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Over the years I have witnessed the strategic misuse of the Martin Luther King Jr. legacy as an antiseptic against the infection of bigotry and hatred. How many times have we heard proponents for dismantling affirmative action proclaim that Dr. King wanted a country where one "would not judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character?" The theory being, one need only quote King to be on the side of right. But the mischaracterization of King took a very ugly turn in Atlanta this past weekend. Invoking the memory of the slain civil rights martyr, the Bishop Eddie Long and King's youngest daughter, the Reverend Bernice King, led thousands of predominately African American Christians in a march supporting a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Bishop Long, who pastors one of the largest churches in the Atlanta area, told his supporters that it was time for the black community to be heard. "We can't be silenced," Long said to cheers in a parking lot outside of Turner Field. "We are not marching against folks," he said. "We are marching for folks." Long stated that the march also seeks to promote education reform, affordable health care and programs that create wealth for minorities. These are all worthy causes -- but it was the ban same-sex marriage that got folks out marching in near freezing weather. It is interesting to note that none of Dr. King's closest associates could envision him supporting this effort. Have we reduced the one who gave his life to be the moral conscience of the nation into a symbol for hate? [more]