Even I Think This is Inappropriate

[Pete C]

The protesters' behavior, not Bush's visit. I'll be interested in Chris's take.

Hundreds Protest Bush Visit to MLK Tomb
1 hour, 42 minutes ago Add White House - AP to My Yahoo!


By LOUISE CHU, Associated Press Writer

ATLANTA - Hundreds of people pushed past Secret Service barricades Thursday to protest President Bush (news - web sites)'s visit to the tomb of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on what would have been the civil rights leader's 75th birthday.





Two people were arrested as the protesters pushed toward the street in front of King's tomb, abandoning a designated area several hundred yards away.


Authorities responded by parking three city buses on the street to block the protesters from the president's motorcade.


As Bush arrived, the crowd — estimated by police at about 700 — booed and chanted "Bush go home!" Some protesters pounded on the sides of the buses, but no one was injured and the crowd dispersed soon after the president's 15-minute stop.


Bush's visit to observe King's birthday upset some civil rights activists who said the president's policies on Iraq (news - web sites), affirmative action and funding for social services conflict with King's legacy. They also complained that the scheduling conflicted with their own plans to honor King.


Bush placed a wreath on King's grave before heading to a $2,000-a-plate fund-raiser in Atlanta.


Beating drums and chanting, "In 2004, Bush no more," protesters marched in circles near the tomb. Some held signs that displayed King's image and read, "War is not the answer."


"When I heard Bush was coming here I couldn't believe it. I was outraged and disgusted, and I just think it's a photo op. It's so transparent," said Kathy Nicholas, a flight attendant from Atlanta.


The protesters who were arrested had stepped into the street and refused to move, police said.


Officials at the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, the organization found by King's widow, said they extended no formal invitation to Bush but accepted his offer to come.


"Out of respect for that office and out of respect for Dr. King, he's coming," said Lynn Cothren, an assistant to Coretta Scott King.


White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the president's visit was a way to pay tribute to "Dr. King's legacy, his vision and his lifetime of service."


"This is a way to honor a lifetime dedicated to fighting for equal opportunity and equal justice for all people," he said.


King's widow declined to comment on Bush's visit but has been vocal about her opposition to the war in Iraq.

Well, well, well, so the moron went straight to a fundraiser after his photo op. The protesters were right, this sorry-assed, non-elected fool had no business laying a wreath on MLK's grave--it is, however, in keeping with the incredible hypocrisy these people are guilty of. I respect the office of the president, even if it is occupied by someone whose ideology clashes with mine. Thus I gave elected presidents Nixon and Reagan their due, but this little twit was not elected and he has done nothing but bring this country down since his appointment.

So, I guess we disagree on this one, Pete.

[crawjo]

Bullshit. I hate it when people engage in this sort of crap "What would Dr. King think?" Give me a break. The man deserves to be honored, and it was the protesters, not the president, who are trying to cheapen his image by conflating his legacy with current events for their own political gain. 700 people don't just randomly show up to protest something. This was organized by someone.

700??!! In liberla land that translates to 100,000.

Wonder if thats why Democrats are alledgedly so poor? Their math skills suck..................

[bostontricky]

On the other hand, who the hell in the administration thought it would be a good idea for Bush to visit the memorial given the circumstances? "Oh, Mr. President, maybe you could lay a wreath at the MLK memorial before your big fundraiser? That shouldn't raise any hackles."

Originally posted by crawjo
Bullshit. I hate it when people engage in this sort of crap "What would Dr. King think?" Give me a break. The man deserves to be honored, and it was the protesters, not the president, who are trying to cheapen his image by conflating his legacy with current events for their own political gain. 700 people don't just randomly show up to protest something. This was organized by someone.

• Who was out for political gain, crawjo? The protesters or Bush? What political gain do you suppose the protesters were after? We know what Bush was after, another photo-op and, of course, a fund-raiser. This is crystal clear to anyone not wearing the ideological blinders of a die-hard GOP'er.
  
