In August of 2007, The Washington Post reported that a Chinese man named Lei Yixin would be the man to head the sculpting of the near 30 ft. statue of Martin Luther King, Jr. that would be placed along Washington, D.C.’s Tidal Basin. Yixin, a man who has also carved statues of Mao Zedong, would be the chief sculptor of what was to be called, “Stone of Hope.”
By April of 2008, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts had objections to the statue’s appearance. In a letter, commission secretary Thomas Luebke identified the proposed finished product as too “confrontational” and consisted of a “Social Realist style” unbecoming of the statue’s namesake. It is not clear exactly what changes were actually made, and the statue now sits in Baltimore, awaiting construction.
The perplexing decision to award the project to a Chinese sculptor is made more so by Yixin’s own words. He is on record as saying that Mao “isn’t as bad as some people think.” The fact that the 20th century’s most murderous dictator can be viewed in such a way notwithstanding, the explanation for the selection of Yixin can be found by following the money. The Washington Post reported at the time that a former adviser to the Memorial Foundation believed Yixin was chosen in the hopes of getting $25 million from the Chinese government to help fund the project.
It is certainly not a leap to say that if the Chinese government contributed such a massive sum to the memorial, it would want something more in return than just one of its own carving the granite. Could that something be the symbolism of merging the legacies of Mao and MLK? The American civil rights leader’s legacy is unassailable in the United States; it is beyond taboo. Are the Chinese attempting to raise their murderous leader to the same level of respect as MLK? Are they attempting to make criticism of Mao, or Chinese communism, taboo by enjoining the two legacies in a 30 ft. statue in our nation’s capital?
Such a notion is not unprecedented. Mao himself exploited MLK’s work for his own ends in a statement issued in the days after King’s assassination in 1968. In part, Mao said:
Racial discrimination in the United States is a product of the colonialist and imperialist system. The contradiction between the Black masses in the United States and the U.S. ruling circles is a class contradiction. Only by overthrowing the reactionary rule of the U.S. monopoly capitalist class and destroying the colonialist and imperialist system can the Black people in the United States win complete emancipation.
The Chinese leader was using Martin Luther King as a tool of war in order to weaken the United States domestically and, by extension, in Vietnam. It was a symbolic gesture with the objective of furthering an agenda. This statue is symbolic and furthers an agenda, as well.
Enter the Ground Zero mosque. It too is about symbolism, and its proponents have nefarious objectives. As Mao exploited King then, so too is the Islamic world exploiting the first amendment of our Constitution now. Shari’a law and the U.S. Constitution are incompatible. So are Maoism and civil rights.
There is plenty of evidence to suggest that the Obama administration welcomes both of these attacks on America. In the case of an MLK statue made in China with presumably Maoist features, the reverence for both leaders by this administration is readily apparent when one looks at Anita Dunn, Ron Bloom, Van Jones, Bill Ayers, the Oba-Mao merchandise, the Mao Christmas ornaments at the White House, etc.
In September of this year, a bricklayer’s union wanted Barack Obama to deny the visas of Chinese workers scheduled to assemble the statue in Washington. Apparently unsatisfied with the response, the union then went to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who directed them to the King Memorial Foundation, the same group who granted the project to China.
It’s more politically correct to defame Christianity’s Messiah than it is to offer criticism of MLK. If the “Stone of Hope” carries symbolism that exploits King to subtly benefit Mao’s legacy, how far away would we be from criticism of Mao being politically incorrect as well? This statue – taller than both the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials – is slated to stand between them and it must be stopped. Just like the Ground Zero mosque.
Ben Barrack is a talk show host on KTEM 1400 in Texas and maintains a website at www.benbarrack.com
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Hey I use to play cards with Mao…he is ok. Kept s hoot ing the dealer though.
Hey I use to play cards with Mao…he is ok. Kept s hoot ing the dealer though.
The eyes don't look right on the statue. They look Chinese.
The eyes don't look right on the statue. They look Chinese.
I might say that MLK greatly have influenced our nation, but his statue has no place with those of Jefferson and Lincoln. As far as great influence, why not a statue of Billy Graham, Thomas Edison, or others? Because None of these including MLK had such a profound effect on America. No, find another approperiate place for the statue, or size it down,
I might say that MLK greatly have influenced our nation, but his statue has no place with those of Jefferson and Lincoln. As far as great influence, why not a statue of Billy Graham, Thomas Edison, or others? Because None of these including MLK had such a profound effect on America. No, find another approperiate place for the statue, or size it down,
Hey… whats a few hundred thousand Chinese killed between good friends like Mao and Obama?
Dissent must be eradicated for unity… it's the things they have in common thats important, isn't it?
Propping up the corpse of MLK for this kabuki theater is peanuts compared to the more "enthusiastic" efforts communism is known for. Hey guy, don't worry… relax man!
Hey… whats a few hundred thousand Chinese killed between good friends like Mao and Obama?
Dissent must be eradicated for unity… it's the things they have in common thats important, isn't it?
Propping up the corpse of MLK for this kabuki theater is peanuts compared to the more "enthusiastic" efforts communism is known for. Hey guy, don't worry… relax man!
Sad to say, we are loosing our country, seems we no longer have a say so in many things pertaining to whats being done in the USA, insiders and outsiders are simply doing what they want. We need to get back on track and take this country back America needs to fight back those that are for the good of the nation, lets vote the bad apples out this November. Thank you and God Bless America!
Sad to say, we are loosing our country, seems we no longer have a say so in many things pertaining to whats being done in the USA, insiders and outsiders are simply doing what they want. We need to get back on track and take this country back America needs to fight back those that are for the good of the nation, lets vote the bad apples out this November. Thank you and God Bless America!
It’s about time! Its about damn time they made some kind of significant memorial to him… there will NEVER be another like him; sadly, not today in Amercia anyways.
Well Leandra you don did it noow! you sound like a complete idiot oyu dumb lassy looking little girl…its poeople like YOU that make amrecia one of the stupidest places on earth!
I’m sorry, Mr. Billy Bob, it’s arrogance such as you displayed that causes many to think negatively of America. Leandra simply expressed how she felt, and you, Mr. Billy Bob, demonstrated the malady of ignorance. Have some respect for fellow Americans as they express their opinions.
Thank you!
It’s about time! Its about damn time they made some kind of significant memorial to him… there will NEVER be another like him; sadly, not today in Amercia anyways.
Well Leandra you don did it noow! you sound like a complete idiot oyu dumb lassy looking little girl…its poeople like YOU that make amrecia one of the stupidest places on earth!
I’m sorry, Mr. Billy Bob, it’s arrogance such as you displayed that causes many to think negatively of America. Leandra simply expressed how she felt, and you, Mr. Billy Bob, demonstrated the malady of ignorance. Have some respect for fellow Americans as they express their opinions.
Thank you!
This is so wrong. MLK was like obama they make purty speeches. He got shot and was made a martyr. I’m not putting him down just saying.
This is so wrong. MLK was like obama they make purty speeches. He got shot and was made a martyr. I’m not putting him down just saying.