Moonlit_Angel
Blue Crack Addict
Hundreds Protest Bush Visit to MLK Tomb
By LOUISE CHU, Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA - Kathy Nicholas had planned to pay quiet tribute Thursday at the tomb of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. So did President Bush. The combination was anything but quiet.
Nicholas was among about 700 people who booed, chanted and beat drums near the typically placid grave site, angry that Bush was there on what would have been the slain civil rights leader's 75th birthday.
"When I heard Bush was coming here I couldn't believe it. I was outraged and disgusted, and I just think it's a photo op. It's so transparent," said Nicholas, a flight attendant who brought a sign that read: "Mr. Bush, May Dr. King's spirit rise up n welcome you, touch you n speak to you."
The protesters pushed past Secret Service barricades. They pounded on the sides of three city buses parked on the street in front of King's tomb to block them from the president's motorcade. Two people were arrested for stepping into the street and refusing to move.
As Bush arrived, the crowd booed and chanted "Bush go home!" He placed a wreath on King's grave before heading to a $2,000-a-plate fund-raiser in Atlanta.
While the protest was loud, no one was injured and the crowd dispersed soon after the president's 15-minute stop.
Bush's visit to observe King's birthday upset some civil rights activists who said the president's policies on Iraq, affirmative action and funding for social services conflict with King's legacy. They also complained that the scheduling conflicted with their own plans to honor King.
"If Dr. King was here today, he'd be protesting too," said Petite Hammonds, a protester from Atlanta.
Officials at the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, the organization founded by King's widow, said they extended no formal invitation to Bush but accepted his offer to come.
"Out of respect for that office and out of respect for Dr. King, he's coming," said Lynn Cothren, an assistant to Coretta Scott King.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the president's visit was a way to pay tribute to "Dr. King's legacy, his vision and his lifetime of service."
"This is a way to honor a lifetime dedicated to fighting for equal opportunity and equal justice for all people," he said.
King's widow declined to comment on Bush's visit but has been vocal about her opposition to the war in Iraq.
******
Veeeeerrry interesting...
Angela
By LOUISE CHU, Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA - Kathy Nicholas had planned to pay quiet tribute Thursday at the tomb of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. So did President Bush. The combination was anything but quiet.
Nicholas was among about 700 people who booed, chanted and beat drums near the typically placid grave site, angry that Bush was there on what would have been the slain civil rights leader's 75th birthday.
"When I heard Bush was coming here I couldn't believe it. I was outraged and disgusted, and I just think it's a photo op. It's so transparent," said Nicholas, a flight attendant who brought a sign that read: "Mr. Bush, May Dr. King's spirit rise up n welcome you, touch you n speak to you."
The protesters pushed past Secret Service barricades. They pounded on the sides of three city buses parked on the street in front of King's tomb to block them from the president's motorcade. Two people were arrested for stepping into the street and refusing to move.
As Bush arrived, the crowd booed and chanted "Bush go home!" He placed a wreath on King's grave before heading to a $2,000-a-plate fund-raiser in Atlanta.
While the protest was loud, no one was injured and the crowd dispersed soon after the president's 15-minute stop.
Bush's visit to observe King's birthday upset some civil rights activists who said the president's policies on Iraq, affirmative action and funding for social services conflict with King's legacy. They also complained that the scheduling conflicted with their own plans to honor King.
"If Dr. King was here today, he'd be protesting too," said Petite Hammonds, a protester from Atlanta.
Officials at the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, the organization founded by King's widow, said they extended no formal invitation to Bush but accepted his offer to come.
"Out of respect for that office and out of respect for Dr. King, he's coming," said Lynn Cothren, an assistant to Coretta Scott King.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the president's visit was a way to pay tribute to "Dr. King's legacy, his vision and his lifetime of service."
"This is a way to honor a lifetime dedicated to fighting for equal opportunity and equal justice for all people," he said.
King's widow declined to comment on Bush's visit but has been vocal about her opposition to the war in Iraq.
******
Veeeeerrry interesting...
Angela