federal government and the U.S. Congress to seize or centralize more power and control over states, individuals, and businesses.

This blog is dedicated to proving this point! :-)

Notes On Marian Anderson

Posted: 7/21/2014; updated: 8/2/2014

For more information on this celebrated African-American opera singer please see Wikipedia article.

Some Notes

1. In April of 1939, the First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and her husband helped that this singer was given an opportunity to sing in one of the earliest and then largest open air concerts in Washington, DC at the Lincoln Memorial. She was denied to sing at Constitution Hall.
2. In 1942, Ms. Anderson christened the Navy Liberty Ship Booker T. Washington (By the way this ship was commandeered by an African-American Captain and the crew was integrated. Not least it was named after this great African-American.)
3. She was the first African-American singer to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in New York city in 1955
4. She apparently was several times invited to stay at Albert Einstein’s house in New Jersey (Source). Einstein considered racism America’s worst disease.

Thus, long before the civil rights struggle of the 1960s (I call it the II. American Civil War on southern states, see my blog post), things were dramatically improving for black Americans. I bet, there are lots more examples out there that are earlier or even better than hers.

Martin Luther King Jr. Was A Radical Zealot

Trigger

Recently watched PBS God In America episode no. 5 “God in America: Five: Soul of a Nation”. This episode was mainly about Billy Graham and Martin Luther King Jr.

This is my second blog post about Martin Luther King Jr.. For my first one see here. This blog posts are intentionally contrasting the predominant narrative of MLK in the U.S.

Self-Righteous

Can a pastor who proclaims to be righteous be self-righteous? Of course. Obviously, the boundaries between righteous and self-righteous are grey.

The above video pointed me two speeches by MLK:

1. Reportedly the first speech ever on his civil rights agenda given December 5, 1955, referred to as “Address to the first Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) Mass Meeting”  (see full text e.g. here)
2. The very last speech of his life given on April 3, 1968, referred to as “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” (see full text e.g. here)

In the first speech, MLK says among other things “And we are not wrong; we are not wrong in what we are doing. (Well) If we are wrong, the Supreme Court of this nation is wrong. (Yes sir) [applause] If we are wrong, the Constitution of the United States is wrong.” (emphasis added). This is not exactly humble speech or a sign of humility. There is a very strong presumption here made by MLK.

In the second speech MLK said (emphasis and comments added):

“And also, in the human rights revolution, if something isn't done and done in a hurry to bring the colored peoples of the world out of their long years of poverty; their long years of hurt and neglect, the whole world is doomed.”
[MLK clearly seemed impatient and immodest.]

“We mean business now and we are determined to gain our rightful place in God's world. ”

“Now we're going to march again, and we've got to march again (Yeah), in order to put the issue where it is supposed to be (Yeah) [Applause] and force everybody to see that there are thirteen hundred of God's children here suffering (That's right), ... ”

[MLK wanted to force people to see! Really! Is this non-violent?]

“We aren't going to let any mace stop us. We are masters in our nonviolent movement in disarming police forces. They don't know what to do. I've seen them so often. I remember in Birmingham, Alabama, when we were in that majestic struggle there, we would move out of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church day after day. By the hundreds we would move out, and Bull Connor would tell them to send the dogs forth, and they did come. But we just went before the dogs singing, "Ain't gonna let nobody turn me around." [Applause] Bull Connor next would say, "Turn the fire hoses on." (Yeah) And as I said to you the other night, Bull Connor didn't know history. He knew a kind of physics that somehow didn't relate to the trans-physics that we knew about. And that was the fact that there was a certain kind of fire that no water could put out. [Applause] And we went before the fire hoses. (Yeah) We had known water. (All right) If we were Baptist or some other denominations, we had been immersed. If we were Methodist or some others, we had been sprinkled. But we knew water. That couldn't stop us.”
[Was MLK carried away by becoming unstoppable? He seems to relish in his accomplishment to trounce the police.]

“Now we've got to go on in Memphis just like that. I call upon you to be with us when we go out Monday. (Yes) Now about injunctions. We have an injunction and we're going into court tomorrow morning (Go ahead) to fight this illegal, unconstitutional injunction. All we say to America is to be true to what you said on paper. [Applause] If I lived in China or even Russia, or any totalitarian country, maybe I could understand some of these illegal injunctions. Maybe I could understand the denial of certain basic First Amendment privileges, because they haven't committed themselves to that over there. But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read (Yes) of the freedom of speech. (Yes) Somewhere I read (All right) of the freedom of press. (Yes) Somewhere I read (Yes) that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right. [Applause] And so just as I say we aren't going to let any dogs or water hoses turn us around, we aren't going to let any injunction turn us around. [Applause] We are going on. We need all of you.”

