Martin Luther King

[DS]

Everyone wants to talk about Martin Luther King...but what about Columbus? We wouldn't even be here talking about this if Columbus didn't sail the ocean blue. I don't know if my conscience will let me work on Columbus day any more - I just feel so strongly about it. If I can't find a Columbus day march somewhere I'll just celebrate by going fishing or something.

If I`m not mistaken Columbus was Spanish,and he was
instrumental in bringing the slave trade to fruition.
I think the MLK appreciation day is a valid way for
the US government to apologize to the colored folk
for the years of oppression.
But that was a long time ago.
Theres no more oppression,but a small minority of blacks
still have big chips on thier shoulders.
The truth is everyone has a chance to do whatever they
want in life now,you choose your own path.
Rap music did nothing to benefit them.It tended only to
re-establish the mistrust between us.
MLK was only one man that died for black people,Lincon,
and the Kennedy brothers also paid with thier lives.

 

[toonertoo]

Amen, and I think we should get the 1st of the month off, every working person, black or white, and the outrage will be like Katrina squared!!!! And since here in Ohio we deliver the food stamp card, nda,...... to people who arent even up yet......(and we pay for the nda delivery so they can hurry up and eat our hard work) those deliveries should be relaxed to accomodate those who do not have to work, we sure wouldnt want to wake them up..........
I gave 500 bucks in my last check to taxes, here ya go!!
Fair tax is the way to go......jmho

 

[tieguy]

If I`m not mistaken Columbus was Spanish,and he was
instrumental in bringing the slave trade to fruition.
I think the MLK appreciation day is a valid way for
the US government to apologize to the colored folk
for the years of oppression.
But that was a long time ago.

thats the sad thing it was not that long ago. I grew up during the time MLK marched and died. I grew up during a time when much of this went on while I was totally oblivious to what was going on in the world around me. You did too. And it would not have changed if people like MLK did not have the courage to challenge those atrocities even at the risk of their lives or their families lives. We will never know what that was like.

Theres no more oppression,but a small minority of blacks
still have big chips on thier shoulders.

And that will happen as certain leadership tries to justify their existence. Sadly its often the white democratic leadership that tries to keep the blacks down by promoting hate and mistrust against the white specifically republican leadership.Modern carpetbaggers I call them.

The truth is everyone has a chance to do whatever they
want in life now,you choose your own path.
Rap music did nothing to benefit them.It tended only to
re-establish the mistrust between us.

I don't see it. I think Rap is just another example of a music trend us old foggies don't understand. Just like they did not understand Elvis in his early days.

MLK was only one man that died for black people,Lincon,
and the Kennedy brothers also paid with thier lives.

Lincoln and kennedy are an example of whites who helped. MLK is another example of a great black leader who also tried to help resolve this injustice. Recognizing this point and celebrating his accomplishments helps us move towards his vision of a color blind society. You can't let a Jesse Jackson or Al sharpton deter us from the point that MLK preached a non-violent approach to resolving oppression when his people were being lynched for speaking out. You can't deny that MLK died fighting for his beliefs. While you can deny any responsibility for past injustice you can speak up loudly against any future injustices by loudly and proudly celebrating MLK. He sacrificed for the cause of humanity. Please don't try to deny him or short change his legacy. Give the man his dues.

 

[moreluck]

Tooner.....I read somewhere...

We all have to take drug tests to get a job. Some of our pay goes to help others. The article said that those "others" should have to take a drug test to receive their welfare checks.

I think it's a great idea. The gov't would save tons of money and only those that REALLY need help would get it.

 

[over9five]

That's an awesome idea. No free money for lazy drug addicts!

 

[HazMatMan]

Isn't he that guy that "had a dream" that his wife would ignore all the messing around with other women he did?

That's not very nice disrespecting the man like that, besides, I think you got him mixed up with the Kennedy's....

 

[over9five]

"I think you got him mixed up with the Kennedy's...."

or Bill Clinton....

 

[rocket88]

"it would be a credit to the organization if they honored their non-white employees"

What??? Name one holiday that UPS has that honors their white employees? THERE AREN'T ANY!

What about "FOUNDERS DAY?"

