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Speech was off the mark on civil rights leader

  • Originally published January 27, 2013 at 3:18 p.m., updated January 27, 2013 at 3:18 p.m.

Editor, the Advocate:

In response to the guest column by G.P. Hardy III, I wholeheartedly disagree. Reverend King would be very disappointed, if not appalled, at the direction of this country and his race. I did not vote for candidate Obama or President Obama because our political positions are very different. However, in 2008, I was moved by the significance of the moment, and I had guarded hope that President Obama would use his office to move this country to a new level of racial harmony.

Unfortunately, in my opinion - which all Mr. Hardy had was an opinion - he did not do that. Rather than promote hard work, personal responsibility, a blind eye to skin color, and family values - especially in his own race, which has almost 3/4 single-parent households - he continued to inflame the old fires of social injustice, racial bias (support of new black panther party, arrest of the Harvard Professor Gates) and, his personal favorite, class warfare. The from-the-heart message of Reverend King must have been missed by Mr. Hardy. Reverend King was proud of the obstacles his race overcame, the work ethic they possessed and their strong family ties. I can't see where President Obama has tried to promote or restore those strong traits in race of any color. I doubt Reverend King would be proud at all of anything about President Obama, and I doubt he would feel his dream for this country and world has been achieved.

James Chandler, Victoria