Citizens' Daily Lobby

Overheard at a local eatery this afternoon was a discussion on the merits of the MLK day holiday.  (When the people at the next table are virtually shouting, I think that the rules against eavesdropping must be applied leniently, at best).   As most of my readers know, there are still schools in Arkansas that do not recognize the holiday, and the appropriateness of this omission was under consideration.  One man suggested that it’s not a very good holiday because “the post-office is closed, the libraries are closed, and the banks are closed.”  I suppose the reasoning is that a holiday is no good if you can’t cash a check, mail a package, or get a book.  By this reckoning, Christmas must be the worst holiday of the year, because even some Wal-Marts are closed on Christmas.    Another diner suggested that the day is just not important to “us” (presumptively the good white folk of Arkansas).  In a state that officially recognizes MLK day as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert E. Lee’s Birthdays (Observed), this type of attitude should come as no surprise.  Some state agencies actually put a sign on the door stating that the agency will be closed in observance of MKL and REL’s birthdays.   Where is the outcry over recognition of Robert E. Lee?   If my knowledge of American history serves me, General REL was not an Arkansan. If our state really wants to attract businesses from more progressive regions of the country, it probably should downplay the rampant racism among its populace. Celebrating Robert E. Lee day is not helping our image.