RESTORING HONOR by T. Edwin Perry
Yesterday’s “Restoring Honor” Rally held by Glenn Beck at the Washington Mall gathered “thousands” of supporters (try hundreds of thousands, according to the estimated capacity of the areas literally filled with people) who stood together in support of a restoration of honor and faith in America by Americans. There was a strong religious overtone to the entire ceremony, and absolutely zero politics. And on the 47th Anniversary of the “I Have a Dream” speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., there were references of Dr. King’s vision of Racial Equality and Individual Responsibility embedded in the words of almost every speaker and every topic shared, with heavy emphasis to the part so often omitted by those who quote Dr. King’s speech: “the CONTENT OF THEIR CHARACTER.”
Of course, the Reverend Al Sharpton held his own rally on the other end of town to celebrate the anniversary of Dr. King’s speech, complete with a band, Union-prepared signs demanding “Democracy,” a march through the streets of Washington and prejudice about the Beck Rally. “The structural breakdown of a strong national government, which is what they’re calling for, is something that does not serve the interests of the nation and is something the Dr. King and others fought against.” Now, I’ll admit, I didn’t watch the whole 8 hours of coverage of the Restoring Honor rally, which was carried on CSPAN, not Fox News, but I didn’t catch any of that from the Beck Rally. In fact, as someone who listens to Beck’s Radio Show and watches the television show, I haven’t heard that in ANY of his broadcasts. IN FACT, Beck’s soapbox leans more towards “PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY” and an “HONEST BELIEF” in God and Faith than demanding a “structural breakdown of a strong national government.”
Sharpton goes on to say “It is ironic to me that they come on the day of a speech where Dr. King appealed for a strong government to protect civil rights and they’re going to the site of Abraham Lincoln who saved the union against the state rebellion.” For a man who walked with Dr. King and campaigns heavily against prejudice, Sharpton seems to have missed the point entirely and is filled with prejudice. Did Dr. King want the Federal Government to intervene on behalf of the Minority Communities to defend their Civil Rights: Damn Straight, but he did not endorse, at least not in anything I’ve read, a Federal Government that was ALL POWERFUL in regards to the law. In fact, I don’t recall Dr. King EVER espousing that sort of government rule. He simply wanted the Federal Government to ENFORCE those Rights guaranteed by the Constitution and its Amendments, as is required BY the Constitution. IN FACT, everything that I’ve read & heard about the philosophy of Dr. King was that he supported individuals taking “PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY” for themselves and adhering to an “HONEST BELIEF” in God and their Faith.
Among the many participants at the Restoring Honor Rally was Dr. Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and a participant in the historic Civil Rights protests of the 1960’s. Speaking on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” she said, “I’m joining Glenn to talk about Faith, Hope, Charity, Honor. Those are things that America needs to reclaim. Our Children need to remember to love each other how to honor each other, their parents, God and their neighbors. I agree with Glenn on all of those principles. So that’s why I’m here. For me it’s principles over politics.” If you’ve never heard of Dr. Alveda King, I’m not at all surprised. With the exception of speaking out against her aunt Coretta Scott King’s support of abortion rights in 1996 and her service in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1979-1981, Alveda King has generally stayed out of the political spotlight, unlike the Reverend Sharpton, who seems to play the “Race Card” at every opportunity. Alveda King has also recently spoken out against Gay Marriage.
On an episode of Glenn Beck’s FoxNews program, Alveda King spoke of the Pledge of Nonviolence marchers in Dr. Martin Luther King’s protests were required to sign in order to participate. The details of this pledge included ten promises that have been embraced by Beck’s “doctrine” of philosophy and are: “1) As you prepare to march meditate on the life and teachings of Jesus; 2) Remember the nonviolent movement seeks justice and reconciliation – not victory; 3) Walk and talk in the manner of love; for God is love; 4) Pray daily to be used by God that all men and women might be free; 5) Sacrifice personal wishes that all might be free; 6) Observe with friend and foes the ordinary rules of courtesy; 7) Perform regular service for others and the world; 
Refrain from violence of fist, tongue and heart; 9) Strive to be in good spiritual and bodily health; and 10) Follow the directions of the movement leaders and the captains on demonstrations.” At a protest she had attended in the 1960’s, a friend of Alveda King’s was assaulted by the police. When she tried to intervene, she, herself, was arrested. For violating the pledge, her father let her spend the night in jail rather than bailing her out. It was a lesson that she spoke of with a measure of reverence and self-enlightenment: following such a pledge is not easy, but doing the right thing rarely is.
I’ve said before, many times, that I do not post about POLITICS, but about PHILOSOPHY. Though I am registered as a Republican, I have no sworn oath of allegiance to the Party or its members. I couldn’t care less about the Party a candidate or Politician belongs to as compared to what they believe and what they intend to do. Those who have protested and criticized this particular event are either 1) ignorant of what they’re discussing or 2) playing politics. Clearly, the Reverend Sharpton is both.
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