I Was a Drum Major

First off, let me say that I sincerely hope Cinnabon accepts Stephen's apology.

That being said, Stephen discussed the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington D.C.

Stephen mentioned that he was in Washington D.C. for the March on Washington back in August of 1963. Some might wonder how that is possible since he wasn't even born until about 8 1/2 months after the March. Well, his mother was there, and so by the mathematical principle of association, so was he.

I have not seen the Memorial yet, but hope to see it next time I am in Washington D.C. But sadly there is controversy. One of the quotes is actually not what Dr. King said. The quote that is chiseled there says, "I was a drum major for justice, peace, and righteousness."

Many people would agree with that. He is remembered for exactly those things. But what he actually said was this, "If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter."

It seems like not a day goes by that some prominent politician, actor, or business leader is demanding that some news source issue a correction about an incorrect quote. People who make speeches spend a lot of time working on the speech to get every word just the way they want it so that it says exactly what they mean.

So, while it may not seem like it's worth making a fuss over, you would surely think that if all that time and money was going to be spent making the Memorial, that it would be done correctly. What I get out of the original quotation is that he knew he had played an important part in the history of this nation, but he hoped people would remember the work that was done and not focus on the man. What the quote on the Memorial seems to suggest is that he was boasting. That's my take on it.

The quote should be corrected on the Memorial. Restore Truthiness.

Moving On.

TV Good. As you may remember, the Colbert Super PAC ran an ad in Iowa suggesting that voters in Ames write in Rick Parry's name. That's Parry with an "A". Well many people did write in Parry's name, but the Iowa GOP will not release the results to say whether or not all the names were spelled Parry. Stephen's good friends over at WOI tried to find out, but the short and long answer was the same - NO. The Iowa GOP would not release the results. So, again, Truthiness loses.

Stephen's guest tonight was Robin Wright. They talked about the political situation in the Middle East. She said that the people there had made such a difference in a short time for making dramatic changes in the politics and governments. After some more discussion, she said that debt could actually be our biggest enemy. Stephen suggested invading VISA.

Her book is Rock the Casbah - Rage and Rebellion Across the Islamic World. As Stephen would say, "Go buy it."