 

[toonertoo]

Put this in force immediately, I couldnt seem to copy and paste this newspaper article, and I didnt snope it, if it isnt a real editorial it should be, we could cut our deficit in half, and our taxes too

DONT LET PEOPLE SIT ON THEIR REARS

"I have a question, not only for Douglas County, but for the entire state of Oregon. Like alot of folks in this state, I have a job. I work, they pay me, I pay my taxes, and the government distributes my taxes as they see fit. In order for me to get my paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test, which I have no problem with.

What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxws to people who dont have to pass a urine test. Shoudnt one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check, because I have to pass one to go earn it for them?
Please understand, I have nothing against helping people get back on their feet. I do on the other hand have a problem with helping someone sit on their butt. Could you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check?"
Leonard Wilson
Riddle

I think we should take it one step further, since we are losing so much money from our pay to help the downtrodden, and they should be happy to live in a country that does, and they are..I think until you get on your feet you lose a little more rights. Unless people are over 65 or disabled and on welfare. we have to show Id to buy everything anyway. Let your ID show if you are on public assistance, and if you are, no cell phones, no jewelry, no lexus, or hummer. No cigarettes no beer, and no fancy nails and hair. No victoria secret, so you can lay around and look sexy and make more babies you cant take care of. No wine, no whiskey, and no cds. No stereos, no boob jobs, and no Viagara.
I dont have a problem helping anyone who got a bad deal and truly needs help, either. I do have a problem not being able to pull in the marts in my area, coz the Hummers, Lexus, cadillacs, and well dressed people flood the stores, and swipe their food stamp card with their finely manicured nails, then go out and load their lincoln with Tbones, racks of Ribs, and cases of beer and wine. While Im freezing my a** off or sweating it off (in ohio its one or the other) and I only get to have nice nails, nice hair, and dress nice on vacation, times how many I get a year. I get sick to death of delivering Bose stereos to people who the next day get granted a Food card. I get sick to death of people who expect me to crawl up their stairs that they are too frekin lazy to take a broom and brush off, so I can deliver them something bought with my money that I cant afford. Or to deliver their food stamp cards, with the out of state beamers, and mercedes sitting in the house they just moved into and guess what. We pay for the residence also!!!!!!!
Give us a break, instead of putting in a ban on smoking and hiring smoking cops, lets hire, fraud cops. Ill pay extra!!! go to any store on the first of the month and make your quota in an hour. Require people to learn life skills, like how to manage money, how to shop for food, how to feed and clothe your family and how to get employment, starting with if you cant get up to an alarm clock since youre drugged out, how can you work. And guess what, if you are young and strong, you can get employment, if you are on drugs you cannot, then it is not my proble, you starve, die, and we are rid of you. Only the strong survive. Even the Bald EAgle is making a comeback, they can too, if its too hard, too freakin bad.
Excuse my rant. Ive held it in a while.

 

[moreluck]

Tooner....glad you got that all out !!

I was cheerin' as I was readin'.

Agree 100% !!

 

[DS]

Lincoln and kennedy are an example of whites who helped. MLK is another example of a great black leader who also tried to help resolve this injustice. Recognizing this point and celebrating his accomplishments helps us move towards his vision of a color blind society. You can't let a Jesse Jackson or Al sharpton deter us from the point that MLK preached a non-violent approach to resolving oppression when his people were being lynched for speaking out. You can't deny that MLK died fighting for his beliefs. While you can deny any responsibility for past injustice you can speak up loudly against any future injustices by loudly and proudly celebrating MLK. He sacrificed for the cause of humanity. Please don't try to deny him or short change his legacy. Give the man his dues.

I did not mean to minimalize the great things that MLK accomplished.His achievements were a major factor in
the fight against racism.

Tie,some rap songs are brutal...
Ice-T, "Cop Killer"


I got my black shirt on.
I got my black gloves on.
I got my ski mask on.
This ****'s been too long.

I got my twelve gauge sawed off.
I got my headlights turned off.
I'm 'bout to bust some shots off.
I'm 'bout to dust some cops off.

Cop killer, better you than me.
Cop killer, police brutality!
Cop killer, I know your family's grievin'
censored: 'em)
Cop killer, but tonight we get even.

I got my brain on hype.
Tonight'll be your night.
I got this long-assed knife,
and your neck looks just right.
My adrenaline's pumpin'.
I got my stereo bumpin'.
I'm 'bout to kill me somethin'
A pig stopped me for nuthin'!

Cop killer, better you than me.
Cop killer, police brutality!
Cop killer, I know your mama's grievin'
censored: her)
Cop killer, but tonight we get even.
Die, die, die pig, die!
the police!
the police!
the police!
the police!
the police!
the police!
the police yeah!

