And I know that I, personally, don't really have a good appreciation for how much Martin Luther King, Jr. meant for a seriously large number of people in the US in the 50's and 60's. I don't have a good sense for how radical his ideas probably seemed, both to those on the right (the rights he expected for blacks) and to the left (his belief in nonviolence, even in the face of terrible violence against his person.)
But, reading Matt Yglesias' most excellent post about MLK and Vietnam, I am struck by two things. One is that Matt is absolutely right; it is an act of extreme moral courage to stand up against something that you believe is wrong, when doing so pits you against your erstwhile allies in the cause which is most important to you. The second is that King is capable of rhetoric the likes of which I have never seen in my lifetime. Check this shit out:
The time has come for America to hear the truth about this tragic war. In international conflicts, the truth is hard to come by because most nations are deceived about themselves. Rationalizations and the incessant search for scapegoats are the psychological cataracts that blind us to our sins. But the day has passed for superficial patriotism. He who lives with untruth lives in spiritual slavery. Freedom is still the bonus we receive for knowing the truth. "Ye shall know the truth," says Jesus, "and the truth shall set you free."'The psychological cataracts that blind us to our sins'? That's some good stuff, right there. I can't imagine any serious public figure speaking like this today, if only because it's too complicated, not 'folksy' enough. It doesn't sound bite well.
I don't really have the right words to describe how I feel when I'm reading those words, so I'll just ask, instead, that you go read them again and think about it. Seems like a worthy tribute to a great man on his dedicated day.
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More from the same speech:
"It is time for all people of conscience to call upon America to come back home. Come home, America. Omar Khayyam is right: "The moving finger writes, and having writ moves on." I call on Washington today. I call on every man and woman of good will all over America today. I call on the young men of America who must make a choice today to take a stand on this issue. Tomorrow may be too late. The book may close. And don't let anybody make you think that God chose America as his divine, messianic force to be a sort of policeman of the whole world. [My emphasis.] God has a way of standing before the nations with judgment, and it seems that I can hear God saying to America, "You're too arrogant! And if you don't change your ways, I will rise up and break the backbone of your power, and I'll place it in the hands of a nation that doesn't even know my name. Be still and know that I'm God."
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