Every single day, one of the first things I look at is the face of Dr. King, which helps me to get up early when I don't have to and do something good for someone in need because long before I came to be a whole lot of folks stood up and took beating, being jailed, and being termed criminal for seeking inclusion and human rights so that I could enjoy my place in life.

Dr. King is for me a constant reminder that I should always take advantage of every blessing that comes my way. I make sure to lend my hands and my voice to activities to further the life possibilities of those who are disenfranchised and living marginal hard scrabble existence and in need of a little help.

Ever since the +Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr.+ has been recognized by a national holiday *twenty-two years ago*, I have been watching the Oprah Winfrey show and while Oprah has always spoken highly of Dr.King and quoted his 'content of character' phrase many times, I have not seen +as much hype+ over this holiday by the O show as this year. Is it an insult to our intelligence or a _misuse of power_ by lady O to propagate this accomplished great man's vision and dreams alongside her *_promotion_* of Senator Barack Hussein Obama. To try to parallel these two men and use the life of the +genuine and sincere MLK+ to gain hype and attention for Obama is to me an insult to our intelligence and a misuse of power by the respected and wonderful lady O. _These two men do not have parallel lives. Research and see for yourself_. As many of us who have watched Oprah for a lot of years know, she is a huge fan of the written and spoken word. Not much can get her as excited as a well-written book or well-worded speech. She even added oration to the curriculum of the girl's school she built in Africa. No doubt this love for oration was one of the draws that motivated her to produce the Great Debaters movie. Barack Obama is most famous for a well-delivered speech given a few years ago and although he is a decent orator, *A GOOD ORATOR DOES NOT QUALIFY SOMEONE TO BE A GOOD PRESIDENT !!* And what is most disturbing to me is that when I listen to all of these presidential candidates, B.O. is +the most vague+ with the least direct answers. You can make a pull-string doll of BO and the only thing that doll's recording would have to say is *"It's time for a change"* over and over again. It can be very frustrating to listen to Obama not giving exact answers. +A sample of Barack being questioned goes something like this:+ Q: How do you plan to balance our budget? BO: Yes, I will balance the budget. I plan to make many changes to our government's spending. Q: What are your ideas for all Americans attaining health care? BO: I have a lot of ideas pertaining to healthcare and make no mistake, all Americans will have some form of health insurance when I am president. We need a change. Q: Well, can you tell us some of your ideas on education reform? BO: Yes, I plan to expand on the NCLB ideas and definitely have some new ideas to add to it. Q: How do you plan to help the economy so we don't go into a recession? BO: I have a lot of ideas to change where the economy has been heading. It's time for a change. Q: Do you plan to make changes to Soc.Sec. and what changes? BO: I do have ideas on that issue and will work on that too. This is just a small sampling of what it's like to listen to Barack speak - *lots of flair* when speaking but *not a lot of substance*. It's like watching a SNL skit of a mock debate! +Come on, people+- wake up and demand detailed answers!!! A poised and proud speaker does not equal a leader with common sense and the experience to get our country where it needs to be. And remember that _not all of Oprah's recommendations have been hits_, there's been a lot of misses too. Not only did MLK *establish himself as one of the greatest orators in U.S. history*, he also became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. He championed freedom, justice and equality in a heartfelt and sincere way with his dream in mind, _not to reach high levels of office_. Obama has not in any way gained the respect or achieved the results that the legendary Dr. King deserves in my opinion.

