Posted under Interventionism & Iraq & NeoCons
I’ve long argued the Evil Empire promotes the worship of Martin Luther King, Jr. because King’s image sanctifies the projection of DC’s power at home and abroad. We’re supposed to believe the central government’s “wars of liberation” in Iraq and Afghanistan are extensions of the hallowed Civil Rights movement. Condi Rice even made that explicit when she denounced opponents of the Iraq War as “racist.” (What a handy word!)
Now another apparatchik has made my case. Yesterday, the Defense Department presented a “certificate of appreciation” to Jeh C. Johnson, the department’s general counsel, at the 26th annual observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Pentagon. What critics would call illegal invasions, he assured his audience, are actually noble, selfless acts of kindness:
Volunteers in today’s military, he said, “have made the conscious decision to travel a dangerous road and personally stop and administer aid to those who want peace, freedom and a better place in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and in defense of the American people.
“Every day, our servicemen and women practice the dangerousness — the dangerous unselfishness Dr. King preached on April 3, 1968,” Johnson told the audience.
Yep — the Pentagon is the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with cluster bombs.
The Western Confucian on 14 Jan 2011 at 5:52 pm #
The early MLK, maybe, but his later turning against the MIC was what got him killed.
The Western Confucian on 14 Jan 2011 at 5:58 pm #
This clip of MLK on the Mike Douglas Show in denouncing the war in Vietnam is quite interesting:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/68169.html
Weaver on 14 Jan 2011 at 6:31 pm #
The leftist leaders usually align with the popular stances, like protectionist trade and opposing most wars, even if not upholding such values.
Under Obama we’ve still got America-last trade and wars overseas.
“I Have A Dream Speech”: Martin Luther King memorial set for August (AFP) | RedHotNews.org on 14 Jan 2011 at 7:54 pm #
[...] Martin Luther King would approve of DC's wars | Conservative … [...]
Rusty on 14 Jan 2011 at 9:05 pm #
Very interesting observation!!
HarrisonBergeron2 on 14 Jan 2011 at 11:05 pm #
Western Confucian,
Yes, but his actual views on Vietnam aren’t what’s important (just as his actual character is very different from the secular saint we’re told to emulate). What matters is MLK’s universalism, which DC uses to justify its commitment to the global democratic revolution.
The Wester Confucian on 15 Jan 2011 at 4:20 am #
HarrisonBergeron2,
I do agree with you about the problematic nature of “MLK’s universalism” and that “DC uses [it] to justify its commitment to the global democratic revolution.”