Daily Topics - Monday January 20th, 2014
By shawnt56
Catch The Thom Hartmann Program LIVE 3-6pm ET M-F!!
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Hour One: A conservative black American weighs in on MLK Day - Demetrius Minor, Project 21
Hour Two: Time to take the white savior out of slavery narratives? Daniel José Older, Salon.com
Hour Three: What slavery movies teach us about race relations - Noah Berlatsky, The Atlantic / Plus, How about legalizing democracy? Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap, Move To Amend
Comments
#2
I called in from Batavia, IL, and spoke after I had listened to the span of topics from the "legacy of MLK" to the myth of the white savior for America.
My original point, before being inspired by intelligent comment while I waited to respond, was that the legacy of MLK was revealed not in his inspired service from his work at the Montgomery Improvement Association, circa 1957; nor even his work on the national stage as spokesperson for Bayard Rustin's March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, nor even his advocacy with President Johnson in the oval office, nor his advocacy for the Memphis sanitation workers in the two weeks before his death. It was captured in his speech on April 4, 1967, exactly one year to the day before his death, at the Riverside Church in Manhattan, when he spoke against the insanity of the war in Vietnam. He found grounding in Christian principles that rose above any secular sense of justice, and in opposition to the cultural or "tribal" affiliations (my words) that were encouraged among those in the civil rights movement in opposition to this uplifting of a universal sense of justice that he understood.
I think that universal sense of justice that MLK clearly understood should be upheld on the day of commemoration of his life and service to humanity.
Dave
Thom's Blog Is On the Move
By webmaster
Hello All
Thom's blog in this space and moving to a new home.
Please follow us across to hartmannreport.com - this will be the only place going forward to read Thom's blog posts and articles.
Images of Thom
With His Holiness The Dalai Lama, at His home in Dharamsala, India (Synthesis Dialogues - made into a movie narrated by Harrison Ford)
At Mondragon - both the mountain and the cooperative city - in Spain (written about in "Threshold" book)
From Unequal Protection, 2nd Edition:
"Beneath the success and rise of American enterprise is an untold history that is antithetical to every value Americans hold dear. This is a seminal work, a godsend really, a clear message to every citizen about the need to reform our country, laws, and companies."
From Cracking the Code:
"No one communicates more thoughtfully or effectively on the radio airwaves than Thom Hartmann. He gets inside the arguments and helps people to think them through—to understand how to respond when they’re talking about public issues with coworkers, neighbors, and friends. This book explores some of the key perspectives behind his approach, teaching us not just how to find the facts, but to talk about what they mean in a way that people will hear."
From The Thom Hartmann Reader:
"Right through the worst of the Bush years and into the present, Thom Hartmann has been one of the very few voices constantly willing to tell the truth. Rank him up there with Jon Stewart, Bill Moyers, and Paul Krugman for having the sheer persistent courage of his convictions."
Its funny how conservatives feel that the working poor/poverty stricken have it so "good" in this country. Ive been on assistance and i can tell you first hand what you can and cannot do with it.The rich know that everybody is not on the same playing field as them. These people want a permanent lower class. they dont believe in equality, they want heirarchy and feifdom. I get so angry when I hear conservatives say you can pul yourself up by your boot straps. if you dont have boots what are you gonna pull up. When I lived in Gary In (predominately black city) and took a look at the learning curriculum as compared to the Hammond, In (mostly white, then a mix of hispanicand black) the children of Hammond prepares its children earlier and have technically advanced classrooms. Institutionally the poor and/or black communities are intentionally behind the "8-ball".