  Seven hundred people could well show up randomly, but even if it was organized by someone, these people were obviously sincere. They saw the presence of this appointed, callous elitist as a desecration, a shameful, opportunistic mockery at the expense of a man who had more compassion and humanity in the tip of a finger than the entire Bush clan and regime has. This was a hypocritical act, but it was performed by people who clearly think nothing of using the tragedy of 9/11 to their own advantage. How can you possibly defend such people, crawjo?

[Dr Dave]

People were letting Bush know that they will not permit him to attempt to gain political benefit from an association with Dr. King. Martin Luther King is off-limits to him. That's all. And that's plenty, I think.

A man buried in a public cemetary is off limits? And I bet you love to use the phrase "it's a free country", don't you? C'mon, just own up already.

[frankiepop]

damned if u do, damned if u dont...

not only is it a required appearance. i guess the day's (or week? or month?) entire itenary must complement the visit.

[Ron Thorne]

I think protesters had every right to chant at Bush, display placards, beat drums and otherwise show their disdain for this opportunistic appearance. Had Bush not attended a fund raiser in that city today, I'd have a slightly different view.

It follows that MLK birthday observers would find it a bit hypocritical for Dubya to lay a wreath on the tomb of a man who clearly demonstrated his resolve to settle disputes through non-violent means, assist the poor and disadvantaged, and treat humans of all income levels with respect.

I'm sorry, but despite his professed religious convictions, Bush has done very little in my lifetime to convince me that he thinks or acts in a truly Christian manner. A moralist, yes ... Christian, no.

[bostontricky]

Maybe the sequence of fundraiser first, memorial second who have ruffled a few less feathers.

[hornplayer]

Originally posted by bostontricky
Maybe the sequence of fundraiser first, memorial second who have ruffled a few less feathers.

Not many!

Wonder how many of those protesters will be at the polls on election day? That's where it REALLY counts.

[GoodSpeak]

Originally posted by Pete C
Bush placed a wreath on King's grave before heading to a $2,000-a-plate fund-raiser in Atlanta.

A photo op.


What a frickin' hypocrite.


I only wish I could have been there myself...it would have been an honor to be among those arrested.

[crawjo]

Chris,

Jeez, a politican going to photo ops and fundraisers. Who woulda thunk it? C'mon. Everybody of every political stripe does stuff like this all the time.

And besides which, MLK isn't a saint. Just because he would have opposed something does not make that thing wrong.

[Monte Smith]

Originally posted by crawjo

And besides which, MLK isn't a saint.

As a matter of fact, crawjo, MLK is a saint. Now I don't mean he has been canonized by the Roman Catholic church, of which he was not a communicant. Nor do I mean merely that he was a very, very good man and thus is a moral exemplar (though he was both if, like all men, imperfect).

No. MLK appears amongst the statuary (sp?) at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC and (if you will believe this) above a main portal at Westminster Abbey in London.

He is, frankly, a postmodern saint. One of those immortals to which Christian church-goers are, if only subliminably, expected to pray.

Hundreds of years from now when acne-ridden graduate students from Mars compose their thesis papers on the saint mythology of pre-cold fusion Earth, Martin Luther King will feature heavily in their compositions along with St. George, Anselm, Aquinas, Bonaventure, Bonhoeffer, Paul Tillich, and steve(thelil).

I will wager $20 on this.

[bostontricky]

Monte, off-topic, but what's your stance on Dorothy Day?

I don't think this is at all off topic, for there was much in common between Day and King. I did volunteer work for Dorothy Day back in 1957-8. She was an impressive, selfless woman, and it was amazing to see how many highly educated people volunteered in her Lower East-Side soup kitchen. Like Dr. King, Dorothy Day was a person I felt privileged to meet.

[bostontricky]

It's off topic if Monte's not operating out of the Catholic tradition (I have no idea but he'd be far from out of place). Maybe it's not off topic, but if he isn't, he might not have the foggiest who Dorothy Day was. Even if he is...

