Martin Luther King III

You ever heard the old saying "the more someone talks the more sure they make it that they are......". This is the case for me with Martin Luther King III. Though he rides high on his father's coattails and since his father's name and graven image is unassailable (lest you get thrashed. I know, I know, I am not worthy of carrying Martin Luther King Jr. jock strap) I will focus on the fact that "III" is living today and is making characterizations of life for Black folks circa 2007 and not 1957.

A few years ago I heard "III" on the morning talk show proclaiming a "minimum salary" and guaranteed employment for all. He largely echoed the views of his mother, Coretta Scott King. He went on and on seemingly giving a dissertation out of some socialist magazine that he had picked up along the way. I dismissed his comments at that time as idealist. Being positioned as he is he is able to draw upon people's sentiments, lurking further to the left than normal with the hopes of drawing some folks more to the center. Whatever.

This morning I listened to "III" talk about his justification for the planned "March on Washington" scheduled to take place on November 16, 2007. He clarified that this is a "March on the Bush Justice Department" for their inaction. Now keep in mind this march is centrally about HATE CRIMES due to the recent display of nooses around the nation. Nooses are seen by many Blacks as a sign of threatening intimidation. (If only we could get the same response to pants hanging off of a Black man's behind then we would be on to something that is a real threat to our character today. But that's another story.)

If you listen to the audio of "III", however, you'll notice that he focuses on only ONE case of "racial intimidation" - the Jena Louisiana nooses hung from the tree at the school. Interestingly - in this case "III" supports the prosecution of young people as adults over this noose event. A reporter that was a bit more skeptical of "III's" words would have noted to him that the case with the Florida Boot Camp and the Genarlo Wilson Teen Sex cases were NOT "hate crime related" but were seemingly on "III's" mind at the time of the interview so he wanted to get them out.

"Tell Me More" Audio Interview with Martin Luther King III

Interestingly enough Genarlo Wilson's case is evidence of the LEGAL SYSTEM working!!! After several appeals and actions from the legislature....the kid is FREE...he is out of jail. This is the case of BAD LAW not legal malfeasance.

In the case of the Florida boot camp the local trial found the staff "not guilty" of murder. It seems that "III" is only displeased with the outcome and seeks to have the Feds step in and try them again until a verdict that is satisfactory to HIM is expressed. Now let's be clear - if there were any procedural errors or down right bias as was the case in the 1960's South - I too would be calling for prosecution under Federal Civil Rights violations. It seems to me that to do so in this case would violate the "Double Jeopardy" principles - where you keep trying until you are successful.

I like Michelle Martin of 'Tell Me More". Just when I think she is going to avoid the tough question such as the interview she did with the Mayor of Baltimore who won reelection to serve out a full term, Martin did indeed ask her about the city's crime problem in the second segment. I understand that you don't want to blast an interviewee without first establishing a flow with the interview. However, with the case of "III" I was waiting for the application of the "PROPORTIONALITY FILTER" to give "III" some guidance on the relative importance of his current focus with respect to the big scheme of problems WITHIN the Black community. Simply put it is my view that the high rate of UNSOLVED Black on Black homicides in many communities represent a large boulder of NON-JUSTICE than does the threat of a noose being displayed which is a grain of sand by comparison.

It is clear to me that PROPORTIONALITY considerations prevents my people from being lead astray by operatives such as "III". They seek to stack the "Black Agenda" with issues of victimization that are sure to unite Black people behind issues that are strong on SYMBOLISM but light on substance. Any White man with a piece of twine purchased from Home Depot and some skills learned during his days as a boy scout is able to co-opt the "Black focus" in America to a greater extent than a thug with a gun that is causing mayhem on our streets. Though no lives were lost with the noose, many of these operatives will step over the cold, dead bodies in their own neighborhoods and track blood from that crime scene as they walk to protest the actions of the noose hanger. Something is tragically wrong with this picture.

I surmise that IT IS NOT GOING TO STOP until the Black Journalists covering ALL OF THE STORIES being to challenge the "Black Quasi-Socialist Progressive-Fundamentalist RACISM CHASERS" more consistently on their agenda and focus. No longer can they be allowed to make their talking points. We need to have them to JUSTIFY their actions of tending to the "rope burn" on our hands from the noose in light of the gaping wound that is gushing blood out of our community's collective neck as administered from the termites WITHIN.