On the anniversary of one of the greatest freedom speeches in our nation’s history, Glen Beck will gather the Tea Party at the Lincoln Memorial.
by Charlie Leck
The Tea Party, rallied there by Glen Beck, will gather in Washington, at the Lincoln Memorial, on the anniversary of Doctor Martin Luther King Junior’s great “Let Freedom Ring” speech and claim they are the real heirs of Doctor King’s legacy.
They will, however, spout their anti-government, libertarian blather and their voices and temperament will be of hatred and division. You will not sense the spirit of Doctor King at these gatherings even though there will be attempts to imitate it.
They will call for less government and less assistance for those human beings who need it and deserve it. As you listen to them, do NOT forget the real message behind Doctor King’s remarkable speech.
“In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
“It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.”
This great leader was trying to remind America that it had a moral and social responsibility to solve the problems of poverty and injustice. He was rallying government to assume that responsibility. The Tea Party will claim government should have no role, or a very limited role, in solving social problems.
The day Doctor King dreamed of in his great speech has not yet arrived…
“I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
You will not hear voices of hope and renewal at the Tea Party rally. You will hear condemnation and consternation. You will not hear positive possibilities of lifting people up from poverty and hopelessness. You will hear attacks on government and upon those who seek a better and more just nation.
It is appalling that Glen Beck gathers these folks on this great and important day in the history of the Civil Rights Movement and tries to disguise all that hatred and neglectfulness behind the spirit of Doctor King.
This will be a sad morning for me. Glen Beck and Sarah Palin speaking from the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of Doctor King’s great speech is a sad, sad thought.
If you want to see a video of Doctor King's great speech and the rally at the Lincoln Memorial, click here!
___________________________
You can email Charles Leck
or you can sign-in to post a comment on the blog
or you can click on “follow” in the top right hand corner
No comments:
Post a Comment