More On The King Funeral
As we’ve been discussing in other threads, there is some disagreement over whether the activities at King’s funeral yesterday were disrespectful, inappropriate, meanspirited, or any and all of the above. For the record, at least one prominent black leader praised Bush for attending:
“President Bush was where he should have been,” said Bruce S. Gordon, the new president of the NAACP. “Coretta Scott King is a very important figure in black American history and American history. I thought it was appropriate for the president to be there to honor her.”
I’m not the only one, however, who saw President Carter’s comments to be aimed at Bush (and this is from the Washington Post, not exactly famous as a right-wing outlet):
Former president Jimmy Carter, who has been critical of Bush’s warrantless eavesdropping program, pointed out that King and her husband, the slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., were targets of a “secret government surveillance” at the height of the civil rights movement.
“The struggle for equality is not over,” Carter said. “We only have to recall the color of the faces in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi — those most devastated by Katrina — to know there are not yet equal opportunities for all Americans.”
Asked about the criticism, Gordon said: “There are issues between this administration and the African American community. There is no question about it, and that is not going to change in just a few months.”
It is what it is…but kudos to Gordon for addressing the issue both realistically and respectfully…
[...] Decision08 recognizes the new President of the NAACP for his comments. As we’ve been discussing in other threads, there is some disagreement over whether the activities at King’s funeral yesterday were disrespectful, inappropriate, meanspirited, or any and all of the above. For the record, at least one prominent black leader praised Bush for attending: [...]
Gordon is a pretty good guy–he’s reasonable and doesn’t share Julian Bond’s penchant for offensive hyperbole. I have a memory that he actually liked the State of the Union, too.
I want to apologize for my outburst yesterday on the previous thread. I may not have been clear on who my anger was vented toward. It was toward those who would hijack a funereal for personal gain, such as that Phelps guy who sets up protests at the funerals of soldiers. It was towards Jimmy Carter and anyone else who acted in the same fashion – and those who, rather than admit that act in itself was wrong, skipped that aspect of it and went on to defend what Carter said.
Now I’ll head back to the other thread and see if I ruffled the wrong feathers.
Okay, good. I might be thinking I’m more important than I am.
Hey, you are important to us – our feathers just aren’t easily ruffled…
[...] Bruce Gordon NAACP President As we’ve been discussing in other threads, there is some disagreement over whether the activities at King’s funeral yesterday were disrespectful, inappropriate, meanspirited, or any and all of the above. For the record, at least one prominent black leader praised Bush for attending: “President Bush was where he should have been,” said Bruce S. Gordon, the new president of the NAACP. “Coretta Scott King is a very important figure in black American history and American history. I thought it was appropriate for the president to be there to honor her.” [...]