Today, Clareta Scott King was the center of a memorial recognizing her work and sacrifice as "The First Lady of the Civil Rights Movement." During the memorial, nearly 50 speakers took the stand and presidents Bush, Clinton, Bush Sr., and Carter attended. Yet, two speakers(Rev. Lowrey and Carter) decided to make the event a political mockery of both the presidency and Mrs. King's life.

Both speakers took sharp jabs at President Bush critizing his defense tactics of this great nation. These two men's words clearly over shadowed the life and legacy of Mrs. King. Both of these men spoke slurs about Bush to the jeers of the crowd and the attention of the President himself sitting with his wife just behind the podium. These words were disrespectful and not fit for a memorial service nor were they in anyway innovative or thought-provoking. Yet, what can you expect from an anything but steller ex-president who's memory and legacy will be forever forgotten and a reverand who lowered himself to the level of a mindless Bush basher.

I am not here to say the presidency of George Bush has been a great one, anything but. Yet, Bush is an imperfect president for an imperfect time. In the presence of such hateful speech, he simply should have stood up and left. Personally, I believe we as a nation walk a very thin line between safety and danger, and at times we must breech the institutions set forth to protect or strenghten this great nation, Jefferson did it, Jackson did it. That is why I am for the Patriot Act, I believe are government should have the power to protect us, and why fear this unless you have something to hide.

Carter and Lowrey are two truly dispicable men who illustrate the overlying problem of this nation, the fact that we are on the edge of Civil War. That we as a nation and against the very principles of the Founding Fathers, have given into political separation, that constructive criticism has given way to destructive speech.

And I hope to leave you with one last thought:
If the Patriot Act is to be shot down, who do you think Carter and the majority of Americans will blame the next time a terrorist flies a plane into a building or sets off a dirty bomb that kills thousands? They will blame Bush, yet how can we blame him if we are the one's who refused to give him the power to protect us?

-Matt Yongue, 16

I seek no quarrel I only wish you would change your post to state that "Today, Correta Scott King..." Thank you.

That reallt ticks me off they are there to speak about a wonderful woman wife to one of the most amazing men to walk this earth this was about what she did for her people and her nation not what Bush is doing now

I don't think it matters what side of the political spectrum you're on. This incident transcends those boundaries. It's a matter of class and respect, and these people obviously have neither. Which is just reflective of their personalities, not what they support.

I guess I'll third that this, Matt. They pulled another Wellstone job. Carter is probably the worst president in history as it is, so it would have been difficult for him to lose any more respect in my eyes or many peoples'. Lowery, though, is simply a mindless puppet who says and does whatever his masters at the NAACP make him do.

I couldn't agree with you more, myongue!

How completely inappropriate and disrespectful could they have been?! This was a funeral not a political platform. Jimmy Carter has demonstrated this classless behavior on so many occassions while George Bush (Senior) has remained respectful as one would expect an ex-President to do.

Thank you for stating what was on many of our minds.