Saturday, January 19, 2008
Ken Arnold White Paper on American Marytr Day's Replacing Martin Luther King's Birthday
AMERICAN MARTYR DAY
Every third Monday in January, America now celebrates “Martin Luther King Day”. This Holiday, however, is still not a universally recognized holiday nationwide. This holiday is also relatively new celebrating its 22nd anniversary this year. But in establishing this day, there remains several movements to establish ADDITIONAL Holidays to recognize various other ethnic groups and their proud martyrs who have either given their lives - or been otherwise punished - for standing up for what later came to be recognized as “the universal good…”.
America cannot continue to add holiday onto holiday. America needs to therefore have holidays that recognize the GENERAL principles one wishes to emphasize…“Universal truths” as one can term them. In the case of Martin Luther King Day, such principles of equality, peaceful non-violent protest against injustice, and general brotherhood of man are some of the guiding principles he espoused. And given Martin Luther King was a common citizen and not some military hero, one can also add the emphasis that these qualities were illustrated by common civilians like you and I.
ANALYSIS AND SOLUTION:
Like Armistice Day became the broader Veteran's Day, and Washington and Lincoln's birthdays were combined into "President's Day", the United States should enact within the U.S. Congress a bill to expand Martin Luther King Day. It would be henceforth called: "American Martyr Day". This day would be a day of commemoration for all civilian Americans who gave their lives or suffered grave harm in the pursuit of the noblest of American ideals.
Such civilians would include not only people such as Martin Luther King and Bobbie Kennedy -- but Sitting Bull and 9/11 hero Todd Beamer. It would be the opposite of Veteran's Day in that it commemorates civilians who sacrificed their wealth, health, physical comfort or safety, or even their very lives for a greater, American cause. And perhaps each year, in a Presidential pronouncement dated on this day (still Martin Luther King’s birthday), one more American (present or past) can be solemnly named an American Martyr with the details as to what principles they most embodied within the ideals representing America.
ADVANTAGES:
This initiative would address the desires of many other ethnic groups who would also wish to have commemorations for their civilian heroes. And in true American fashion, it would emphasize that such heroes come in all shapes, sizes, and colors – all representing good and decent American ideals. By hereby addressing these desires for broader recognition of Americans, this initiative would forestall increasing the number of National Holidays even more over time because it would address all of these interests and concerns.
And by broadening such Holiday into the full scope of American ideals, people, and nationalities, it is likely that such day would garner the full adoption and observance of a National Holiday that it would then deserve.
Martin Luther King wished to include ALL races and all peoples as one in peace and harmony. What better way than to consider making this day in January one where all those honored are judged: “…not by the color of their skin – but by the content of their character!”
Ken Arnold, Candidate for U.S. Congress8th Congressional District of Illinois
Originally Written: January 16, 2006 Updated Publication: January 18, 2008
Labels: Ken Arnold, Martin Luther King's Birthday
