First of all, calm down. I didn’t say it was a “new” catalyst, I said it was A catalyst.

Second, because the statements keep getting aired over and over, they are ALSO being talked about more than they would have been had the statements not been made. Reason being that whenever someone is asked about the comments it is inevitable that they are asked how they feel about or if they agree with what was said.

I grew up and currently live in Atlanta, I am quite familiar with Bishop Long and Mrs. King’s relationship as well as their politics, so I can do without your patronizing tone.

I know her Daughter, Bernice King is a bible believing Christian and I have enjoyed her words in the past……..but I have always been concerned about people like Coretta King of where they truly stand??? I guess the same is applied to Jimmy Carter also??? My wife saw Coretta King here in Calgary years ago and their wasn’t any mention in her talk about her live about what Christ meant to her but simply repeating standard social activist stuff ……

It would be comforting too know that she was ready for her great gettin up morning…

As I was discussing on DL Foster’s blog, Mrs. King was also in favor of gay “marriage”. Bishop Long is totally against it. Some gays felt the funeral should not be held at his church because of it. But what they don’t understand is that CS King and Bishop Long were the best of friends and she attended services there often. They disagreed on an issue, but that did not taint their love for each other.

CS King was able to stand with GWB at her husband’s tomb. It’s a shame others could not stand in respect with the President while he showed respect to CS King. Some are claiming raising the issues was to speak for what CS King stood for, but you ignore that she also stood for respect.

The fact the issues were raised at the WRONG TIME only causes the issues to be ignored. Nobody debating what happened yesterday is talking about the issues raised. They are talking about the fact the funeral got partisan. The issues are being ignored now more than before because some people who claim to stand for the issues are turning them into a side-show.

Maybe the appropriate place would have been conversation with the talking heads following the service.

Although, at the same time, anytime a catalyst is introduced to cause people to openly debate difficult issues can be looked at as positive. So, even if I disagree with the means of the catalyst, I can look positively on it (the catalyst), causing open debate which has been so stifled in this country recently.

It is 2050, and the funeral of former president George Bush-Martinez. On the dais is the current president, Susan Kennedy Rodham, who says nice, gracious things about the former president. Also on the dais is Thomas DeLay IV, who uses the event to make a blistering attack on President Rodham’s policy of one baby one woman (or whatever). The head of the American Christian Union talks about the irony of a woman president who seeks to kill unborn women. Etc.

The excuse is, well George Martinez was a political figure, so politics in a funeral is OK, and if you’re so hung up about classiness and politeness, you should just get out.

Outside of the made-up events, do you see how a funeral is just not the place to shove in your politics?

No one’s saying that you HAVE to go to a funeral. But IF you go, pay your respects to the person. Use another venue and time for your personal ranting.

Honorable intentions, IC. You’re right about the speakers’ options, too.

It seems to me that Reverend Lowery and others who borrowed Mrs. King’s name today to “Speak Truth to Power” failed to borrow her dignity. They only borrowed her corpse.
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Funny how the “reverend” Lowery missed the verses in the Bible that speak of respecting political leaders even when you disagree with them. CS King got it though!

I live blogged some of the funeral and would do it again. I was trying to capture the moment for everyone and the speakers had the option to make it a great tribute or a political slug fest.

Being a former member of New Birth who has seen the members of the King family speak several times and even was part of a mentoring program when I lived in Norristown, PA that flew in MLK III to speak, I can say for certain that the King family had nothing to do with the service going partisan. They try and keep from being partisan as MLK Jr. did. They stand on their principles. Not that I agree with them on all of those principles, but they usually avoid the partisan side-shows.

Bill Clinton did save things from going further downhill.

REV. LOWERY: Well, I don’t think so. I certainly didn’t intend for it to be bad manners. I did intend for it to — to call attention to the fact that Mrs. King spoke truth to power. And here was an opportunity to demonstrate how she spoke truth to power about this war and about all wars.

And I think that, in the context of the faith, out of which the movement grows, we have always opposed war. We’ve always fought poverty. And we base our — our argument on — on the faith, on the fact that Jesus taught us. He identified with the poor. “I was hungry; you didn’t feed me. I was naked; you didn’t clothe me. I was in prison; you didn’t see about me.” He talked about war. He talked about he who lives by the sword.

So I’m comfortable with the fact that I was reflecting on Mrs. King’s tenacity against war, her determination to witness against war and to speak truth to power.

It certainly appears that for many, this funeral has turned into what Mark Twain called an “entertainment.”

So much for decorum and respect. Bring in the clowns.

Bloggers,Nancy Pelosi,Howard Dean,Karl Rove,Ann Coulter whoever is the Agressor on either side are not doing this country any good.
May The Soul of Mrs Coretta Scott King Rest In Perfect Peace.