Today we payl tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and rightly so. But as the nation reflects upon Dr. King’s message on this recognized Day of Service, including on the Oprah Show, far too many people still view King's dream as one involving only race, allowing them to more easily dismiss the day's significance. King's ideals serve as powerful examples to all, including to me in my work as a writer, author, speaker and advocate on special needs issues. This timely human rights discussion, one of great magnitude and importance, has been given greater power, understanding and voice because of Dr. King's work. I parented a child with cerebral palsy, a wheelchair user, for nearly thirteen years. Harsh judgment of Eric’s human value because of disability required me to advocate for his basic rights every day until Eric’s death in 2003 at age twelve. Yet, I am an educated white woman living in the suburbs, complete with a white picket fence. Dr. King’s words have proved powerful motivators in my difficult walk. ‘I have a dream’ has many times fueled my quest for better life opportunities for my son and others. Mine has been a heartfelt journey filled with both enormous blessings and stinging rejection, along with stellar examples about how spirited leadership impacts human rights from Dr. King and Robert F. Kennedy, another hero of mine. For more than fifteen years, my tough parenting journey and heartbreaking loss have challenged me to use my voice, talent, and experiences to become a nationally recognized voice on the subject of special needs parenting issues. My son’s life and mine have been infinitely richer because of the gutsy example of Dr. King. When my son died, I channeled my intense grief into penning a special needs parenting book to help other families navigate the rocky parenting waters a bit easier. I helped establish an annual music therapy camp at Michigan State University to honor my son’s remarkable gift for music. RicStar’s Camp serves individuals of all ages with a wide range of special needs. We nurture individual ability and serve as an example of successful inclusion in the many communities we serve. Like Dr. King, I believe strongly that ‘what impacts one, impacts all.’ Only a fine line of circumstance separates us. Fifty-four million Americans have disabilities; 200 million people worldwide have intellectural disabilities (formerly know as mental retardation). Today, many of these individuals are still undersocialized, undereducated and undervalued. Many face inexcusable struggles familiar to other minorities, making Dr. King’s fire, passion and example critical to my on-going work, and to that of others working for much-needed societal change. Dr. King's message holds meaning for each one of our lives. Millions of people living with the tough daily realities of special needs understand Dr. King's dream all too well. More than one has taken his/her important place at the forefront of a human rights movement designed to grant millions of children and adults the right to live out their life dreams, too That includes the ground-breaking work of visionaries Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Tim Shriver, and Christopher and Dana Reeve. Dr. King fought for justice and equality for all. Through my passionate special needs work, I’m proud and honored in 2008 to be living out Dr. King’s dream. His powerful lessons live on, as indeed they should. The lessons belong to all.

I watched your Martin Luther King Day Special today and was truly moved. I am in my late twenties and was born and raised in a very small town in Canada. My community and all the surrounding areas were 100% white. I was never exposed to racism and am so shocked to hear of the sad and horrible treatment that african americans had to face. People are people, and we should all be judged by our actions not our looks, race, gender and sexuality. The fact that people were denied healthcare and education due to the color of their skin makes me extremely sad. I pray to God that everyone who watches the show today feels as strongly as I do, and that we never go back to that type of mentality again.

I am watching your show as we speak and of course, crying. I have been crying since the 60's when this all happened or started. I cannot see or hear MLK's speech without tears, both tears of joy and sorrow as I'm sure we have not reached the mountain top although we are climbing it. I now have a wonderful, beautiful granddaughter, 8 years old. She doesn't even see color when she talks or plays with her friends. Yes, some of them are not the same color she is.

Thank you so much for todays show on Martin Luther King. It was an hour that took me away from my own burdens of dying with AIDS. THANK YOU OPRAH, DR. KING AND EVRYONE INVOLVED WITH THIS WONDERFUL SHOW that truly brought me to tears.
Brandon G.
Old Orchard Beach

where did the black/white.. weamn & man find a place to put in their DNA, I have many family( dark) secrets. for my family god forbid we find out we are not only cherokee, but worst then that we may also be black foot indian. See how silly it is in all crazy families that live still with the elders that forbid we look or ask. I want to proudley know who I am. Pls help.
I love the information you provide, & agree with the young soug writter, who wrote" I'll turn on Oprah & see what she'll tell me today" or you know that's the meaning of her lines I carwy with me. You save the mind from thinking it's wrong for thinking. so many many say live & let go..I want to live & know. thank you for your inspiration.
love,
linda d cunninghan
tracy, ca 95276