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MLK and justice Date published: 1/18/2010
THE SPIRITUAL ANCESTRY of Martin Luther King Jr. is ironically anti-kingly. It may be said to have formally begun in 1215 when a host of English barons stormed London and forced King John, in a meadow at Runnymede, to sign the Magna Carta, renouncing his absolute sovereignty and recognizing the rights of "freemen" (non-serfs). Notable ancestors in MLK's spiritual lineage later would include Thomas Jefferson, who in the Declaration of Independence made the remarkable, war-tested assertion that "all men are created equal," a principle programmed into a new nation's soul. But not its laws. It would require another war--America's worst, because our enemy was our brother--to accomplish that, or to begin to. Systemic racial discrimination, enforced by terror in the American South, lingered for decades after the Civil War until a movement in which King was pre-eminent brought Runnymede to Selma and Tupelo and Richmond. King had not only ancestors but also progeny. After his assassination, a women's movement went a long way in freeing half the American population from social subordination and rigid role expectation. Today, homosexuals (leaving aside the merits of their case) demand equal legal standing with the heterosexual majority, and in a few states have achieved it. LONG JOURNEY So in celebrating MLK's life, we are really celebrating a long quest, a centuries-old and unfinished journey that he in his time brilliantly led, practically and poetically ("I have a dream "). The quest is for Justice, and it calls irresistibly to the American soul, haunting our dreams when we deny it, compelling our allegiance sometimes almost in spite of ourselves. The Justice idea is powerful and informative of our culture, both formal and popular. Over all our laws and their enforcement looms the Justice Department; the first team of comic-book superheroes, formed as Hitler was inflicting bloody injustice on Europe, and Imperial Japan on Asia, was the Justice Society of America. From old parchments to funny books, the most potent appeal to an American is to his sense of Justice--"That's not fair!"
"...the position of conservatism has been the same: stop liberalism." That is because "liberalism" has become nothing but a another name for "socialism"(see also, "progressivism"). We all know how well that worked in the USSR. Now you want that for America, how Marxist of you.
Civil Rights Act and we'd never have Equal Rights for
Women and we STILL DON'T have equal rights for
homosexuals.
and just the word - homosexual - sets off most
"conservatives".
Face it - Conservatives are not "people friendly".
their basic hard core philosophy is "every man for himself".
"you get what you earn and if you are discriminated against
- it's YOUR FAULT.
Why not be specific here? We're not talking about middle
ground independents. Islamic fundamentalists are
"conservatives". They hold the same views that the
predecessors of modern-day Conservatives held - like Jesse
Hems but they have gone "underground" with a lot of their
actual views - because they know - that if the average
American REALLY knew what they REALLY stood for - they
would end up the permanent minority that they ought to
be.
Ayn Rand is a Conservative Hero.. no?
Non-"liberals" are no more anti-equality than liberals. They just
employ different methods to achieve the same goal. Social
egalitarianism does not work because not all people have equal
intelligence, equal drive, equal desire to succeed etc.
A farmer expects to be rewarded for preparing a field, seeding,
watering, nurturing, reaping and selling.
If you expect the farmer to do all those things except selling,
which will be handled by the government, then there will be no
farmers. Think about it.
"From its foundations in 18th Century Europe through the violent sex fantasies of Ayn Rand, the position of conservatism has been the same: stop liberalism. Rather than attempt to smooth out the inequities of society, conservatism seeks to maintain these chasms, and where possible, to open them wider. The whole basis of conservatism is that this structure - a wealthy elite holding the reins - is the natural desirable state." MLK was against everything conservatism was for. They are enemies forever.
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