Today’s second video of the day shows President Barack Obama’s inaugural address.

Today we honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unlike other national holidays, which honor individual statesmen or aggregates of extraordinary people, MLK Day commemorates the life and legacy of a private citizen whose commitment to social justice altered the course of American history.

It is important that we use MLK Day to remember Martin Luther King for what he truly was: a radical freedom  fighter committed to telling America the truth about itself. Unfortunately, we  have reduced Dr. King to a multicultural action figure whose words are used to suit the agendas of conservatives and liberals alike. Instead of focusing on his critiques of American racism, his challenge to American imperialism, his project to eradicate global poverty, or his opposition to the war, we have allowed the image of Martin (as well as Malcom) to be hijacked by the religious and secular Right, as well as the socially conservative Left.

In order to truly honor the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr., we must revive his radical spirit and revolutionary activism. For those who identify as Christians, a real engagement with King requires that we expand our moral and ethical purview beyond parochial preoccupations with abortion, stem cells, and gay marriage –which comprise a valid, not exhaustive cadre of “moral issues”– in order to critically challenge broader issues of racism, poverty, sexism, and empire. For all citizens of the world, we must deploy King’s rich moral vocabulary to challenge global injustice from the American prison industrial complex to the expansion of global capitalism.

In my mind, Martin Luther King Jr. stands as one of the greatest human beings ever to emerge in recent history. In spite, or perhaps because, of his flaws, King is the single greatest example of an ordinary human being doing extraordinary work. Let us use the fruits of his legacy to nourish and sustain us as we continue our tireless freedom struggle.

May He Rest In Peace

Here’s what’s in mine:

Notorious B.I.G. – Kick in the Door
Anthony Hamilton – Cool
Heavy D – All I Have
Jay-Z – Dig A Hole
Eric Benet – You’re the Only One
Estelle – More Than Friends
Ludacris, Jay-Z & Nas – Do It For Hip-Hop
Raphael Saadiq – Sure Hope You Mean It
The Game – One Blood
Toni Braxton – I Love Me Some Him
Jay-Z – Corporate Takeover
Ludacris & Lil Wayne – Last of a Dying Breed
Jean Grae – Evil Jeanius (The Whole Album)
Notorious B.I.G. Hypnotize

Gaza: No Time To Play

By David Swerdlick

One significant implication of the current fighting in Gaza crystallized for me a few days ago when I read the following post on my fantasy basketball message board: “Cats must think Obama is a %&$$# (rhymes with cushy).”

They must—because the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the uptick in bombings in Iraq and the Gaza conflagration all signal that a whole assortment of foreign combatants are either getting in their last licks before settling into a protracted stalemate, or they’re very skeptical about Barack Obama’s ability to produce greater stability in those parts of the world.

With less than a week to go before his inauguration, the much-anticipated Obama peace dividend, like a new car that’s been driven just a few miles off the lot, is an asset that is depreciating right before our eyes. And it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

More than one commentator, including me, waxed hopefully during the ’08 campaign that Obama, who opposed the Iraq war at its genesis, was uniquely situated. As a khaki-colored South Side Brahmin, whose name is strikingly similar to that of Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and whose middle name is the Middle Eastern equivalent of Johnson—he could encourage various constituencies in the Arab and Muslim worlds to give the U.S. a fresh look while maintaining our traditional alliance with Israel. But in the last two months, an already vexing task has become that much harder.

For the rest of the story, click here.

Texans Elect First Jewish Speaker

Joe Straus, a Republican from San Antonio who has been elected speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, is the first Jew to hold the position since Texas became a state. What do you think?

Brady Roren,
Collections Manager
“Stupid, deceptively Christian-sounding surname. They should really list candidates’ faiths on the ballot.”

Ian Posdal,
Office Assistant
“And people say we aren’t progressive! Why just the other—quick! Look down. Here comes a black man.”

Chloe Ballwahn,
Professor
“This is clear evidence that the dialectical nature of cultural politics eventually creates pathways for Jews to adapt to traditionally non-Semitic institutions. Y’all.”