A simple twist of fate has set President Obama’s second Inaugural Address for January 21, the same day as the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday.
Obama made no mention of King during the Inauguration four years ago -- but since then, in word and deed, the president has done much to reveal himself as no believer in the man who said "I have a dream."
After his speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in August 1963, King went on to take great risks as a passionate advocate for peace.
After his Inaugural speech in January 2009, Obama has pursued policies that make a mockery of King’s grim warning in 1967: "When scientific power outruns moral power, we end up with guided missiles and misguided men."
Two weeks before the start of Obama’s second term, the British daily The Guardian noted that "U.S. use of drones has soared during Obama’s time in office, with the White House authorizing attacks in at least four countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. It is estimated that the CIA and the U.S. military have undertaken more than 300 drone strikes and killed about 2,500 people, the vast majority of them innocent civilians."
In recent weeks, more than 50,000 Americans have signed a petition to Ban Weaponized Drones from the World. The petition says that "weaponized drones are no more acceptable than land mines, cluster bombs or chemical weapons." It calls for President Obama "to abandon the use of weaponized drones, and to abandon his 'kill list’ program regardless of the technology employed."
Count on lofty rhetorical bullshit from the inaugural podium. But the spirit of Dr. King will be elsewhere. As will his true followers.
