Earlier this week, some decidedly unpleasant comments from former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis about Martin Luther King, Jr. came out. Kennedy called King a "phony," and relayed how she'd heard about his alleged marital infidelity, saying: "I just can’t see a picture of Martin Luther King without thinking, you know, that man’s terrible." The Root DC contacted several Civil Rights leaders to ask, essentially, how they like her now.

Of course, Walter Fauntroy (who recently had an amazing trip to Libya) can't stay mad:

“I make allowance for her doubting the integrity of Martin Luther King. We often have mistaken views of a person,” Fauntroy said. “I am not going to trouble myself on a statement made by a 30-year-old woman made under great stress. All of us are fallible, all of us are prone to accept what is not true.”

That was the theme for the other people The Root DC polled as well. Of course, they don't have anything to gain from maligning Kennedy after her death, and as Dorie Ladner of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) pointed out, Kennedy was "isolated" and developed her political opinions based on the conversations of the men around her.

The Washington Post editorial board is now weighing in on the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial quotation fiasco. Due to the dedication delay provided by Hurricane Irene, the board says there's time to "get it right" and replace the cocky quote with the longer, contextual version.

This has not been a good week for the new memorial. The criticism has ranged from the nitpicky to the serious. Let's see how they stack up:

• The quote is bad. Though Washington City Paper's Rend Smith is totally correct when he points out that King wasn't exactly lacking in confidence, the "drum major" quote is obscure at best, and misleading at worst. Though "I have a dream" may be a bit trite, there's got to be something better out there. Critique: A+
• The Chinese sculptor is bad. Complaints about Chinese artist Lei Yixin have ranged from "the sculptor should have been black" to "this isn't another statue of Chairman Mao." The Economist's Will Wilkinson called Yixin a "political bullshit artist," and Postie Courtland Milloy compared the finished product to Star Wars' Han Solo frozen in carbonite. Sure, the statue is kind of ugly, and the symbolism of having a black artist produce the sculpture would have been nice. But there's no proof a black artist would have done a better job, and anyway, when did bad art become a crime? Critique: C-
• The workers were exploited. It's pretty repugnant that a monument built to a man who died as he fought for workers' rights was built by workers who may have been exploited. While the Chinese workers brought over to construct the monument were given room and board, they had no idea what they'd be paid for the backbreaking work when they got home. Critique: A
• The Chinese granite is bad. Quips about the memorial being "made in China" have been floating for a while now. But complaints about using Chinese granite are turning out to be silly. The rock is harder (and more durable) than American granite. Critique: F
• King was bad. Okay, so the Washington Times doesn't go that far, but a fact-free editorial complains that because MLK supported social safety net programs to rectify the real economic ills caused by racism, the resulting "nanny state has crippled the black community, undermining self-reliance, entrepreneurship and personal responsibility." Critique: Oh, come on.

Photo by Marion S. Trikosko, [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

D.C. Meets MLK: The latest memorial on the National Mall will honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose 1963 March on Washington took place 48 years ago this Aug. 28. D.C. residents will get both a sneak preview of the memorial and a chance to claim King would have backed more autonomy from the federal government for the city, as officials are planning a sovereignty rally on Aug. 27, the night before the memorial's dedication. On Aug. 23, District residents get special admission to the site, before people from the rest of the country. On the other hand, people from the rest of the country have voting representation in Congress; on the whole, we'd take their side of the trade. +3

Tea Party Athletes?: Speaking of Congress, our federal overlords—you know, the ones who are so hyper-vigilant about debt that they nearly allowed the U.S. government to default on its bonds—don't seem to be interested in helping the District balance its own books by taxing extremely rich sports stars who come through town for games. An effort by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton to get lawmakers to amend the Home Rule Charter to allow the tax has gone nowhere. Must be all those backbenchers hoping for a pro basketball career when they leave politics. -2

Take The Endowment Train: Arts education, in the era of No Child Left Behind and budget cuts, has been harder and harder for public schools to pay for. After all, standardized tests don't measure how well students can read sheet music. But the Duke Ellington School of the Arts may not have to worry so much about finances in the future; the school got a $17.2 million endowment from the Eugene B. Casey Foundation. Even better than swing? +2

Winning: Escorting Charlie Sheen through the streets of D.C. may not be a punishable offense, but is criticizing Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier? MPD Commander Hilton Burton, whose unit provided the Sheen escort, was demoted after he clashed publicly with Lanier; MPD brass say the move had nothing to do with the controversy. At this point, we'd probably support banning Sheen from setting foot in the District, just to prevent future problems. -1

Yesterday's Needle rating: 58 Today's score: +2 Today's Needle rating: 60

“No individual can live alone, no nation can live alone, and anyone who feels that he can live alone is sleeping through a revolution,” King said, quoting the Book of Revelation.

