As the country prepares to celebrate Martin Luther King Day I took a random, unscientific survey to get an idea of exactly what people think Dr. King actually did. It unfortunately came as no surprise that, beyond the most generic idea of him being a black civil rights leader, most of those I spoke with truly have no idea.

I have absolutely no intention of besmirching the memory or accomplishments of Martin Luther King. But MLK has become such a lauded icon that his inflated legend has done more to harm his legacy than his detractors could have. I believe the very fact that children are given the day off of school as a holiday to honor him is a perfect example of how wrongly we are celebrating what it was that Martin Luther King stood for. Keeping kids out of school would have seemed absurd to him.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a man who believed passionately in the power of education as a means to move people out of poverty. That includes black people and white people alike. King, who is now remembered for his efforts to end segregation and oppression against blacks, was really very closely aligned with the populist movement. As such, he was as much an advocate for poor white people as he was for blacks and later in his life, after many of the civil rights laws were passed, he spent the bulk of his time bringing attention to the plight of poverty in America.

He was the public face of the civil rights movement but more importantly he was focused on equality for all people. In researching his life and his speeches I have no doubt that Martin Luther King would have been appalled by any program that gave preferential treatment based on skin color, even if that preference was for blacks. His goal was to evoke equality through a change in the public’s consciousness not by some misguided racial quota.

We have lost much of what Dr. King stood for in the media hoopla of camera hogs like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. The basic premise behind Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition is a Martin Luther King idea. But the actual actions of that so called coalition, focusing only on advancing blacks at the expense of all others is not.

While King deserves much credit for keeping the pressure on politicians to create and pass civil rights legislation he personally never passed a single bill or enacted any law. It is important to remember not only Martin Luther King but also who it was that supported him and his efforts and who it was that opposed him. Democrats are quick to scream racism at the drop of a hat today, but when push came to shove in the early sixties when all the civil rights legislation was being fought in the Halls of Congress, it was the Democrats that vehemently opposed it. The Kennedy administration publically supported King, but it was also then Attorney General Bobby Kennedy that ordered the FBI to secretly wiretap King’s phone lines in an effort to thwart his efforts.

The country is a very different place today than it was for Martin Luther King. In many ways the dream he spoke of on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 has been fulfilled. Unfortunately in just as many was his dream has been dashed by the slavery imposed on the culture and the spirit of the black community by the Democrats insidious imposition of dependence through welfare. I fear that Dr. King would be heartbroken to see the community he tried so hard to lift up wallowing in mire of unbridled teen pregnancies, single parent homes and parental neglect, drug abuse, gang violence, dysfunctional entitlement, abandonment of personal responsibility, prejudice and self-imposed ignorance through the rejection of education. It was never his vision that the black community be given so many fishes that they forget how to fish for themselves becoming slaves to their Democrat masters.

If you truly have a desire to honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spend some time Monday reading exactly what it was that he stood for. Then come back to BigFrick.com where we will discuss: Martin Luther King; A Dream Abandoned Part 2

With that comment and a bevy of other incendiary statements the good Reverend Jesse Jackson has thrown down the gauntlet in his battle to keep Rush Limbaugh from ownership of an NFL franchise. Jackson is joined in his efforts by the Tweedledum to his Tweedledee, the right Reverend Al Sharpton.

Limbaugh is looking to partner with the St. Louis Blues owner Dave Checkettes to buy the hapless St. Louis Rams football team. Limbaugh has the dough and Checkettes involvement in St. Louis sports should boost fan support by reducing (but certainly not eliminating) the possibility of moving the franchise to another city. Limbaugh is a Missouri native growing up a hundred miles down the road from St. Louis in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He is also a football fanatic and a remarkably successful businessman. Checkettes is a major league sports veteran having been the youngest chief executive in the history of the NBA after he was named president and general manager of the Utah Jazz at the age of 28. Checkettes has served in numerous sports related positions including CEO of Madison Square Garden and owns Sports Capital Worldwide a consulting and investment firm for sports franchises.

Successful businessmen with a passion for sports. Sounds like a great pair of professionals for NFL team ownership, right? Well, not in this seedy world of political correctness at all costs.

Jackson and Sharpton are desperate to regain at least a modicum of significance in the age of Barack Obama. Both of these veteran pot stirrers have been neutered in their efforts to remain in the headlines and, more importantly, in the heads of the black community. Every grab these two publicity hounds have made for front page coverage have fizzled thanks to the historic inauguration of a black president. They don’t matter, and they don’t like it.

Limbaugh steps into this catfight with some baggage of his own, not the least of which is his remark as commentator on ESPN that Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb was overrated and the only reason he received so much attention was that the press was desperate for a black quarterback to succeed. ESPN disavowed any concurrence with that opinion and Limbaugh resigned rather than retract. There was much discussion and accusations of racism after the comment but nobody dared address if it was true. Was it provocative? Yes. Was it true? Absolutely!

