Misrepresented, Misunderstood Martin Has anyone in the media reminded Americans that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a vocal opponent of the Vietnam war? Without a doubt, he'd be opposed to our misadventure in Iraq as well, but his life has been pidgeon-holed; his message is for us all, not just for blacks in the 1960s. This truncated version of Dr. King's life is hardly accidental. While people refusing to fight for imperialism must be terrifying to conservatives, the image of African-Americans turning the other cheek must be somewhat comforting, if taken at face value. Here's part of the message you don't hear about on MLK day: Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided man. - Martin Luther King Jr., "Strength to Love", 1963 A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom. - Martin Luther King Jr., "The Trumpet of Conscience", 1967 In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. - Martin Luther King Jr., "The Trumpet of Conscience", 1967 In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. - Martin Luther King Jr., "The Trumpet of Conscience", 1967