[Was MLK suggesting to ignore court orders when it’s inconvenient or to defy the rule of law?]

“"Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."”
[Like a mighty stream unstoppable and destroying everything in its path! Is this non-violence?]

“Who is it that is supposed to articulate the longings and aspirations of the people more than the preacher? Somewhere the preacher must have a kind of fire shut up in his bones (Yes), and whenever injustice is around he must tell it. (Yes) Somehow the preacher must be an Amos, who said, "When God Speaks, who can but prophesy?" (Yes) Again with Amos, "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." (Yes) Somehow the preacher must say with Jesus, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me (Yes), because He hath anointed me (Yes), and He's anointed me to deal with the problems of the poor." (Go ahead)”
[God has not anointed MLK! The presupposition in the first sentence of this quote is debatable that only preachers are qualified to articulate the longings ...]

“Now the other thing we'll have to do is this: always anchor our external direct action with the power of economic withdrawal. Now we are poor people, individually we are poor when you compare us with white society in America. We are poor. Never stop and forget that collectively, that means all of us together, collectively we are richer than all the nations in the world, with the exception of nine. Did you ever think about that? After you leave the United States, Soviet Russia, Great Britain, West Germany, France, and I could name the others, the American Negro collectively is richer than most nations of the world. We have an annual income of more than thirty billion dollars a year, which is more than all of the exports of the United States and more than the national budget of Canada. Did you know that? That's power right there, if we know how to pool it. (Yeah) [Applause]”
[Was MLK a pastor or a revolutionary? Who would have been in charge of this “pool”, MLK?]

“Now if you are not prepared to do that, we do have an agenda that we must follow. And our agenda calls for withdrawing economic support from you.”
[MLK is threatening! Is a threat of economic ruin or loss of livelihood non-violence?]

“And so, as a result of this, we are asking you tonight (Amen) to go out and tell your neighbors not to buy Coca-Cola in Memphis. (Yeah) [Applause] Go by and tell them not to buy Sealtest milk. (Yeah)[Applause] Tell them not to buy–what is the other bread?–Wonder Bread. [Applause] And what is the other bread company, Jesse? Tell them not to buy Hart's bread. [Applause] As Jesse Jackson has said, up to now only the garbage men have been feeling pain. Now we must kind of redistribute that pain. [Applause] We are choosing these companies because they haven't been fair in their hiring policies, and we are choosing them because they can begin the process of saying they are going to support the needs and the rights of these men who are on strike. And then they can move on downtown and tell Mayor Loeb to do what is right. (That's right, Speak) [Applause]”
[I am stunned! MLK even provides concrete threats. A pastor advocates revenge?]

“... we are putting pressure where it really hurts. (There you go) And I ask you to follow through here.”
[A pastor wants to really hurt? Is this non-violence?]

“Now let me say as I move to my conclusion that we've got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end. (Amen) Nothing would be more tragic than to stop at this point in Memphis. We've got to see it through. [Applause] And when we have our march, you need to be there. If it means leaving work, if it means leaving school, be there. [Applause] Be concerned about your brother. You may not be on strike (Yeah), but either we go up together or we go down together. [Applause] Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness.”
[What would Jesus say about such a pastor?]

“I just want to do God's will.”
[Was this perhaps a delusion of grandeur?]

I have to admit that I knew very little of the speeches and writings of MLK, most of it only in excerpts. I was particularly shocked when I read the entire second speech by MLK. In this whole speech, MLK comes away as a single-minded radical not a pastor.

Justice

To seek justice is unquestionably a worthy human cause. However, to coerce justice or demand some kind of justice to be done immediately is zealotry.

Justice is often in the eye of the beholder. Justice, like truth, is often not simply white and black (no pun intended, does not refer to race)!

I would argue that MLK was pushing for a certain kind of fast justice!

Public Portrayal Of MLK

Like many foreigners or even like many Americans I was most familiar with MLK’s I have a dream speech he gave at the Mall in Washington DC. Probably, one of the most famous footages of him.

In hindsight, this kind of portrayal of this man is a distortion or propaganda.