Do you think it's pathetic how cons try to claim liberal civil right activist MLK Jr as one of their own?

MLK JR ATTACKING THE PRO-WAR RIGHT (INCLUDING REAGAN)

"The war has strengthened domestic reaction. It has given the extreme right, the anti-labor, anti-*****, and anti-humanistic forces a weapon of spurious patriotism to galvanize its supporters into reaching for power, right up to the White House. It hopes to use national frustration to take control and restore the America of social insecurity and power for the privileged. When a Hollywood performer, lacking distinction even as an actor can become a leading war hawk candidate for the Presidency, only the irrationalities induced by a war psychosis can explain such a melancholy turn of events."

- Martin Luther King Jr, Domestic Impact of War, Nov 1967

http://www.aavw.org/special_features/speeches_spee...

===============

MLK JR ATTACKING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY FOR TURNING TOWARDS THE RIGHT (TRYING TO WIN OVER THE RACIST SOUTH)

"The Republican Party geared its appeal and program to racism, reaction, and extremism. All people of goodwill viewed with alarm and concern the frenzied wedding at the Cow Palace of the KKK with the radical right. The "best man" at this ceremony was a senator whose voting record, philosophy, and program were anathema to all the hard-won achievements of the past decade.

"It was both unfortunate and disastrous that the Republican Party nominated Barry Goldwater as its candidate for President of the United States. In foreign policy Mr. Goldwater advocated a narrow nationalism, a crippling isolationism, and a trigger-happy attitude that could plunge the whole world into the dark abyss of annihilation. On social and economic issues, Mr. Goldwater represented an unrealistic conservatism that was totally out of touch with the realities of the twentieth century. The issue of poverty compelled the attention of all citizens of our country. Senator Goldwater had neither the concern nor the comprehension necessary to grapple with this problem of poverty in the fashion that the historical moment dictated. On the urgent issue of civil rights, Senator Goldwater represented a philosophy that was morally indefensible and socially suicidal."

- MLK Jr, The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr

http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/au...

MLK JR PRAISING DEMOCRAT JFK AND ATTACKING REPUBLICAN NIXON

And yet, when this moment came, it was like he had never heard of me. So this is why I really considered him a moral coward and one who was really unwilling to take a courageous step and take a risk. And I am convinced that he lost the election because of that. Many Negroes were still on the fence, still undecided, and they were leaning toward Nixon. My father had endorsed Nixon until that call. He knew about my relations with Nixon, and I think he felt that Nixon would do a good job on the civil rights question. I guess deep down within there may have been a little of the religious feeling that a Catholic should not be president. I'm sure my father had been somewhat influenced by this, so that he had gone on record endorsing Nixon. After that call, he changed, and he made a very strong statement... I had to conclude that the then known facts about Kennedy were not adequate to make an unqualified judgment in his favor....

I do feel that, as any man, he grew a great deal. After he became president I thought we really saw two Kennedys-a Kennedy the first two years and another Kennedy emerging in 1963. He was getting ready to throw off political considerations and see the real moral issues. Had President Kennedy lived, I would probably have endorsed him in 1964. But, back at that time, I concluded that there was something to be desired in both candidates.

- MLK Jr, The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr

http://stanford.edu/group/King/publications/autobi...

Justin,

He would not be a conservative even today. He said some pretty controversial things including that America was the greatest purveyor of violence in the world. When he was killed, he was on a campaign for increasing the standard of living of poor people through government action.

kroll,

Are you kidding me? Notice how I used the words conservative and liberal? Today's SOUTHERN conservative Republican Party is nothing like the Radical Republican Party of Lincoln. That party was based in states like Massachusetts, not Mississippi.