King also weaved in the story of Rip Van Winkle, then evoked the Declaration of Independence:

'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.’ But if a man doesn’t have a job or an income, he has neither life nor liberty nor the possibility for the pursuit of happiness. He merely exists.

The sermon also outlined the future of the "Poor People's Campaign," King's call to combat the economic injustice of the American poor.

Planning ahead, he insisted that his next D.C. visit would not be to "tear up Washington" but to "demand that the government address itself to the problem of poverty." King, gunned down by an assassin's bullet, would never return to D.C.

Photo of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from the Library of Congress' New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection

And if your establishment is named after Martin Luther King, you must have something to say about today’s holiday. Right?

I telephoned MLK Community Barbershop on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE to find out. “No, not now,” the man said when I asked if he had a minute to talk about the name of the shop and the importance of the day. He had someone in the chair. So did the other barber. And the owner—he doesn’t come around much.

Next I tried MLK Grocers. Andrew Cho, the owner, answered the phone.

“We’ve been here for 25 years,” he says of his shop, also on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE. But he can’t claim credit for the name. That was what it was when he bought the place—back in 1984, after legislators had finally stopped arguing and agreed to make the day a federal holiday.

“The name was good, there’s no doubt,” he says. “It’s after the street. It was named that. We just kept that name. It symbolized the freedom.”

Anything special planned to commemorate the holiday?

“I’m afraid not.”

MLK Auto on Martin Luther King Jr. Highway in Hyattsville, Md., didn’t seem to know what I was talking. That’s because the place is called something else now. “Someone used to be here with that name,” the guy said before hanging up.

Back in the District, I tried King Avenue Liquors, also on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE. I told the man who answered I was calling businesses named after Martin Luther King.

“Which one you say?” he replied. I repeated that the store is named for Martin Luther King, and that's why I was calling. He immediately piped up, seemingly wanting to correct me.

“We have a King Avenue,” he offered.

I pushed on. Is there anything special about the store being named after him?

“Anything special about that?” he said. “I don’t know, the owner’s not here right now. We don’t have any specials right now.”

Dr. King's Car Wash: "The manager today is not working."

King Cafe: same deal, owner out, call tomorrow.

One more inquiry: I called MLK Counseling out of Frederick, Md. It actually has nothing to do with Martin Luther King Jr. at all. The owner, Marie Lorraine Kish, who conducts couples counseling ("Fall in Love With Your Partner All Over Again"), just happens to share King’s initials.

Does anyone ever confuse her business for one having something to do with MLK?

“So far, you’re the first,” she said.

“I never really thought about it until this [holiday] event comes up and then there’s MLK all over the place,” she said. “For the most part, it doesn’t really connect that much. But around this time, I definitely do think about that.”

It's not just a day off to her.

"I think it’s so much more than that," she said, "and I think just the fact that we recognize Martin Luther King's birthday is a major affirmation to the work that he did and what he was involved in."

Photograph of King at Madame Tussauds by cliff1066™, Creative Commons Attribution License

"Someone is missing." Anyone else think the latest Leonardo DiCaprio vehicle, Shutter Island, has the worst tagline ever?

A senior at George Washington University was reported missing last weekend—prompting a Facebook group, a front-page GW Hatchet article, and a citywide police search. The girl who reported his absence said: “I could possibly see him [skipping their event] and sleeping in—but I couldn’t see him not texting me and apologizing.” The student turned up safe and sound Monday morning, having gone with another girl to Virginia. Draw your own conclusions.

On Monday, the National Capital Planning Commission approved a new security plan for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial – so construction can now begin. According to the Associated Press, the memorial—which consists of an island and two elm trees—will have fewer metal posts than initially proposed. Expect to see the memorial (missing security posts) in 2011.

Help the Metropolitan Police find a missing 12-year-old. She was last seen at the Minnesota Avenue Metro Station on Friday.

Central Intelligence Agency funds missing? Say, maybe for the last eight years? Try checking the pockets of the Afghan president’s brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai. Or just ask the opium dealers.

The D.C. Council started its same-sex marriage hearings on Monday—and the committee taking up David A. Catania's legislation is most definitely not missing testifiers. It already was scheduled to hear from 100 people, and 150 more will have their say on Nov. 2.

As part of a future exhibit at Nevin Kelly Gallery, local artists ask: "What's important to you?" Everyone gets just 10 words to answer. How about "Missing students, Leo, and people who don't care about gay marriage"? Whoops, that's 11.

Georgetown University has just released the schedule of community meetings to discuss its  10-year campus plan. In other words, if you are interested in neighborhood zoning issues, best pencil them in. If you are still annoyed about loud, drunken kids eating pizza—bummer. They are still there.

Photo by Doug, Creative Commons Attribution License