Martin Luther King Day - January 15th, 2007

I think it's only fitting to take some time to remember Martin Luther King, seeing as how this holiday is now only hours away.

One of the great things about being my age is being able to say I was around to hear people like King (and Robert Kennedy) speak on TV. Compared to pretty much anyone around today, those two were giants. We, sadly, now live in a time where midgets are looked up to.

I remember the day he was shot, and I was eleven years old. I remember hearing RFK's speech to an African-American crowd - who had no idea of what had happened. That speech is still one of the best moments in american rhetoric, in my opinion.

You can see him give that speech here:



Remember, the crowd has no idea that King has just been murdered. The police have warned Kennedy that they cannot promise him protection. He gets up on a flatbed trailer, wearing a his brother John's coat - and talks from his heart, and not a piece of paper.

Now, back to Martin Luther King.

This was a man who spoke of peace and of love. Unlike others that opposed segregation, he could not hate those that opposed him. He solution to the problem was not violence, but civil disobedience.

Although threatened and attacked, he chose to respond in a most Christlike manner. He refused to let his heart be blackened by the same disease that infected others. He remained true to those things that were the most important, and directed his efforts towards making life better for those most in need of that assistance.

His speeches, and his written thoughts, are all that we have left now.

Here is his " I Have A Dream " speech:



Many of those words are still as true today, as they were when he first gave them to us. Their power, and their relevance, are timeless.

Here is his final speech, the night before he was murdered:



His words and actions helped to change a nation for the better, and that torch is still carried by others today.

So, in the spirit of this day, let's remember Martin Luther King and his legacy to all of us worldwide.

I think that the best eulogy for any man is how the world was made better by his actions while living in it.

Thank you, Martin Luther King, for what you tried to teach us and for what you stood for while you were alive.