No class, no shame, just more of the same

Why anyone would expect them to simply honor Corretta Scott King at her funeral is beyond me given their history at these kinds of events.

First it was Rev. Joseph Lowery, former head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference:

"She extended Martin's message against poverty, racism and war/She deplored the terror inflicted by our smart bombs on missions way afar," he said.

"We know now there were no weapons of mass destruction over there/But Coretta knew and we knew that there are weapons of misdirection right down here/Millions without health insurance. Poverty abounds. For war billions more but no more for the poor."

Then it was Jimmy Carter:

"It was difficult for them personally with the civil liberties of both husband and wife violated, and they became the targets of secret government wiretapping and other surveillance," he said.

Ian at Expose the Left has the videos in case you have the stomach for it. 

I certainly don't.  And neither, apparently, does The Anchoress :

No, none of it was surprising. It was not surprising that President Bush went, knowing - as he had to know - that a few opportunists and insecure old men would try to take their shots in an attempt to ingratiate the rabble and make the news shows. It was not surprising that both President Bushes spoke with class and humility. It was not surprising that Bill Clinton got the room rocking, and got just a little dramatic, as ever, appealing to the emotions -and he does it very well. It was not surprising that Hillary stood there nodding before plodding. It wasn’t even surprising to me that Hillary got to speak last - in essence giving her the “keynote” spot. In a crowd for whom everything is political and everything is calculated, that was completely predictable. I wasn’t surprised to see that she didn’t seem to be wearing her new, three-carat rock for the occasion, either. There’s a time for that, but not today.

It is not surprising that this will be spun into something. And it will largely be forgotten in about three days. So, the left has three days, now to solidify the impressions it wants America to take away from this, which is - of course - “Democrats good. Care for the little guy. Bush bad. Hates blacks.” The Right has three days to remind people that Democrats can’t ever behave like grown-ups or stop throwing rhetorical molotov cocktails. They still think it’s 1969.

Mike at Cold Fury points out what many will no doubt ignore as the liberals take their pot-shots, including those taken by Ted Kennedy:

Kennedy, of course, is not only one of the primary windbag sources of the hot air currently blowing up liberal skirts over the use of sigint to defend ourselves against al Qaeda, but also the brother of the Democrat who, as Attorney General, approved the wiretapping of Mrs. King’s husband.

Yeah, I know, I know. No, they really don’t seem to have any shame at all, do they?

Nope, they don't.

No class, no shame, just more of the same.

UPDATE: Chris Muir chimes in:

Comments

[Stephanie]

I am not surprised by right-wingers saying this was an inappropriate time and place for a political statement. As soon as I read Rev. Lowery's comments, I knew this would be the strategy Bush and his goose-stepping followers would take. (THINK about it. You're criticizing Lowery for being political, but not Bush, who tried to make himself look like a friend to African Americans on the occasion of Mrs. King's death?)

In fact, the time and place were perfect. The memorial service is where we remember who the woman was, and what she stood for. And what she stood for was compassion, equality, decent social programs, love for humanity.

The only thing inappropriate at this memorial service was Bush. How on earth does HE justify having the big brass balls to speak at the memorial for such a humanitarian?

Thank you, Rev. Lowery, for taking the perfect moment to tell Bush to his face what we all think of his dishonorable administration and its hateful attitude toward poor people and people of color. Katrina demonstrated what we needed to know. Lowery put it into words on behalf of a great American woman.

If this congress and this society grant Bush any more money for war, then shame shame shame on all of us.

[Leslie]

>>The memorial service is where we remember who the woman was, and what she stood for. And what she stood for was compassion, equality, decent social programs, love for humanity.

I always thought a memorial service is where we say good bye and embrace each other so we have the strength to carry on.

[RepublicanWitch]

[How on earth does HE justify having the big brass balls to speak at the memorial for such a humanitarian?]

He is a humanitarian who is responsible for the liberation of millions from the hands of a murdering dictator ... I'd say he's got titanium ones. Unlike the former president who watched hostages being taken in Iran and did nothing. Or the other former president who did nothing when we were attacked in Somalia and Yemen. A true humanitarian does not simply give handouts and walk away patting himself on the back.

