Tweet of the moment (from George Takei)

[Dennis Donovan]

Link to tweet

George Takei ✔ @GeorgeTakei

Credit: Watson Mere https://artofmere.carbonmade.com/projects/3045277 …



9:18 AM - Jan 20, 2020

[Arkansas Granny]

1. K & R

[calimary]

2. Magnificent!

[Bayard]

3. That's a copy and keeper!

Thanks!

[LAS14]

4. K & R

[Evolve Dammit]

5. I would prefer to see the cheeks squeezed very hard, but I know that's not MLK

[Collimator]

9. You're right, of course.

And the tone of the image and Dr. King's demeanor illustrate the patience and understanding that he would have tried to extend towards even someone like Trump and his ilk.

Though, as I write this I am reminded of some sit-com jokes about dealing with a particularly difficult character. The punchline is always about how someone like Gandhi would have punched the offending person. You could substitute Mother Teresa or MLK in those sorts of set-ups.

Thinking about it more deeply, America really didn't deserve Dr. King. He was an American Saint--dedicated to the (often corrupted) higher ideals of our country. To the white people who feared him, he was solely about raising up the black people in this country. That is because some people cannot seem to exist without an underclass to judge and castigate.

Demographically, I am a (slightly ) older white lady. I might look like the sort to pick up the phone and report black people enjoying themselves in some public context. But I am grateful to Dr. King for making me a better person than I might have been and for improving my life in ways that may be too numerous to count.

I've had African American doctors and teachers and friends. Our lives might never have intersected if the world hadn't changed. Dr. Patricia Williams--who was the best and coolest health care provider I ever had--might not have achieved her career aspirations were it not for the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thank you, sir.

[CaptYossarian]

15. When you mention the rising of Blacks, a racist might think it's the

equivalent of whites descending, as if the two are related. But they've been brainwashed by their parents, by some of the churches and schools, especially by institutional racism (government funding inequity), and now by IQ45's words and actions. Once the parents plant the seeds of racism and hate, that's a weed that seems to exist forever.

As JFK once said, "A rising tide raises all boats."

[KY_EnviroGuy]

6. Happenings at The King Center

TheKingCenter

King Center Link: https://thekingcenter.org/

Twitter Link: https://twitter.com/TheKingCenter

Link to tweet

and...........

Link to tweet

KY....... ......

[Hermit-The-Prog]

7. What would MLK say about the white supremacy terrorist in our WH?

King, about Goldwater:

"The Republican Party geared its appeal and program to racism, reaction, and extremism...On the urgent issue of civil rights, Senator Goldwater represents a philosophy that is morally indefensible and socially suicidal. While not himself a racist, Mr. Goldwater articulates a philosophy which gives aid and comfort to the racist. His candidacy and philosophy would serve as an umbrella under which extremists of all stripes would stand. In the light of these facts and because of my love for America, I have no alternative but to urge every Negro and white person of goodwill to vote against Mr. Goldwater and to withdraw support from any Republican candidate that does not publicly disassociate himself from Senator Goldwater and his philosophy."

Now, we have a racist in the White House who cares only about himself and uses the appeals "to racism, reaction, and extremism" to his personal advantage. He actively seeks the consequences of such appeals in order to gain personal power. His depravity must be revealed and reviled every day until we can get him out.

[treestar]

8. that statement about the rest of us doing nothing

we have to get out and vote and get rid of the Orange Racist Madman and his minions.

[Karadeniz]

10. Great drawing...thanks!

[Skittles]

11. excellent

[Stuart G]

12. Brilliant!!

[klook]

13. Some background on this great image:

The Story Behind One Of The Most Powerful Images Of the Resistance: How a poster from the Women’s March became a call to action for unity in Boston.
By Tod Perry, 8/24/2017

After the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that claimed the life of anti-racist protester Heather Heyer, President Donald Trump was hesitant to denounce white supremacists. He insisted there were bad people on “both sides,” equating racists with those who took a stand against bigotry.

To express his outrage over Trump’s comments, Twitter user RjayNiice tweeted a piece of artwork titled “My Brother’s Keeper” that shows Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. putting his hand over Trump’s mouth as he tweets. “This deserves endless retweets but I doubt it will,” he captioned the photo. In under a week, the tweet had claimed over 240,000 likes.

Later in the piece -- quoting From the artist, Winston Mere:
I first created “My Brother’s Keeper” early in the month of January 2017 when I realized that MLK Day would be four days before the Trump inauguration. It was mostly inspired by the polarity of the messages from the two men. It was somewhat of a dreams-versus-nightmares situation where you had Dr. King’s dream of equality and peace amongst races. And, on the other hand, you had a message based on reversing things to a pre-Civil Rights era of separation and overt oppression coming from Trump. Most of his sentiments were expressed at his rallies, but Twitter was also catalyst for getting his message across.

What do you think Dr. King would have to say about Trump if he was around today?

He would not approve. I think what Trump has helped to stir up is peeling back the progress that this country has made in the years since Dr. King’s assassination. There were still major issues involving race prior to Trump, but I believe that Dr. King would have encouraged him to inspire the nation to continue its growth towards eliminating these problems. Trump is digging deeper into a part-two version of the country’s dark history against minorities.
[snip]

You’re an artist who creates powerful images of the African Diaspora. When the dust settles on the racial chaos inspired by Trump, do you think black America will be in a better or worse position?

As crazy as it may sound, I think that we will be in a better place because these times have shown us that the evil that black people have been talking about isn’t a myth. It’s actually a very real thing, and as a result, black people have gained allies from a multitude of different groups. This gives us a greater platform to get our voice out and help others better understand our views from the perspective of the oppressed. I believe this improved understanding will ultimately start the discussions that will be the impetus for change.

I also think that the negativity of this administration has forced people to come out of the “boxes” of their respected groups and listen to the issues and problems of other communities they’ve never considered. The many protests that have gone on around the nation and the world show a multitude of different types people coming together in harmony for one cause — which is the embodiment of Dr. King’s dream. So I do feel like there is light at the end of this dark period; however, we must hold on to this energy of unity and open-mindedness once the dust finally does settle.

more at link: https://www.good.is/slideshows/good-interview-artist-watson-mere

Another great piece by Winston Mere:


More on Winston Mere: https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2018/01/18/watson-mere-artist-mlk-trump

[Dennis Donovan]

14. Thank you for this!

He's a really great artist - technically, visually and spiritually.

[CaptYossarian]

16. You don't usually see some "strange fruit" in someone's hair.

If you don't get the reference, there's a song from 1939 by Billie Holliday about lynching. I've got the Katey Sagal version on my iPod on my self-created "Lefty" channel.