Olbermann and Sharpton

I give Olbermann plenty of heat, but the man believes in liberalism and human rights and that is why I keep watching him. I don’t always like Al Sharpton, as he can be a bit reactionary at times, but I watch him for much the same reason I do Olbermann. They teamed up last night to provide an amazingly low key and very powerful condemnation of Glen Beck.

You can watch it here, and I recommend that you do so, but a highlight which struck me, in which Sharpton says,

From my study of history, those that claim to be the Tea Partiers and the followers and supporters of Mr. Beck and Mrs. Palin were the ones that today advocate the things that that march was against.

First of all, that march was to appeal to government to intervene and protect the rights of people. They are against big government. I mean, you don‘t have to get to race. Their idea of government and the idea that Dr. King and Roy Wilkins of—and others espoused is the exact opposite of what they‘re calling for. Dr. King met with Caesar Chavez and talked about how we protect people, no matter who they are, that come into the borders, and have a sound policy. They‘re the ones that are rallying against that. So I think that they are absolutely, unequivocally—I don‘t even have to get to the race side of this.

There’s a lot more, it is a remarkable and quite powerful segment, and it honors the memory and the cause of Dr. Martin Luther King.