On this year’s Martin Luther King Day commemoration, Dr. King’s dream is still alive but under attack; and his message seems lost. In today’s hypersensitive hyperbolized hyper partisan social media echo chambers, his powerful simple dream of color blind equality and unity has given way to absurd calls for re-segregation and vile race baiting. Dr. King courageously and firmly advocated for American freedom as an ideal for all Americans without any regard to race because ideas are for everyone and his crusade of peaceful resistance called for all Americans to claim and partake of the American dream together as one people. But Dr. King’s wisdom and wish have been misused by shameless partisans and seems increasingly beyond the grasp of a selfish shallow generation.

Dr. King extolled the founders and the framework for universal freedom they created through the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Like Fredrick Douglas, Dr. King recognized that the United States had indeed established the strongest foundation to preserve freedom and protect God-given rights, but had failed to afford those rights to all its citizens. Dr. King’s demand was not to dismantle our Republic, but rather to fulfill the promises of the Constitution to every American. He likened American freedom and equality to a promissory note to every American and that is was only right and vital to make those checks good for black Americans, too.

Dr. King refused “to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.” But sadly today unhinged leftists are convinced the nation is hopelessly intrinsically racist and our Constitutional Republic is irredeemable and must be completely overhauled. Dr. King is still right, but his vision does not support leftist designs for totalitarian rule. So King is forgotten or misquoted.

Dr. King quite forcefully insisted black Americans could not and should not wait any longer for basic rights, equality, and freedom, but he also insisted that the pursuit of civil rights and liberty must be peaceful. He admonished his followers not to mar their noble quest with “wrongful deeds;” and he warned them against violence lest they be consumed with “bitterness and violence.” Again, Dr. King’s astute attitude and magnanimity have been pushed aside by BLM thugs who blithely burn and loot their own cities harming minority communities and sowing discord.

Comparing today to 1963, it’s patently obvious we as a nation have made great strides toward racial equality and harmony, but now we are losing ground as media and political elites cynically divide the country along racial lines and literally foment racial animosities by accusing whites of inherent racism and maligning blacks as helpless to exercise their rights.

Dr. King had a dream that seemed to have been fulfilled when Americans elected a black man to the highest office in the land, but since then we have regressed and retreated into political posturing and senseless sniping. Tragically, too many schools are teaching the opposite of Dr. King’s dream with Critical Race Theory which teaches whites are oppressors and blacks are victims. That’s not to say there is not some oppression somewhere, but it’s by no means prevalent much less universal.

Dr. King’s dream should still be America’s dream for all Americans. He dreamed of a day when little black children would play with little white children and that every American “would be judged by the content of the character and not the color of their skin.” Despite media and political efforts to incite racial unrest, the good news is most Americans embrace Dr. King’s dream and in many communities black and white children playing together is common.

Don’t let the press, pundits, or politicians mislead or scare you into thinking America is a racist nation or that Americans are hateful racists. All created equal by God, we have much more in common than not. Let’s ignore the ruling elite class and come together to live the American dream together as God intended.

“And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation’” (Revelation 5:9).

Pete Riehm is the host of Common Sense Radio heard 8 pm every Thursday on FMTalk106.5 or streaming at fmtalk1065.com. Email him at peteriehm@bellsouth.net or on MEWE @PeteRiehm or read all his columns at http://www.renewamerica.com/.