THE EDITOR'S COLUMN: Obama should emulate King

Tom Skoch

IF ever a confluence of significant events called Americans to a day of sober reflection, it is Jan. 21, 2013. On that date, we mark the Inauguration of a president; the start of Barack Obama's second term in the White House. And we also observe the annual Martin Luther King Day memorial to the nation's revered civil rights leader.

Fifty years ago, when King proclaimed his civil rights Dream, it was all but unimaginable that the nation today would not just have a black president, but would be returning him to the White House for a second term. Race relations certainly are not perfect today, but the reality of Obama's second Inauguration shows today's America is a far better, fairer nation than it was in 1963, and for that we can thank King.

What makes King especially great is that, back in that violent era, he steadfastly proclaimed non-violence as the path to overcome racial prejudice. King worked peacefully toward his Dream, despite many civil rights proponents being subjected to violent, even deadly, backlash.

It took great faith in God and humanity for King to persevere in the face of resistance so ferocious that it ultimately took his life in 1968. Yet, in death, King became an even more powerful influence for racial harmony and the path of peace.

What disturbs me greatly today is that, from my perspective, Barack Obama has reached the presidency in great measure thanks to King's sacrifices, but he is neither living up to King's example nor being true to King's principles.

King lived and worked to make all Americans truly equal in day to day life under the guarantees of our Constitution.

But Obama's first term brought Obamacare, which assaults Catholic Americans' freedom of religion by coercing participation in health plans that violate their religious tenets that abortion and contraception are grave evils. And Americans will be compelled to purchase approved health insurance plans or be fined, another abuse of the Constitution.

Obama's non-stop campaigning style as president has seen him urging Hispanic adherents to "punish our enemies." That's a vindictive attitude unworthy of a beneficiary of King's legacy.

As Obama's second term opens, he is using executive actions and welcoming legislation that will erode, if not negate, the Second Amendment rights of Americans. His actions, and the proposed legislation, will prevent Americans from fully exercising their right to keep and bear arms to keep their families safe and our nation free from tyranny as the founders intended. Just as bad, these gun control measures won't prevent atrocities like Newtown, they will only give many people a false sense that they and their children are more secure. As Obama perpetuates his sham of greater safety "for the children" Americans also will be subjected to even greater control by the government. Obama's executive actions announced last week will apparently enlist doctors in reporting which patients have guns at home, a private matter. A national gun safety campaign will likely reach into schools and ultimately turn children into informants on their gun-owning parents, a breach of family privacy.

Martin Luther King obviously did not "live by the gun," though he did possess guns during his lifetime. So too with many Americans today. King did live under government surveillance, so it is hard for me to imagine him approving Obama's actions that weaken the Second Amendment and increase government intrusion into Americans' lives.

If Obama were to truly adopt King's principles, not just pay them lip service, during his second term, he would be a better president, and this would be a safer nation for all Americans and all our children.

Tom Skoch is editor of The Morning Journal and, where his Tell the Editor blog appears. He is on Twitter as MJ_Tom_Skoch and can be contacted by e-mail at