[Monte Smith]

Originally posted by bostontricky
It's off topic if Monte's not operating out of the Catholic tradition (I have no idea but he'd be far from out of place). Maybe it's not off topic, but if he isn't, he might not have the foggiest who Dorothy Day was. Even if he is...

Sadly, I will confess to not having the foggiest idea who Dorothy Day is. And while fairly conversant with the Catholic tradition (as a citizen of the West), I am not operating out of it.

Love to hear your testimony on behalf of Day, boston t.

[jesus marion joseph]

Originally posted by Chris A
[list]Seven hundred people could well show up randomly, but even if it was organized by someone, these people were obviously sincere. list]

Obviously.

I think this says it all -- CA


January 15, 2004

1. Bush Exploits MLK's Grave For Political Fundraiser
   
   On last year's Martin Luther King Day, President Bush eloquently honored the memory of Dr. King, saying "I believe [in the] power of his words, the clarity of his vision and the courage of his leadership."1 This year, however, instead of honoring the legacy of Dr. King, President Bush has decided to use Martin Luther King Day as tool to force the federal government to subsidize a fundraising trip for his re-election campaign.
   
   The New York Times reports that the President "hastily planned" a visit to Dr. King's grave, and then will immediately go to "a $2,000-a-person fundraiser in Atlanta."2 Even though Bush may spend the majority of his time hobnobbing with donors at the fundraiser, because he will briefly visit Dr. King's grave, he is allowed to deem the entire trip "official" and then bill taxpayers for portions of the huge cost of hotel rooms, rental cars, security, and travel. And those are no small costs - the Washington Post notes that Air Force One alone costs $57,000 an hour to operate.3
   
   Civil rights leaders are outraged at the blatant exploitation of Dr. King's birthday as a tool to force taxpayers to bankroll a political fundraiser. Rev. Timothy McDonald, an organizer of Atlanta's Martin Luther King Day celebrations said, "It's the epitome of insult. He's really coming here for the fundraiser. The King wreath was an afterthought." Despite Bush's platitudes about Dr. King's legacy, he is so focused on his fundraiser - and so neglectful of the Martin Luther King Day celebrations - that he has done little to prevent his visit's security detail from limiting access to a historic black church where a civil rights symposium will be taking place.
   
   In response to Bush's visit, protestors are marching "with bullhorns, signs and thumping drums, shouting for the president to stay away." They say that on top of Bush using Dr. King's grave as pretext for a fundraiser, his policies have directly insulted Dr. King's memory. As Rev. Raphael Allen said, "His administration has never supported anything to help the poor, education, or children. It's all about isolationism and greed for the upper class. That's not promoting the legacy of Dr. King."
   
   Sources:
   
2. President Bush Honors Martin Luther King, Junior in Church Service, 01/20/2004.
   
3. "Bush Plan to Honor Dr. King Stirs Criticism", New York Times, 01/15/2004.
   
4. "On the Way to the Fundraiser", Washington Post, 05/20/2002.

[cookie]

Just a little aside from an Episcopalian:

MLK is treated with veneration in the Episcopal church, but is not an official saint in the Catholic tradition. The Episcopal church recognizes all true Christians as saints, but does recognize that some saints have done their work very publicly for the good of all society.

Here is a list (from a sermon) of those who have been recently added to the Episcopal list of saints (sorry for all-caps; this is how they were listed)

