MLK Jr. - George Orwell and Covington Catholic Students

In Dr. King's "Letter from the Birmingham Jail" (it should be required annual reading for all students 7th-12th) he responds to some concerns express by a group of local religious leaders. One concern implied that Dr. King's actions actually trigger a violent reaction so he should stop.

Dr. King responds...
In your statement you asserted that our actions, even though peaceful, must be condemned because they precipitate violence. But can this assertion be logically made? Isn't this like condemning the robbed man because his possession of money precipitated the evil act of robbery? Isn't this like condemning Socrates because his unswerving commitment to truth and his philosophical delvings precipitated the misguided popular mind to make him drink the hemlock? Isn't this like condemning Jesus because His unique God-consciousness and never-ceasing devotion to His will precipitated the evil act of crucifixion? We must come to see, as federal courts have consistently affirmed, that it is immoral to urge an individual to withdraw his efforts to gain his basic constitutional rights because the quest precipitates violence. Society must protect the robbed and punish the robber. 


Those who think "the Covington students triggered a response by wearing their MAGA hats" need to go back and read and heed the words of Dr. King.
Do we want to live in a country where people can't wear a hat or T-shirt with a political or religious slogan because it may "trigger someone else to violence"?

To paraphrase Dr. King, "Society must protect those exercising their freedom of speech and punish those who attack them." Dr. King is an icon to the left, and to many of us on the right, but his wisdom is often ignored, as is his commitment to freedom of conscience and thought.

This next article gives another helpful viewpoint that shows how "prophetic" George Orwell was in his book 1984

https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/01/covington-catholic-maga-hatcrime-facecrime/