MLK JR....Jeralyn Merritt suggests that everyone take a few minutes today to reacquaint themselves with the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. She says this one is her favorite: "An eye for an eye leaves everybody blind."
Of course, as King well knew but so many fans of Old Testament justice don't or simply refuse to accept the Biblical admonition of "eye for eye, tooth for tooth" was never intended as an endorsement of revenge. Rather, it was intended as a limit on revenge: instead of endless cycles of vengeance, punishment was henceforth required to be proportional. If someone knocks out a tooth, you're not allowed to commit murder in return.
King's best known legacy took this a step further, of course, as embodied in the quote Jeralyn spotlighted today. It's a good choice.
—Kevin Drum 12:20 PM
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