Trump administration releases records of Martin Luther King Jr.

The Latest: Trump administration releases records on FBI’s surveillance of Martin Luther King Jr.​

Story by The Associated Press

The Trump administration has released records of the FBI’s surveillance of Martin Luther King Jr., despite opposition from the slain Nobel laureate’s family and the civil rights group that he led until his 1968 assassination.

The release involves an estimated 200,000 pages of records that had been under a court-imposed seal since 1977, when the FBI first gathered the records and turned them over to ....

CONTINUED

The cynic in me says the timing is too convenient - after all lets get people focused on these records rather than the Epstein files.

Shiftless2 said:

"The cynic in me says the timing is too convenient - after all lets get people focused on these records rather than the Epstein files." S2 #1

Click to expand...

I would be astounded if it were otherwise.

Admittedly I am curious about what's in those records that MLK's family would want to have placed under seal (speaking from memory they said that it would irrevocably damage his reputation) but I'll wait until others have had time to sift thru them.

Shiftless2 said:

"Admittedly I am curious about what's in those records that MLK's family would want to have placed under seal ..." S2 #3

Click to expand...

Philandering? I thought that was an open secret. *
1970's era NYC AM radio entertainer Bob Grant whose schtick was supercilious, abrasive in the extreme, broadcast that Dr. King cheated (plagiarized?) in his doctoral thesis, thus Grant challenged the validity of Dr. King's claim to the title "doctor".

When Bob Grant has a U.S. national holiday in his honor, I may reconsider my dismissal of Grant's accusation. BUT ! Even if Grant is right, does that diminish MLK's miraculous accomplishments?
MLK accomplished at President Abraham Lincoln scale, BUT ! MLK accomplished without firing a shot. Both were assassinated, painful irony noted.

“Abraham, Martin, and John” is a folk-rock song from 1968 originally recorded by Dion DiMucci. Throughout this song, the speaker recounts the tragic deaths of the eponymous American heroes. This recording is… Read More
[Verse 1]
Anybody here seen my old friend Abraham?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
He freed a lot of people, but it seems the good, they die young
You know, I just looked around and he's gone

[Verse 2]
Anybody here seen my old friend John?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
He freed a lot of people, but it seems the good, they die young
I just looked around and he's gone

[Verse 3]
Anybody here seen my old friend Martin?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
He freed a lot of people, but it seems the good, they die young
I just looked around and he's gone

[Bridge]
Didn't you love the things that they stood for?
Didn't they try to find some good for you and me?
And we'll be free
Some day soon, it's gonna be one day
https://stubhub.prf.hn/click/camref...destination:https://www.stubhub.com/_C-259827

* Is the historic record for Abe, or JFK much different?

Speaking from memory the fact that he was a womanizer was well known.

And the fact that much of his thesis was plagiarized was also well known - fact is, most universities have a page on plagiarism on their website (and the definition of plagiarism extends far beyond simple verbatim copying of text without attribution) but I remember one site in particular that used his thesis as an example of "plagiarism of the worst kind". I think that they've taken that down now - can't find it. [As an aside, if it was anyone else the university would have revoked his degree.]

When he was born his name was Michael Luther King (after his father the the Rev. Michael King, who was senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta) but subsequently the senior King decided to change his name and his son’s from Michael to Martin Luther, after the German Protestant leader. While it's an interesting bit of trivia it's hardly a reason to seal his records.

On the topic of plagiarism it wasn't just his thesis - parts of the "I have a dream" speech were also plagiarized

Shiftless2 said:

"On the topic of plagiarism it wasn't just his thesis - parts of the "I have a dream" speech were also plagiarized" #5

Click to expand...

As barely a high school grad. I'm in weak position to dictate to academe. BUT
I'd judge plagiarism more harshly in a doctoral thesis, an ideal forum for annotation, footnotes, than I would in one of the most momentous, consequential civil rights speeches in U.S. history. civil rights = Human rights

The MLK mug-shots in #5 link remind that Rev. King had an arrest record.
I do not.
Should I be proud of this? Or ashamed?

Emerson visited Thoreau in jail and asked, “Henry, what are you doing in there?”

Thoreau replied, “Waldo, the question is what are you doing out there.”

Click to expand...

In my country, in my culture, in my opinion any body is entitled to criticism.
Useful insight can be gleaned from the criticism of adversaries, opponents.

If this is the worst they've got on MLK, I'll not interfere with his promotion to sainthood.

"He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself." Thomas Paine