European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 6, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Cover Story Martin Luther King or. From the cover. Of courage in Kings nonviolent movement. But the tug of War goes on. This year i find myself watching a More powerful and influential set of Washington figures engaged in a tug of War Over what or. King would say if he were alive today. For example the conservative Washington based heritage foundation recently held a program called a the conservative Virtues of or. Martin Luther King  it featured former drug Czar William Bennett now co director of empower America. Conservative Virtues Are we talking about the same a drum major for Justice who tirelessly knocked a a gradualism and preached a Why we can to wait and was vilified by conservatives As a a a Pinko fellow traveler with communists just for preaching the truth who would have guessed that before the end of the Century King would be proclaimed by conserva Tives As a fellow traveler perhaps this is the inevitable result of efforts to politically sanitize Kings memory moderating his Militancy so former president Reagan could sign the King Holiday Bill without becoming physically ill. Since then never let it be said any politician cannot use Kings memory a or some part of it a to make a Point. President Clinton probably committed a Little revisionism of his own with ground shaking results in a november speech in the Memphis Church where King preached his final Sermon before his assassination in 1968. What Clinton asked would King say if he were alive today a the would say i did not live and die to Sec the american family destroyed a Clinton said to enthusiastic applause. A i did not live and die to see 13-year-old boys get automatic weapons and gun Down 9-year-Olds just for the kick of it. I did not live and die to see Young people destroy their own lives with drugs and then build fortunes destroying the lives of others a Clinton went on to describe his administrations responses to the problem new gun control proposals a proposed get Tough anti crime Bill and a proposed Universal health care Bill. Is that All Jesse Jackson speaking at the recent anti violence conference he Bill Cosby and Jackson a Rainbow coalition convened in Washington was not impressed. After All Jackson noted Clinton omitted any ref Terence to his own abandonment of a proposed Urban Martin Luther King in new York in 1964, calling for a a climate of nonviolence in race relations. Aid a a stimulus package in the face of Republican opposition. Or his dragging his heels on almost All of his civil rights nominations almost a year after his inauguration. King called for a guaranteed income for All americans. Clinton a crime Bill offers poor youths prison a Boot  a the president was eloquent about the crisis a Jackson said. A the gave us the where ases. Whereas there Are problems whereas there is pain whereas there is self destruction whereas there is killing. Well we need the president to go to the level of a therefore a a therefore i appoint a credible assistant attorney general for civil rights. Therefore i will fulfil the covenant made during my Campaign to invest $20 billion a year in rebuilding our cities and putting peo pie Back to work. A instead of speculating about what doctor King might have said were he alive today the president might sensibly look at what doctor King did say when he was Here. He marched on Washington to demand payment on the promissory note that had bounced marked insufficient  whose version of Kings legacy is closest to the truth i suppose All Are in their own Way. King like most Black americans was a Liberal in his politics but quite conservative when it came to his religion moral teachings and self help values. Self help permeates his speeches and actions. Its not your fault to be knocked Down he said but it is your fault if you fail to lift yourself Back up. But part of lifting yourself up is to urge others to lift their feet off your Back. It took More than three centuries of inequality before Black americans won full Equality under the Law. But As a group we have yet to win full acceptance As equal partners in the making of this great nation. What would or. King be saying about the state of Black America if he were alive today i can to say for sure but i bet he  be letting anyone off the Hook. The Chicago Tribune Kareem Abdul Jabbar co executive producer of televisions the Vernon Johns  Johns from the cover Tor in 1948, Johns was deposed a few years later because people were fearful of the unwarranted attention his fiery rhetoric might bring them. He outraged the conservative congregation with Calls for economic empowerment aggressive action against segregation abuses including a bus desegregation attempt that proved unsuccessful and vocal Battles with sep resent Tives of the civil Justice system. He was replaced by the More conservative Rev. Martin Luther King jr., who later used some of Johns sermons As inspiration for his own pronouncements. To his colleague Johns maintained that no matter How great his accomplishments he had no rights a White Man was obligated to Honor. When it came to fighting racism to borrow a sports expression Johns always had his game face on. When the Chance arose a couple of generations later to Tell Johns Story basketball great Kareem Abdul Jabbar stepped into the Lane of prime time to movies to slam Dunk it Home. The result the Vernon Johns Story which aired last month on stateside syndicated to starring James Earl Jones in the title role is a powerful Story of a proud uncompromising Man a a Man who lived by his Credo a you should be ashamed to die until you have made some contribution to  Abdul Jabbar returned to his Hometown new York City recently to talk about his new career As a movie producer for television and this his first production. He said he was inspired by the life of Johns. A it was a Story that i knew a Little about from my own Reading a he says a and i knew it should be  Abdul Jabbar and his Friend Richard Rubenstein Are the co executive producers of the movie a a Black Man and a White Man a Muslim and a jew a Jock and a to producer. But they have things in common they Are the same age both Hail from new York and both believe in a time when new yorkers weren to defined by race. They met in 1974 during the shooting of a sports documentary that Rubenstein was producing when Abdul Jabbar was with the Milwaukee Bucks. A i found him interesting beyond the a we just kept in Contact Vernon Johns shoot a said Abdul Jabbar. And became  after the two travelled to Cannes France together to preview the sports film Rubenstein suggested that Abdul Jabbar get in the business a but not As the Center of attention. A the had two of the three elements it takes to be a Good producer a Rubenstein said. A the is extremely Well read and has Good taste and sensibilities and he is As Well connected in the entertainment Industry As anyone. All he needed was continued on Page 5 Page 4 sunday february 6. 1994