[No One]

Because he was invited you dumb ****.

[Chuck Currie]

Rev. Lowery, one of America’s genuine heroes, spoke truth to power today at the King Memorial. His words were in the best of the prophetic Christian preaching tradition. Rev. King and Mrs. King would have been proud of their friend. All of those who are criticizing Rev. Lowery simply do not understand God’s call for us to “do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with” our God (Micah 6:8). I only wish President Bush took his Christian faith more seriously.

[Rick]

Chuck wrote:

I only wish President Bush took his Christian faith more seriously.

So you know his heart Chuck? You know with certainty that he does not take his faith seriously? Based on what Chuck? Your faith in your ideology? Your interpretation of only parts of Scripture?

Seems to me Chuck that you've adopted that mindset that many fundamentalists have adopted, a mindset of heavy handed judgment. Are you taking your Christian faith seriously?

For those whose minds are more open and tolerant, here are Bush's words given at Coretta Scott King's funeral. Match them up against Jimmy Carter's words, or the (so called) Reverend Lowery's words:

To the King Family, distinguished guests and fellow citizens. We gather in God's house, in God's presence, to honor God's servant, Coretta Scott King. Her journey was long, and only briefly with a hand to hold. But now she leans on everlasting arms. I've come today to offer the sympathy of our entire nation at the passing of a woman who worked to make our nation whole.

Americans knew her husband only as a young man. We knew Mrs. King in all the seasons of her life -- and there was grace and beauty in every season. As a great movement of history took shape, her dignity was a daily rebuke to the pettiness and cruelty of segregation. When she wore a veil at 40 years old, her dignity revealed the deepest trust in God and His purposes. In decades of prominence, her dignity drew others to the unfinished work of justice. In all her years, Coretta Scott King showed that a person of conviction and strength could also be a beautiful soul. This kind and gentle woman became one of the most admired Americans of our time. She is rightly mourned, and she is deeply missed.

Some here today knew her as a girl, and saw something very special long before a young preacher proposed. She once said, "Before I was a King, I was a Scott." And the Scotts were strong, and righteous, and brave in the face of wrong. Coretta eventually took on the duties of a pastor's wife, and a calling that reached far beyond the doors of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

In that calling, Dr. King's family was subjected to vicious words, threatening calls in the night, and a bombing at their house. Coretta had every right to count the cost, and step back from the struggle. But she decided that her children needed more than a safe home -- they needed an America that upheld their equality, and wrote their rights into law. (Applause.) And because this young mother and father were not intimidated, millions of children they would never meet are now living in a better, more welcoming country. (Applause.)

In the critical hours of the civil rights movement, there were always men and women of conscience at the heart of the drama. They knew that old hatreds ran deep. They knew that nonviolence might be answered with violence. They knew that much established authority was against them. Yet they also knew that sheriffs and mayors and governors were not ultimately in control of events; that a greater authority was interested, and very much in charge. (Applause.)

The God of Moses was not neutral about their captivity. The God of Isaiah and the prophets was still impatient with injustice. And they knew that the Son of God would never leave them or forsake them.

But some had to leave before their time -- and Dr. King left behind a grieving widow and little children. Rarely has so much been asked of a pastor's wife, and rarely has so much been taken away. Years later, Mrs. King recalled, "I would wake up in the morning, have my cry, then go in to them. The children saw me going forward." Martin Luther King, Jr. had preached that unmerited suffering could have redemptive power.

Little did he know that this great truth would be proven in the life of the person he loved the most. Others could cause her sorrow, but no one could make her bitter. By going forward with a strong and forgiving heart, Coretta Scott King not only secured her husband's legacy, she built her own. (Applause.) Having loved a leader, she became a leader. And when she spoke, America listened closely, because her voice carried the wisdom and goodness of a life well lived.

In that life, Coretta Scott King knew danger. She knew injustice. She knew sudden and terrible grief. She also knew that her Redeemer lives. She trusted in the name above every name. And today we trust that our sister Coretta is on the other shore -- at peace, at rest, at home. (Applause.) May God bless you, and may God bless our country. (Applause.)