The Oakland Tribune neglects Martin Luther King Jr

On Martin Luther King Day I was totally shocked as I unfolded my newspaper. There was absolutely zero mention of Martin Luther King in the headlines or even on the front page of the Oakland Tribune. Instead, there was a full page, prominently displayed story about a 30 year cold case involving the murder of a White woman who was a bookkeeper for the Black Panther Party. First off I know all about the bookkeeper's murder. She was an idiot to work for the Panthers in the first place and even more idiotic when she threatened to turn them in to the government for tax evasion. I won't say she deserved what she got, but well, you know I hate idiots.

I am to the right, far, far right, but putting this story on the front page on MLK's birthday struck me as totally disrespectful and unnecessary. The next day at work I told my co-workers how strange I found the editors idea to neglect coverage of King festivities and to print the 30 year old murder story. My other right wing co-worker said, "You know the Oakland Tribune is now owned by someone in San Jose, don't you?" I had heard some such but had forgotten about it. Still the whole thing seemed odd to me. The editors in San Jose should have realized what they were doing.

Yesterday, in the Tribune, there was a letter to the editor from an African-American woman saying exactly what I had been thinking. She did it in a nice way too. I would not have been so polite.