How About some more Wisdom

King day was yesterday, and the commercialization of King is becoming such that he will soon be like George Washington. By that I mean that his complexities, his true beliefs, his true nature, is being washed away in order to make him palatable even to the extreme right-wing. Hell, King is even cited at www.townhall.com, citing of all things, "Letter from Birmingham Jail".

Washington was more than just the stiff, who through rigid public behavior, managed to create a legacy of modesty and civil conduct. He was a complex man of strong and, recognized conflicting beliefs. He was great for more reasons than Hallmark makes him...the same with King, who was both a pacifist and pretty much a socialist. Yet the latter is clearly headed down the same road and I'm not sure what can be done about it, such is the need for a new mythified ICON for everyone.

But while this process continues inextribly, at least we still have Frederick Douglass. And some pearls of wisdom from him still ring true in this era of soft-facism (i.e. "Support the Troops", "the election means the time for criticism is over", "what are you unamerican?").

If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning.

Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.

"Agitate, agitate, agitate".