MLK Day

I have no reservations about Martin Luther King Day. Slavery and segregation being the "original sin" of America, it is fitting and proper that we celebrate an African-American who expressed, at his best, the true creed of Americans -- that here we judge men by the "content of their character."

Having said that, I will now disburden myself of a typical curmudgeonly diatribe, which for my wife is an annual event. MLK Day, OK. I like it. It's good. But today we will have quasi-religious ceremonies and "scripture readings" from King's greatest speeches (sermons) across the nation. Indeed, I would bet every public school in America (or at least any big city public school system) spent at least several hours and probaby more last week celebrating King. That's good too, and I guess I don't mind that much the hypocrisy of the Left in "segregating" religion from the classroom except when we're talking about the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Any little bit of religion in the classroom probably helps.

But my real beef is the following. Today we celebrate MLK. But next month we take George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and mush them together into something called "Presidents' Day"? What the hell is that? Let's grant that MLK is a 9 out of 10 on a scale of American greatness. And let's grant that everyone else is an 8.... except for Lincoln and freakin' George Washington, who are 10 and 10 for cryin' out loud! Today the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a pull-out section of student essays about Martin Luther King -- they have one every year, in fact. It's nice. I like students to write essays about historical figures. But, just once, couldn't they have a pull-out section about Lincoln or freakin' George Washington?

Sheeeesh!