But this campaign to thwart Limbaugh’s efforts is not about racism. It’s about giving two tired old show ponies a chance to strut their stuff in front of an audience again instead of shipping them off the glue factory. Limbaugh is outspoken and sometimes brash in his conservative message. But he is never, I repeat, never racist. If anybody has made a living, and a pretty good living at that, by being divisive and pitting one racial group against another it has been the pandemic duo of Jackson and Sharpton. It is their only claim to fame. A fame they both desperately want to rekindle.

The J&A team have been supposedly joined in their efforts by NFL Player Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith. Smith delivered a prepared statement last Sunday, but as is the case with many lawyer’s statements it’s tough to make out exactly what he’s trying to say. “I have asked our players to embrace their roles not only in the game of football but also as players and partners in the business of the NFL,” Smith said. “They risk everything to play this game, they understand that risk and they live with that risk and its consequences for the rest of their life. We also know that there is an ugly part of history and we will not risk going backwards, giving up giving in or lying down to it.”

I’m not sure I understand what point Mr. Smith is trying to make, but I’m pretty sure Rush Limbaugh would not increase the risk NFL player’s face in the field. And if the NFL Players Association truly want to be partners in the business of football maybe they should ante up the capital to buy the Rams.

As for the ugly part of history, if Mr. Smith is talking about slavery, it was abolished by the Emancipation Proclamation.

And once again by free agency.

It seems Sheriff Joe has run afoul of the only camera and publicity hound more voracious than the Reverend Jesse Jackson, the Reverend Al Sharpton. Apparently the good reverend, who last I knew was a resident of New York, feels the need to stick his nose and Jheri Curls into the sheriffing business of Maricopa County Arizona.

Sharpton and his pals at ACORN and the NAACP have their public service undies in a bundle over how the sheriff and his department are addressing the illegal immigration situation in their county. Sheriff Joe and his men are making regular sweeps through the county in an effort to round up illegal aliens and deport them back to Mexico. Sharpton and his crew see this as a perfect opportunity to garner some much needed attention and are charging the sheriff and his deputies with racial profiling, police brutality and human rights violations. In a recent news conference Sharpton threatened to bring the wrath of Al onto Maricopa County this June with a bevy of public protests attended by hundreds of bused in protesters if the sheriff does not resign immediately. Sharpton was joined in his circus display by ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis, leaders from the NAACP and other well-known civil rights leaders. Jesse Jackson was not present as he was probably home kicking himself for not thinking of this stunt first.

Sheriff Joe made public the letter he wrote to Sharpton in response to his allegations. In the letter the sheriff suggested Sharpton come and meet with him directly so he could lay out for him the facts that to date Sharpton hasn’t bothered to pay attention to. The letter made clear that Sheriff Joe wasn’t about to step down nor was he likely to stop his roundups. The Sheriff cited the state laws regarding illegal immigration and noted that as long as these laws are on the books it was his job to enforce them. “You can parachute into town, stomp your feet up and down and hold more news conferences against me, this is a hallmark of our democracy too, but you will not stop nor slow me down for one second from doing what is right.” At his press conference Sheriff Joe said of the good reverend “He must be living in a fantasy land, but Arizona can use some extra tourist money, so come on down.”

Obviously Sheriff Joe realizes that if Sharpton and ACORN bring 200 protesters CNN will probably send 200 correspondents to cover it.

But all those interested in heading to Arizona in June to protest against the sheriff and his men may want to take a glance at the news coming out of that part of the world. You see a young Mexican chap named Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman recently held his own little conference in Sonoita, Mexico. His was not to notify the press of an upcoming publicity stunt. Rather his was to inform his henchmen that they needed to step up the use of deadly force in protecting their drug shipments into Arizona.

Guzman who controls one of the largest drug cartel armies in Mexico has become even more brazen since the alleged “crackdown” by Mexican authorities. Perhaps it is partly because the President of the United States and his Secretary of State have blamed America for the rampant increase in drugs being smuggled across our southern border. Regardless of the reason old El Chapo isn’t going to let other drug smugglers or the Border Patrol or Sheriff Joe and his deputies disturb this cash cow without spilling some blood. Guzman has made it clear that the old method of ditching the drugs and running for cover will no longer be tolerated. It’s shoot em up time in Arizona. The homicide rate in the border towns on the Mexico side have risen 100 times what they were just 5 years ago. Maybe that may have Sheriff Joe and his men a little on edge when it comes to illegal aliens.

Oh sure, the sheriff could just sit back and say “Well hell, I guess we had it coming” like the message coming out of Washington DC. But the 4 million people of Maricopa County have entrusted Sheriff Joe Apraio for the last 20 years and elected him to be their sheriff to serve and protect. And Sheriff Joe isn’t about to let them down.

So Big Al Sharpton, bring ACORN, bring the NAACP, bring your paid protest professionals and take that trip to Maricopa County. Just bring some spending money to help the economy and try not to get caught up in the deadly crossfire of those whose rights you are so pretentiously trying to defend.

And if you find yourself in a situation with some of El Chapo’s band of baleful banditos you can give Sheriff Joe a call. I’m guessing he’ll be there to save you.