By Harold Keller / L’Observateur / January 20, 1999

One thing that all Americans agree on is a holiday. Regardless of thecelebration, a holiday from work and a reason to celebrate is welcomed by all.

This past Monday, we celebrated the birthday of Martin Luther King. I haveto admit that it wasn’t until years later that I could appreciate his courage and determination to change a terrible wrong and make it right.

It’s been said that unless one has a cause to die for, living becomes only a boring existence. King had a reason to live.Martin Luther King had a crusade. He not only was willing to die for thecause, he did. Was his death in vain? I ask this question because the peoplehe fought for fearlessly and died for courageously, today confuse me almost to a point of anger. I get upset when I read about supporters ofClinton at a minority meeting in New York, comparing him to Dr. King.Jesse Jackson, who compared the president to King, organized the meeting.

He said, and I quote: “When you are about as a public-policy leader represents the fulfillment of his dream.” I personally don’t like or respectJesse Jackson and can definitely compare him to Bill Clinton.

Susan Taylor, editor of Essence magazine, said, “Ya done good, William Jefferson Clinton. Be gentle with yourself, because only God is perfect.”Bill Clinton might disagree with that.

Richard Grasso, president of the New York Stock Exchange, told Clinton that King was surely smiling down on him. How does he know that? OnlyGod knew his heart and judged Martin Luther King accordingly. Be remindedthat good works alone will not get you to heaven. Only a personalrelationship with Jesus Christ and a repentive heart will save you.

One syndicated columnist said that King was more than a dreamer. He puthis vision into action. The Bible says that without a vision, the peopleperish. Dr. King had a vision and he died to set his people free. Thechallenge for every black person in America is to take advantage of the opportunities for which Dr. King died. One pastor in New Orleans said,”King’s dream has eluded us1” The Rev. Zebadee Bridges, pastor of Asian Baptist Church and a long timelocal civil-rights leader who marched with King, reminded people that despite the glorification of the early civil rights days by TV and motion pictures, the marches and protests were fraught with real dangers. (Manyother people died – black and white.) He said that today the fight againstdiscrimination must move away from marching and other activities. Hechallenged local politicians not to worry about only the next election and selfishly taking care of themselves and their families. He said, “Civilrights for some people means taking rights away from others – it means getting all you can and forgetting about the less fortunate.”If the majority of blacks want to compare Martin Luther King with William Jefferson Clinton, so be it. as a white who respects the successfulcrusade that Dr. King died for, I resent any person comparing him to thepresident who is on trial for misleading and lying to his country. Nocomparison! Dr. King was an unselfish visionary with courage. Thepresident is just the opposite. If the blacks are today looking for heroesamong their race, I suggest they get acquainted with Congressmen J.C.Watts and Allen Keyes. These two have really taken advantage of theircivil rights.

Copyright © 1998, Wick Communications, Inc.

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