bill
01-15-2004, 05:43 PM
On last year's Martin Luther King Day, President Bush eloquently honored the
memory of Dr. King, saying "I believe [in the] power of his words, the
clarity of his vision and the courage of his leadership." This year,
however, instead of honoring the legacy of Dr. King, President Bush has
decided to use Martin Luther King Day as tool to force the federal
government to subsidize a fundraising trip for his re-election campaign.
The New York Times reports that the President "hastily planned" a visit to
Dr. King's grave, and then will immediately go to "a $2,000-a-person
fundraiser in Atlanta." Even though Bush may spend the majority of his time
hobnobbing with donors at the fundraiser, because he will briefly visit Dr.
King's grave, he is allowed to deem the entire trip "official" and then bill
taxpayers for portions of the huge cost of hotel rooms, rental cars,
security, and travel. And those are no small costs - the Washington Post
notes that Air Force One alone costs $57,000 an hour to operate.
Civil rights leaders are outraged at the blatant exploitation of Dr. King's
birthday as a tool to force taxpayers to bankroll a political fundraiser.
Rev. Timothy McDonald, an organizer of Atlanta's Martin Luther King Day
celebrations said, "It's the epitome of insult. He's really coming here for
the fundraiser. The King wreath was an afterthought." Despite Bush's
platitudes about Dr. King's legacy, he is so focused on his fundraiser - and
so neglectful of the Martin Luther King Day celebrations - that he has done
little to prevent his visit's security detail from limiting access to a
historic black church where a civil rights symposium will be taking place.
In response to Bush's visit, protestors are marching "with bullhorns, signs
and thumping drums, shouting for the president to stay away." They say that
on top of Bush using Dr. King's grave as pretext for a fundraiser, his
policies have directly insulted Dr. King's memory. As Rev. Raphael Allen
said, "His administration has never supported anything to help the poor,
education, or children. It's all about isolationism and greed for the upper
class. That's not promoting the legacy of Dr. King."
memory of Dr. King, saying "I believe [in the] power of his words, the
clarity of his vision and the courage of his leadership." This year,
however, instead of honoring the legacy of Dr. King, President Bush has
decided to use Martin Luther King Day as tool to force the federal
government to subsidize a fundraising trip for his re-election campaign.
The New York Times reports that the President "hastily planned" a visit to
Dr. King's grave, and then will immediately go to "a $2,000-a-person
fundraiser in Atlanta." Even though Bush may spend the majority of his time
hobnobbing with donors at the fundraiser, because he will briefly visit Dr.
King's grave, he is allowed to deem the entire trip "official" and then bill
taxpayers for portions of the huge cost of hotel rooms, rental cars,
security, and travel. And those are no small costs - the Washington Post
notes that Air Force One alone costs $57,000 an hour to operate.
Civil rights leaders are outraged at the blatant exploitation of Dr. King's
birthday as a tool to force taxpayers to bankroll a political fundraiser.
Rev. Timothy McDonald, an organizer of Atlanta's Martin Luther King Day
celebrations said, "It's the epitome of insult. He's really coming here for
the fundraiser. The King wreath was an afterthought." Despite Bush's
platitudes about Dr. King's legacy, he is so focused on his fundraiser - and
so neglectful of the Martin Luther King Day celebrations - that he has done
little to prevent his visit's security detail from limiting access to a
historic black church where a civil rights symposium will be taking place.
In response to Bush's visit, protestors are marching "with bullhorns, signs
and thumping drums, shouting for the president to stay away." They say that
on top of Bush using Dr. King's grave as pretext for a fundraiser, his
policies have directly insulted Dr. King's memory. As Rev. Raphael Allen
said, "His administration has never supported anything to help the poor,
education, or children. It's all about isolationism and greed for the upper
class. That's not promoting the legacy of Dr. King."