40 Years Later, Martin Luther King Is Still Silenced

[struggle4progress]

By Jeff Cohen, AlterNet
Posted April 5, 2008.

While noting in passing that King spoke out against the Vietnam War, mainstream reports today rarely acknowledge that he went way beyond Vietnam to decry U.S. militarism in general: "I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos," said King in 1967 speeches on foreign policy, "without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today -- my own government."

In response to these speeches, Newsweek said King was "over his head" and wanted a "race-conscious minority" to dictate U.S. foreign policy. Life magazine described the Nobel Peace Prize winner as a communist pawn who advocated "abject surrender in Vietnam." The Washington Post couldn't have been more patronizing: "King has diminished his usefulness to his cause, to his country, and to his people."

When King's moral voice moved beyond racial discrimination to international issues, the New York Times attacked his efforts to link the civil rights and antiwar movements.

King's sermons on Vietnam could get as angry as those of Barack Obama's ex-pastor: "God didn't call America to engage in a senseless, unjust war ... We've committed more war crimes almost than any nation in the world." In 1967, King was also criticizing the economic underpinnings of U.S. foreign policy, railing against "capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia, Africa and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countries." Today, capitalists of the West reap huge profits from their domination of media -- in the U.S. and abroad ...

http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/81389/

[scarletwoman]

1. This is a great article -- rec'd -- more excerpts:

When King’s moral voice moved beyond racial discrimination to international issues, the New York Times attacked his efforts to link the civil rights and antiwar movements.

King’s sermons on Vietnam could get as angry as those of Barack Obama’s ex-pastor: “God didn’t call America to engage in a senseless, unjust war . . . We’ve committed more war crimes almost than any nation in the world.”

In 1967, King was also criticizing the economic underpinnings of U.S. foreign policy, railing against “capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia, Africa and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countries.” Today, capitalists of the West reap huge profits from their domination of global media.

<snip>

If King had survived to hear the war drums beating for the invasion and occupation of Iraq - amplified by TV networks and the New York Times front page and Washington Post editorial page — there’s little doubt where he’d stand. Or how loudly he’d be speaking out.

And there’s little doubt how big U.S. media would have reacted. On Fox News and talk radio, King would have been Dixie Chicked. . . or Rev. Wrighted. In corporate centrist outlets, he’d have been marginalized faster than you can say Noam Chomsky.

[Political Heretic]

2. He went beyong militarism in general to speak out against capitalism in general

and advocate for an economic rights movement.

...then he was shot.

[scarletwoman]

3. Well, now that he's dead the powers that be can see to it that he is kept in his place.

All that uppity anti-militarism, anti-capitalist kind of talk has been carefully expunged from the mainstream record.

[truedelphi]

8. Flipping through the channels, I started gagging when I realized that

Charlie Rose had Tom Brokaw on last night in order to explain the Reverend King to us.

Why we get stuck with the flatuous ass telling us about the youth revolution of the sixties and spelling out the meaning of the black leaders for us -- it's enough to make me permanenetly ill.

[scarletwoman]

12. We are only allowed to get the approved, official version of our history.

Delivered and interpreted for us by approved, official mouthpieces.

We are so used to it, I wonder if even one person in a thousand (and that's being generous) even noticed anything odd about some old, white Establishment guy explaining the "meaning" of a black revolutionary.

sw

[KG]

4. from what i've read in DU the last couple weeks, some here would call MLK a 'hate monger'

[scarletwoman]

5. As Jonathon Schwarz points out (from his inestimable blog, "A Tiny Revolution"):

One Thing We Know For Sure: Hillary Clinton Wouldn't Stay In A Church Led By This Guy

Look at how this radical, angry black preacher hates America!

I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today -- my own government. For the sake of those boys, for the sake of this government, for the sake of the hundreds of thousands trembling under our violence, I cannot be silent.

A Tiny Revolution -- April 4, 2008

[KG]

9. preachin' to the choir here, miss scarletwoman

we are two of the very few way radical leftist still hanging on here. :hi:

[scarletwoman]

11. Ain't it the truth. I knew you, at least, would appreciate Jon Schwarz's post.

In comments to another post at ATR, someone suggested, half-jokingly, that MLK could be referred to as "Radical Cleric Martin Luther King, Jr.". I rather like it. ;)

:hi:
sw

[RT Atlanta]

6. thank you for posting

This part of Dr. King's life, after he publicly came out against the Vietnam war and began his poor people's campaign is what is truly missing in today's understanding of King. Many in the mainstream seem to think he dropped off the face of the Earth after the march on D.C.

[truedelphi]

7. Few people today realize that at one point, King was so demoralized

Attacked by the white media for being so controversial and such an agitator, and denounced by other black ministers for being to strident, King considered dropping out.

Then he decided to take the movement to the college and high school crowd - that is where the
movement got its legs.

[flashl]

10. Great article. nt

[Kitty Herder]

13. K&R!!