On Mitt Romney & Martin Luther King

Mitt Romney joined Tim Russert on NBC's Meet The Press and discussed the racist past of the Mormon church on December 16, 2007. While defending the practice of excluding Blacks in church practices until 1978, Romney let fly with the notion that his father was a staunch supporter of civil rights and had in fact marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Mitt Romney speaks of seeing his father march with Martin Luther King, Jr. during his "Faith in America" speech on December 7, 2007.

plez sez: it was no surprise that the mormon faith had race-based exclusionary practices up until the mid-1970's. i was a bit surprised that a guy running for president in 2007 would continue to defend those practices as though everything is cool; hell, it's been 30 years since the church has renounced the practice! by evading tim russert's question on this issue, it seems that mitt romney is saying, "until 1978 when the church fathers had this epiphany about Black folk, racial discrimination in the mormon church was cool!"

but my jaw dropped when mitt romney went on to talk about how his father marched with MARTIN LUTHER KING, Jr.! say what?!? well, i had to look this up because something about that statement just didn't seem to ring true... to be honest, it comes off as political balderdash in an effort to get votes in an election year.

so i go to the salt lake tribune, the hometown paper of the mormon church... it seems that they can't seem to dig up this phantom march!

the boston phoenix is in the state where mitt was the governor for 4 years... they printed this explanation: "A spokesperson for Mitt Romney now tells the Phoenix that George W. Romney [Mitt's father] and Martin Luther King Jr. marched together in June, 1963 -- although possibly not on the same day or in the same city."

on to the detroit free press which is located in the state where george romney was governor when this march in 1963 with MLK allegedly took place. A spokesman for romney is quoted as saying, "He was speaking figuratively, not literally."

in other words, mitt romney is traipsing around the country LYING about his father's involvement with MARTIN LUTHER KING and the civil rights movement. as i wrote in a previous comment on plezWorld, i'm disturbed when Martin Luther King's lieutenants (like andrew young & jesse jackson) make a mockery of his legacy with their actions... so it makes my blood boil when some right-wing vote-whoring politician who couldn't care less (LITERALLY & FIGURATIVELY) about Black folk ties his political fortunes to the struggle of Black folk in America... mitt romney is plain sickening!

[Hat Tip: rikyrah]