Cop killer, better you than me.
I'm a Cop killer, police brutality!
Cop killer, I know your family's grievin'
censored: 'em)
Cop killer, but tonight we get even.

the police!
the police!
the police!
the police!
the police!
the police!
the police!
the police, break it down.
the police, yeah.
the police, for Darryl Gates.
the police, for Rodney King.
the police, for my dead homies.
the police, for your freedom.
the police, don't be a pusillanimous.
the police, have some muthain' courage.
the police, sing along.

Cop killer!
Cop killer!
Cop killer!
Cop killer!
Cop killer, what you're gonna be when you grown up?
Cop killer, good choice.
Cop killer!
I'm a muthain' cop killer!

Cop killer, better you than me.
Cop killer, police brutality!
Cop killer, I know your mama's grievin'
censored: her)
Cop killer, but tonight we get even!

Is this just something us old fogies just dont understand?

 

[moreluck]

Oh God.....I'm an old fogie!

I've seen Ice-T in a couple movies and think he's an 'okay' actor.......but those lyrics are ridiculous. Too much talk about killing.

Can't stand the 'rap'. All the rap about killing cops just sets the kids off who listen to this stuff. "Long-assed knife and your neck looks right" ???????? Murder is unacceptable, period, the end.

 

[canon]

Yes, MLK made some big strides in the advancement of African Americans (I don't think they go by "colored folk" any more as double_standard said... but I could be wrong). His advocacy of peace in the face of such violence and discrimination as was the case when he was alive is truely worthy of a federal holiday.

We have a tendency to look back at those times and think "it's not like that anymore" without realizing our own perceptions help facilitate the discrimination that is still present. We still see MLK as a "great black leader" as tieguy said... we're still waiting for our first black president... people like Al Sharpton and Rev Jesse Jackson are still considered "leaders of the black community". The division continues, even if it exists as an attempt to compliment.

I'll never forget a conversation I was having with my assistant gunner in the army (black guy named Davis). We had a lot of racially charged discussions, always on a very friendly level. I asked how he could justify the existance of Black Entertainment Television... pointing out there was no "White Entertainment Television" channel and that this was obviously racial descrimination. He pointed out every other channel was targeted at a white audience. At the time he was right. And now, it really hits home when I see the commercials aimed squarely at the black audience... without a white person in sight (McDonalds commercials come to mind). A commercial with an all white casts doesn't even get a second glance from me... but an all black cast and instantly I feel a certain level of exclusion. I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like to grow up in a world where you're never the target audience in any media.

I always thought of racial descrimination as being something that happened "back in the 50's and 60's"... back when MLK was alive etc. A few years ago my inlaws paid off their house. When they looked over the deed, the terms of purchase they signed around 1970 included the agreement not to sell the house to "anyone of color" (those exact words). At that time, it didn't seem racist... the bank was protecting the property values. For me to declare racism is a thing of the past would be to highlight my own ignorance: I don't know what it's like to be a minority today. Twenty years from now we'll probably look back on today and see similar injustices.

As much as I'd love another day off with pay... I think his place in the list of UPS holidays is quite fitting: he gets the same observances as the white people our government chooses to celebrate. To do more would be preferential treatment.

UPS 2007 Holiday Schedule
In the United States, UPS observes the following holidays:

New Year's Eve - December 31, 2006*
New Year's Day - January 1, 2007
Memorial Day - May 28, 2007**
Independence Day - July 4, 2007**
Labor Day - September 3, 2007**
Thanksgiving Day - November 22, 2007**
Day after Thanksgiving - November 23, 2007***
Christmas Day - December 25, 2007**
New Year's Eve - December 31, 2007**
New Year's Day - January 1, 2008**

In addition, the following holidays are recognized, but not observed:

Martin Luther King Jr. Day - January 15, 2007
Lincoln's Birthday - February 12, 2007
Valentine's Day - February 14, 2007
President's Day - February 19, 2007
Washington's Birthday - February 22, 2007
Ash Wednesday - February 21, 2007
St. Patrick's Day - March 17, 2007
Passover - April 3, 2007
Good Friday - April 6, 2007
Flag Day - June 14, 2007
Rosh Hashanah - September 12, 2007
Yom Kippur - September 21, 2007
Columbus Day - October 11, 2007
Veteran's Day - November 11, 2007
Hanukkah - December 5, 2007
Christmas Eve - December 24, 2007

 

[tieguy]

I did not mean to minimalize the great things that MLK accomplished.His achievements were a major factor in
the fight against racism.

