I'm Pretty Sure Someone's Being Insulted Here

It's the anniversary of MLK's assassination. While most of his political views were worlds away from my own -- at least I agree on the importance of judging people on their own merits and not their genetic heritage -- no one bein' peaceably political, indeed, no one not presenting an immediate physical threat to others, deserves to be shot down. Dr. King was the victim but a degree of civility was lost as well.

On that very day, Robert Kennedy spoke in Indianapolis, and addressed the news. Local media delights in pointin' out how, on that day, Indianapolis had no riots. Peace was maintained. --Probably barely but it was. Okay; that's a good thing. And there were riots in some other cities. Not all, but some.

On the other hand, I'm not so sure we should hand quite so much glory to any politician. It seems to me that level-headed individuals of every color were the folks who made the difference that day. To assume that lacking the blandishments of one of our Great Leaders the streets would have run red with blood is to give ordinary people far too little credit. It is an essentially racist belief based in speculation.

Choose your myths carefully.