PBS Strikes again

[Pat Speer]

I posted this over on the MLK section of the forum, but thought it might be of interest here, due to the strange circumstance that the two media personalities used by PBS to suggest James Earl Ray was a lone nut had previously been used to suggest Lee Harvey Oswald was a lone nut. Small world, isn't it?

From the MLK section of the forum:

Last night, "Roads to Memphis" was shown on American television, as part of the same "American Experience" series that put out "Oswald's Ghost" a few years back. What a piece of crap. While the program had some previously unseen interviews with some civil rights leaders, and while it was nice to see the archival footage of Dr. King, the program's treatment of James Earl Ray was abysmal.

I mean, I'm on the fence on the King assassination in that I think it's perfectly possible James Earl Ray killed King, all by his lonesome. But I'm informed enough to know there are questions about this, particularly in that Ray insisted from almost the beginning that he was innocent and that he wasn't a racist and that he only pleaded guilty to save his white skin.

To its credit, the program, AT THE VERY END, admitted that Ray insisted on his innocence till his death. Which in some ways made the program even worse. If they knew Ray denied killing King, WHY did its makers, whenever discussing Ray's movements leading up to the killing, have--of all the people in the world!!!!--Gerald Posner and Dan Rather (YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT)--tell us what Ray was thinking at the time! I mean, what the? How the heck do those two get off telling us what Ray was thinking, when he never discussed thinking such things with anyone, and kept no diary, etc?

Well, we know where they got this stuff--straight from their behinds, that's where. As a result, a good twenty minutes of the program was filled with nonsense about how Ray came from a poor white trash background, had a burning hatred of Dr. King, and wanted to make a name for himself by killing King, etc. They cite NO witnesses to his saying such a thing, mind you, they just say it, as if it is an obvious fact. They never explain why, if Ray wanted to make a name for himself, he went to such lengths to hide his identity, both before and after the shooting. In short, it was the same kind of IDIOTIC posturing offered to make people think Oswald killed Kennedy. Truly horrible.

Even worse, the program made NO mention of the HSCA's conclusion that Ray most likely acted as part of a conspiracy, NO mention of the King family's doubts about Ray's guilt, and NO mention of the civil trial some years back in which Lloyd Jowers was found guilty of acting in a conspiracy along with governmental agencies in killing King.

The refusal to acknowledge this fact, if even to say the trial was a tragic farce, is an abomination, IMO.

Those more familiar with the King case may wish to watch the program, and add to my comments. If their stomachs can handle it...

END POST ON MLK SECTION OF THE FORUM

IMO, those wishing to comment on Posner's and Rather's roles in the program, should do so here, but those wishing to comment on the possibility of a conspiracy in the MLK case, should do so in that section. (But what do I know?)

[Ron Ecker]

I suppose Dan Rather can be considered an authority on lone nuts, since he was a lone nut at CBS. ("What's the frequency, Kenneth?")