by BAR executive editor Glen Ford
Since the onset of the Obama phenomenon, Dr. Martin Luther King’s birth and death days have been “polluted” by false and ahistorical comparisons between Obama and MLK. The two men represent opposite political poles: one, a radical opponent of imperial war and concentrated economic power, the other, an ally of Wall Street and commander-in-chief of “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.” In focusing on King, the man of peace, Tavis Smiley’s PBS special corrects a history that has been distorted, sometimes beyond recognition – not the least by the revisionist and poseur in the White House.
“It is a catch-all for blanket repression of Black activism of any kind.
“A distracted and hypnotized public won’t ask questions, make demands, or build movements.”
“One man essentially wants to exploit all the wealth of the country for himself.”
“Movements for self-determination must be judged on the concrete pressure they place to either unite the oppressed or empower the imperialist order.”
“Any set of demands regarding police reform should include a strategy to directly confront the police union in order to limit its power and influence.”
