Read the whole thing:

ZNet | Will the real Dr. King please stand up?

There was no shortage of opportunists present as they broke ground the other day for the $100 million Martin Luther King memorial in Washington, DC.

Charlatans from Oprah to Hilfiger lined up in the hope a little of Dr.

King’s integrity might rub off on them. But the most out of place speaker was, of course, President George W. Bush, who told the crowd, “our journey to justice is not complete. There are still people in our society who hurt, neighborhoods that are too poor … there’s still prejudice that holds citizens back.” That whirring noise heard in the background…well, you know the rest.

As Dubya spoke about “the promise of America,” I had to wonder what he’d think of the Dr. King who said: “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom … Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.” Surely, today’s America would have an orange jumpsuit all ready for the MLK that believed, “The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be” and “When you are right, you cannot be too radical.”

[...]

[ Link ]