Bush comes in for criticism at Coretta Scott King funeral (AFP)

[Anchor Man]

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rs...0060208/pl_afp/usrightsracismkingpoliticsbushAFP - President George W. Bush came in for criticism during the funeral of civil rights campaigner Coretta Scott King, with speakers questioning the US-led war in Iraq, a domestic eavesdropping program and the government's response to Hurricane Katrina.


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[Dave A]

I thought it was meant to be a funeral, not a political debate. I hate it when I see people exploit situations like this, it doesn't matter if the point is valid or not, it's a funeral, the speakers should treat it as such, not an opportunity to voice their political views.

 

[DQuaN]

Couldn't have put it better myself. 👍


*edit*
It seems I have to spread some rep around before I give it to you again, sorry

 

[Dave A]

I get the same problem too sometimes, usually with Famine's posts .

 

[h0ss]

Sorry, I disagree.

It's not some solemn funeral of a head of state. The people who were most outspoken at her funeral were her close friends, and they talked directly about the issues that mattered most in her life.

At your funeral, you can choose how people will remember you. At my funeral, if people want to take advantage of it to discuss the things that mattered most to me, and to heck with who is offended... then I hope that they do.

 

[Fonce Diablo]

Sorry, I disagree.

It's not some solemn funeral of a head of state. The people who were most outspoken at her funeral were her close friends, and they talked directly about the issues that mattered most in her life.

At your funeral, you can choose how people will remember you. At my funeral, if people want to take advantage of it to discuss the things that mattered most to me, and to heck with who is offended... then I hope that they do.

I really couldn't have put it any better than that.

*reputationalizes*

 

[Dave A]

I can see your point, but reading about what happened at the funeral, it seemed to me far more like the whole thing is being used for propoganda and as a means to forward their political messages.

 

[DuckRacer]

I honestly can't believe people are using a funeral to bash Bush. At the very least, they could do it somewhere else.

 

[FoolKiller]

Sorry, I disagree.

It's not some solemn funeral of a head of state. The people who were most outspoken at her funeral were her close friends, and they talked directly about the issues that mattered most in her life.

At your funeral, you can choose how people will remember you. At my funeral, if people want to take advantage of it to discuss the things that mattered most to me, and to heck with who is offended... then I hope that they do.

Former president Jimmy Carter alluded to a difficult moment for the Bush administration when he mentioned the lingering racial divide revealed by Hurricane Katrina last August.

Saying the struggle for equal rights was not yet over, Carter said: "We only have to recall the color of the faces of those in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi -- those who were most devastated by Katrina -- to know that there are not yet equal opportunities for all Americans."

...

Reverend Joseph Lowery, who along with Martin Luther King Junior founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, openly questioned the priorities of the White House and the premises of the US-led war in Iraq.

Lowery said no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq but that there were "weapons of misdirection" employed in the United States.

"For war billions more, but no more for the poor," he said to cheers and applause.

Odd how in those quotes I hear nothing about how she cared about these issues, rather just how these are bad things now. The funeral is to remember them and their lives, it is not an anti-war rally. How many times do we need to try and blame Bush and accuse him of killing black people in New Orleans? And then does it belong at a funeral?

If someone used my funeral to try and spread politics that I agreed with I would likely jump up and beat them over the head. It is a eulogy, not a rally speech.

Besides, since when did heads of states only have solemn funerals?


EDIT: What would you think if Bush got up and talked about spreading civil rights in the Middle East? Democrats would be in an uproar.

 

[h0ss]

Odd how in those quotes I hear nothing about how she cared about these issues, rather just how these are bad things now. The funeral is to remember them and their lives, it is not an anti-war rally. How many times do we need to try and blame Bush and accuse him of killing black people in New Orleans? And then does it belong at a funeral?

"In her latter years, Mrs. King was an outspoken critic of the Iraq war"... from the Chicago Tribune's obituary.

"Recently, King had spoken out against the war in Iraq", from the Vibe obituary.

Right now, it's tough to find direct quotes from her online, because the obituaries are clogging up google. However, by going to her biography at the King center, you'll see that she has long been an activist.

Besides, since when did heads of states only have solemn funerals?

I didn't say that. I'm just saying that there's no need for her funeral to have been a solemn affair, if that's not what her family wanted. Have you read about complaints from her family?

 

[FoolKiller]

"In her latter years, Mrs. King was an outspoken critic of the Iraq war"... from the Chicago Tribune's obituary.

"Recently, King had spoken out against the war in Iraq", from the Vibe obituary.

Right now, it's tough to find direct quotes from her online, because the obituaries are clogging up google. However, by going to her biography at the King center, you'll see that she has long been an activist.

Ok, why doesn't Lowery just talk about her dedication to opposing the war instead of essentially bashing President Bush? His statements had nothing to do with Mrs. King's activism, but rather with what he saw was wrong with the war.

Carter's comments were definitely way off base and he knows that President Bush didn't decide to just let a lot of poor black people die. He knew exactly what he was doing and it had nothing to do with respecting Mrs. King or her husband's legacy.

And once again, if anyone talked about spreading civil rights across the Middle East what would the reaction be?

Maybe it is just me but as I see it talking about someone's legacy and their strength in their beliefs is one thing but using their beliefs and legacy as a basis to turn a eulogy into an opportunity to insult a man to his face is different.

 

[Omnis]

I bet they would've hugged Colin.

 

[a6m5]

I agree that U.S. should have never gone into Iraq(at least tried harder to avoid invading), also that Iraq is a mess now. I even see their point on Hurricane relief, I do see a double standard. Does all that make what President Carter and others did right? I don't think so. It looked like cheap shots to me.

P.S. Don't worry live4speed, I got your rep points covered.