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH CONTINUALLY ADDS PEOPLE TO ITS CALENDAR OF SAINTS, AND SO THIS BOOK IS GETTING THICKER. IN THE CHURCH'S GENERAL CONVENTION THIS YEAR SEVERAL WERE ADDED: PHILANDER CHASE, BISHOP OF OHIO, WILLIAM TEMPLE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, C.S. LEWIS, SPIRITUAL WRITER AND STORY-TELLER, FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, THE FIRST WOMAN PRIEST. IN RECENT YEARS THE CHURCH ALSO ADDED AMELIA BLOOMER, ELIZABETH STANTON, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET TUBMAN, CHAMPIONS AGAINST SLAVERY, FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE AND SOCIAL REFORMER, DIETRICH BONHOEFFER, WHO DIED AT THE HANDS OF THE NAZIS, MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., A PROPHET OF FREEDOM, EVELYN UNDERHILL, A MYSTICAL WRITER. AND IN THE BOOK WE ALSO FIND PEOPLE LIKE MARTIN LUTHER, THOMAS CRANMER, AND JOHN AND CHARLES WESLEY. AND THEN THERE IS EMMA OF HAWAII AND ENMEGAHBOWH, THE FIRST NATIVE AMERICAN PRIEST IN THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH, AND SOMEONE WHO ESPECIALLY CATCHES MY ATTENTION, SAMUEL SCHERESCHEWSKY, THE JEW FROM LITHUANIA WHO BECAME THE ANGLICAN BISHOP OF SHANGHAI. THESE ARE JUST A SAMPLE OF THE PEOPLE, THE SAINTS WE FIND IN THE BOOK OF LESSER FEASTS AND FASTS, AND WE SHOULD NOTE THAT THEY ARE NOT ALL EPISCOPALIANS

Now, I'm not a stone Episcopalian, but as Christian churches go, it's probably the most liberal. My husband and I make jokes about the fact that now that the church has ordained a gay bishop, it's finally liberal enough for us to attend services again.

Anyway, just an aside about the "sainthood" of MLK.

As far as Bush and his photo op/fundraiser: same old, same old.

[Gary Sisco]

Tantrums and politics are not the same things. I agree with Pete.

I would hardly call this a "tantrum" any more than I would apply that tag to the millions who protested Bush's war. There were highly legitimate reasons for seeing this Bush photo-op as exploitation.

[SinginSumo]

Virtually all American politicians play a media game that is not only often inappropriate but tragically expedient as well. What's new with that?

Or was it the behavior of the protesting 700 that is being called to task for inappropriate behavior? Nothing new with this either, regardless of cause or political leaning.

[jesus marion joseph]

Why, these Bush guys are so brazen, the next thing they'll try to do is rent out the Lincoln bedroom for donation cash! Then (as a show of repsect for both the office and the high esteem in which the population is held) maybe he'll have sex with an intern in the Oval Office! And have his entire cabinet deny it in front of the news cameras!!!

WHO DO THESE GUYS THINK THEY ARE, ANYWAY??!!!!!!!!

[Al in NYC]

I think it was right of Bush to go, and I think it was right of people to protest. I really don't see what was "inappropriate" about any of this...

• JMJ, once again you make a fool of yourself with a Clinton analogy.
  
  I would like to know how inviting people to sleep in the Lincoln bedroom and getting a blow job in the Oval Office stands up against distributing chronic, blatant lies from the White House and Pentagon in order to justify a pre-emptive war that has already cost billions of dollars, total loss of image abroad, and thousands of innocent lives.
  
  I think your scale needs adjusting...it just doesn't balance, does it?
  
  BTW
  
• Deaths as a result of Lincoln bedroom invitations = 0
• Deaths as a result of sex in the Oval Office = 0
• Deaths as a result of impulsive warmongering = tens of thousands (and still counting)

[Mike Schwartz]

This year is also what would have been Dr. King's 75th birthday.

This president, who certainly brings on strong opinions from opposite poles, is quite clearly in the "damned if he does,damned if he doesn't" position on this one.

We live in a world that makes a fuss over anniversarys that end in 'tens' and 'fives', so the 75th for someone who has a national holiday in his honor is something for ANY president to take a stop to do the right thing.

If the prez was not Dubbya, and was the second coming of FDR, he [or she] would be making some kind of stop or would be making some kind of remarks on MLK's 75th and probably going to a fundraiser or some other event 10 months before an election. Whatever was on his calendar after the stop in Atlanta means absolutely nothing.

Protesting the Bush policies at a public appearance is cool...his right and priviledge to show up the way he did and lay a wreath is a NON issue so far as I'm concerned.

I'll let those of you who want to continue to argue about this have back at it...

Well said, Mike.