Brief thoughts on Martin Luther King Jr.

I'm not a big supporter of holidays created by the Government to give government workers three day weekends, so I usually don't think much about the man today's holiday is meant to commemorate, but today is an exception. Powerline had a great post about the King. It ends with this great quote from the speech King made the day before he was murdered......

"Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now, because I have been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life, longevity has it's place. But I'm not concerned about that now; I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain, and I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

Oh, that we could all feel that way about our lives. To live as though we could die tomorrow, but act in ways that impact the future is indeed the path to happiness. Martin Luther King was happy, though he knew he could die at any moment. In fact it's likely that he expected to be murdered as the hatred toward him was so strong.

There is another prominent figure in America who is hated with that same intensity.......President Bush. May he too be happy as he presses on toward making a better future for us all.