Tie,some rap songs are brutal...
Ice-T, "Cop Killer"


I got my black shirt on.
I got my black gloves on.
I got my ski mask on.
This ****'s been too long.


Cop killer, better you than me.
Cop killer, police brutality!
Cop killer, I know your mama's grievin'
censored: her)
Cop killer, but tonight we get even!

Is this just something us old fogies just dont understand?

you're right pretty raw pretty brutal......hmmm.. wasn't there a song that went...

I shot the sheriff ..but I did not get the deputy......

Purple haze.....Lucy in the sky with diamonds....

Elvis grinding on the stage.

Not as raw but I'm sure provocative for their times.

 

[over9five]

"Tooner....glad you got that all out !!

I was cheerin' as I was readin'."

As was I. Excellent post!

 

[toonertoo]

I forgot a couple, no lottery tickets, and no home schooling where the family gets free computers and internet, Yes all thanks to your tax dollars!!
If you cant get a job, should you really teach your own children?

 

[Slothrop]

Just a couple of quick points;'Food stamps' are a federal program, administered by the state. Because someone is sleeping at 10AM doesn't mean they weren't working a minimum wage job at 4AM. Judge not...

 

[toonertoo]

Just a couple of quick points;'Food stamps' are a federal program, administered by the state. Because someone is sleeping at 10AM doesn't mean they weren't working a minimum wage job at 4AM. Judge not...

Yes I know its a federal program, at one time I was a proud recipient of such a program for 2 whole months. And might I remind you that it was designed as a temporary help, not an entitlement, and not a lifestyle. Except somewhere along the way certain people saw how to make a society that could be easily led.
Judge not????? Oh I can judge all I want. First off Ive been there, so I can. All I saw in the welfare system was that they wanted to keep me there.
IF I would quit my minimum wage job, they would help pay my rent AND give me health care for my kids. AND FOOD STAMPS, AND help with my utilities.
All I wanted was a med card until such time as my divorce decree would be enforced to make my husband keep the children on it, nope couldnt get that. Had to quit my job, sign over my measly 200 per month child support to them and in turn, they would send me 238 per month, and give me all the help aforementioned. And I said, I may be getting a second job, as soon as I secure a babysitter, I dont want to do all that, I can take care of my family. I just need this for a few months. Nope couldnt do that, give up the job and we will take care of you or you are on your own.
I made the choice to do it alone. And at this time I had a 10th grade education, and I KNEW it was wrong, but I did not yet understand why. But I knew I didnt want to live that way, so maybe you think I shouldnt judge, but I know I have every right, because if I had not had the strong Moral upbringing of my hardworking parents, and the sense of pride, to take care of myself, I would be right in there with the rest of the lowlifes, who chose to take the easy way out. But instead I sacrificed to raise my family, without the help of state or federal, and now they take more out of me for taxes than I used to make in a year. I got a GED, I went to college, I got a degree. I got a job with a good company, and I worked my ass off to get there. So I know it can be done, but when kids learn nothing else, how do they know it can be better? My kids are shining examples, they avoided all my mistakes, and are soooooo much better off than I was at their age. So I have proof. They saw that hard work and sacrifice pays off. If I had done it the easy way, theyd be drug dealers, and losers. Emulating what they had seen all their life. So consider me the judge and jury, welfare is not in the best interest of people. Hey guess what I used to be sleeping at 10am, but it wasnt coz I had been partying all night it was coz I just got home from work, and there werent no food stamps waiting on my doorstep, it was maybe the electric guy, or the gas guy wanting to shut me off, and I got up, put my shoes on and took care of it, I didnt call the welfare dept, looking for more help. Give it up.

 

[Slothrop]

Wa-wa-wee-wa!

 

[HazMatMan]

Everyone wants to talk about Martin Luther King...but what about Columbus? We wouldn't even be here talking about this if Columbus didn't sail the ocean blue. I don't know if my conscience will let me work on Columbus day any more - I just feel so strongly about it. If I can't find a Columbus day march somewhere I'll just celebrate by going fishing or something.

Isn't Columbus the one who "found the new world" with people here already?? didn't he have slaves too??