MLK and the Sin of Silence

I could never completely describe Martin Luther King, Jr. in

just a few sentences, and so I will not try.
But for the purposes of this post, let me say that he was a prophet, one
of the best orators in our country’s history, and someone who bravely spoke
truth to power and changed the course of a nation.  The fact that he was willing to choose a path
that was foolishness to the world is something I greatly admire, and I think
I’ve read almost all of his political speeches and most famous sermons.  And so as I have been following the
Republican leadership’s response to the Foley scandal, I’ve been reminded of
one of the themes King returned to again and again (albeit in different contexts),
which was the sin of silence and inaction by those with power.

I’ve struggled to appropriately articulate the frustrations
I’ve felt with the arguments Hastert and others are using to justify their
silence and inaction on Foley.  They had
the power to do something about Foley and to find out more information once
they realized what might be going on.  Yet
they chose intentional ignorance.  They
remained silent when children were being put in danger.

Now they are trying to use ignorance as a shield and excuse
for inaction.  And they have been
implying that since they did nothing, they
did nothing wrong.  A generation ago,
King responded to others making similar excuses for segregation and the Vietnam
War.  I believe his words have great
relevance to our current situation:

We will have to repent
in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad
people but for the appalling silence of the good people.

   —  Letter
from a Birmingham
Jail

If we do not act, we
shall surely be dragged down the long dark and shameful corridors of time reserved
for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and
strength without sight.

  — A Time to Break Silence

I’m not sure whether I believe Republican leaders actually
read the worst of Foley’s emails or not.
But it doesn’t really matter.  The
point is that they intentionally turned the other way so they would not have to
find out what was going on.

Self-imposed ignorance is no excuse for inaction.  The fact that Hastert’s staff may have given him plausible deniability
makes him no less culpable.  When a
person (especially one in power) intentionally chooses to ignore a problem and
to remain silent in the face of abuse and suffering of others, that is when
they no longer deserve the power they have been given.