I later reviewed many of his speeches via minimally edited videos when I worked for an ABC affiliate and was an undergrad.

From my perspective, the myth of King and the reality, lay far apart and the gap widens with each anniversary of his murder.

The King that I recall was actively shaking down politicians and businessmen with the threat of boycotts and riots.

However, some good came from the civil rights movement. White Americans learned a little more about the Negro people; enough so, that they promptly fled to the farthest suburbs, in order to get away from them.

Thanks to TV, the typical White citizen now thinks Blacks are all on a hair trigger and will riot at the drop of a hat. The post Katrina riot only reinforced the low impression Whites already had of Blacks; an impression gained from years of television images of previous riots in other U.S. cities.

Many people credit King with inciting the Watts riots. This may not be accurate, but he certainly did not act to dissuade his followers from rioting as he retreated from the area just prior to the start of looting.

This being said, I think that most socialist-Democrats, like you, should still see that LBJ’s reaction to King and his riotous followers, proved to be a net gain for the Black community. The “War on Poverty” was principally established as a program to benefit and pacify the Blacks. The race-quota programs put into place for federal and state hiring programs ensured that many more Black people were placed in jobs, regardless of their blatant lack of any scintilla of qualifications.

King deserves at least partial credit for the destruction of inner-city neighborhoods, the slow corruption of our federal, state and local work forces and the beginning of the demise of quality public schools.

So, for the socialist-Democrats, I can see why you all still celebrate the myth, each April.

I guess if there can be any good to come from his memory, we could all at least try to have a civil dialog on issues related to race and opportunity, for ALL Americans. However with Kings disciples, Sharpton and Jackson always fanning the flames, there is little hope for near term improvements in race relations.