Obama's Nobel Peace Prize: Seems A Bit Premature, No? (from a HuffPo comment)

I got an Earl Ofari Hutchinson post notification and sauntered over to see what he had to say.  It was refreshingly and surprisingly palatable - for Earl.  Since I was there, I read Jason Linkins' post and decided to read the comments.  Shouldn't have.

I came across this one from LALAW and immediately bristled at the blatant attempt to manipulate Dr. King's Nobel acceptance speech, in order to somehow justify Obama's getting the gold:

In 1964, when southern schools were still segregated, Martin Luther King, Jr. won the Nobel Prize. He died in 1968 and schools in the south were still segregated until a year after his death. When he won the award, he said, in part:

"I accept the Nobel Prize for Peace at a moment when twenty-two million Negroes of the United States of America are engaged in a creative battle to end the long night of racial injustice. I accept this award in behalf of a civil rights movement which is moving with determination and a majestic scorn for risk and danger to establish a reign of freedom and a rule of justice.

I am mindful that only yesterday in Birmingham, Alabama, our children, crying out for brotherhood, were answered with fire hoses, snarling dogs and even death. I am mindful that only yesterday in Philadelphia, Mississippi, young people seeing to secure the right to vote were brutalized and murdered. And only yesterday more than 40 houses of worship in the State of Mississippi alone were bombed or burned because they offered a sanctuary to those who would not accept segregation...

Therefore, I must ask why this prize is awarded to a movement which is beleaguered and committed to unrelenting struggle; to a movement which has not won the very peace and brotherhood which is the essence of the Nobel Prize."

Congratulations, Mr. President, on another great accomplishment.

Before I even knew it, my fingers were typing this:

LALAW...You conveniently ended your excerpt to seemingly conflate Dr. King with Obama. The very next sentence of the speech, along with others that follow, describe precisely why Obama can - in no way - be compared to the prescient MLK:

"After contemplation, I conclude that this award which I receive on behalf of that movement is profound recognition that nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral question of our time -- the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to violence and oppression...If this is to be achieved, man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.

...The tortuous road which has led from Montgomery, Alabama, to Oslo bears witness to this truth. This is a road over which millions of Negroes are travelling to find a new sense of dignity."

Since Obama's not familiar with that "tortuous road," I'm not surprised he's twisted that "new sense of dignity" into continuing aggression and "loving" the poor into destitution.

And the beat goes on...

Can't seem to stop letting revisionist get under my skin.  (Decided to see if their "Post to Blogger" thingy worked.  It did, but I had to edit it, adding a few words of explanation as well as a couple links.)

I went over to Cinie's earlier and "You Go Away For One Minute..." was definitely worth it!  We are more often than not on the same wavelength me and Cin (I busted out laughing when I saw the same Urkelbama that she'd let me have gracing her post!).  Succinct and dead-on as ever - she's ba-a-a-ck!!!

I'd dedicated this in my comment to my Sister-Friend over at her place, but I think all of us who truly believe in a better world - in spite of, not because of, the Changeling, could use it:

Okay, now I'm done with this whole Nobel Prize thing - except to say that with all this international, political "capital," - UNIVERSAL health care, a living wage, disparity in sentencing Blacks and Browns, reigning in the "stupidly" acting police, saying no to McChrystal, telling AIPAC and Israel to get their shit together regarding Gaza and the Palestinians, getting out of Gitmo - for real, stopping torture and renditions - for real, brushin' off:  the Federal Reserve, those banks "too big to fail" and insurance companies Jay-Z style, getting AFRICOM to really be 'bout it and for Chrissakes, stopping the state/federal-sanctioned foot-on-neck policies at our borders - all should be a piece of damn cake!

P.S.S.  What about Morgan Tsvangirai of Zimbabwe?  And Dr. Sima Samar of Afghanistan?  Hey, wonder if Ms. Magazine feels stupid as hell - writing about her and then doing THIS craziness!  -------> Obviously they weren't  even listening during the interview they, themselves conducted when the good doctor said:

"We need solidarity to free women—solidarity with women everywhere.  Women must support each other; we are our own class."

Just sayin'