Aside from Christmas and Washington's birthday, (which is now generally just referred to as "Presidents Day" since Abraham Lincoln's birthday is no longer celebrated), no Federal holiday celebrates an individual.
Even when we celebrated Washington's birthday, it was due to his honored status as a founder of our country.
Why should Martin Luther King Jr. be given this huge, unprecedented honor above ex-Presidents, and other people like Benjamin Franklin or Ronald Reagan, who helped improve our country so greatly?
King had unsavory ties to Communists (no laughing matter), and, if you read the website below, will see abused women.
Before anyone wants to shout "racist !" at me, let me stop you in your Liberal tracks by mentioning that I am definitely not, and hereby pledge to donate $1,000 if Condaleezza Rice will accept the Republican nomination for President.
http://www.martinlutherking.org/articles.html
2007-03-15 07:42:20 · 5 answers · asked by pachl@sbcglobal.net 7 in Politics & Government ➔ Other - Politics & Government
First, I think we have to acknowledge the fact that MLK was killed for attempting to claim the rights guaranteed by our government due to it's own failure to act due to ties (I believe) with the KKK. I personally believe that his blood is on our collective conscience, therefore I believe we need to remember his life and death.
Presidents day was created and labeled such to celebrate both Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays...what happened later, I really don't know.
...and as far as the ties to Communists, I think maybe you need to look what that exactly means. Now, if you're talking about the Marxist/Lenonist government that was the former USSR, I don't believe that MLK could or would have accepted that.
Communism, in its purist form promises total equality for everyone and that all would receive as needed and give what they can for the universal good.
For example, say that there is a large communal farm and several (5) families. In one family has a sickly grandmother, a single mother with several young children. Another family has several healthy males in their teens and twenties, and the patriarch is an extremely healthy 50 year old. The family with the sickly grandmother would receive all the food needed even though only the mother could help out on the farm, and although the healthy family with the healthy males could and did most of the work, they got enough to feed their family also.
So...the sickly grandmothers family contributed only 5 percent of the labor, they would receive 20 percent of the total produce, and although the strong, healthy family did 50 percent of the work, they would also receive 20 percent of the total produce. THAT is Communism...give to your ability, and receive as you need. Somehow, that doesn't sound too bad to me...only human greed always enters the picture.
I don't think that MLK day as a huge honor. I just think that we owe it to him to remember what can happen if our government fails to act on it's own policies when human lives are on the line.
2007-03-15 08:24:48 · answer #1 · answered by Stef 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I think they should combine Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King Day into "Civil Rights Day". Didn't we combine all presidents into PRESIDENTS DAY?
2007-03-23 06:34:27 · answer #2 · answered by Terrie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. You should never give to much credit to one person.
2007-03-15 07:50:36 · answer #3 · answered by Ricky 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Why not we need to remember.
2007-03-23 07:51:53 · answer #4 · answered by Satisfiedmom 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no I like that name better.
2007-03-23 06:16:52 · answer #5 · answered by Mary 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