MLK. Most know those initials as Martin Luther King. Who, we know, was shot on April 4, 1968 and died an hour later at a hospital. The events surrounding his death in the years to come, would be filled with conspiracy theories and a changing narrative, obscuring the actual moment for decades to come.

I was about 12 years old at the time. While it didn’t have the same impact on me at that age, I have grown into someone who researches and draws my own conclusions to historical “facts”. For obvious reasons, such as: just a kid, president of service club (was I now a target from my fellow elementary peers? Would I be “eliminated” as well?) Yep. Being a kid had some advantages. The world revolves around us. There is very little else except the sense of self. So it comes as no surprise decades later that I understand more about how our government operates.

Was there a conspiracy? Did MLK get the cut from life because popular opinion was turning against the wars we were fighting? Well, here’s a cut and paste for ya..

Pepper said King was killed because of his opposition to the war and his planned“poor people’s march” on Washington. Those activities angered big-money defense contractors and threatened a redistribution of wealth in America, he said.

King planned to assemble thousands of protesters at a tent city in Washington and those in power “were afraid that mob would overrun the capital,” Pepper said.

The order to kill King, Pepper said, came from the head of organized crime in New Orleans to a Memphis produce dealer who got Jowers to handle the payoff and murder weapon. An Army sniper squad was in place to shoot King if the Mafia hit failed, Pepper said

A jury awarded the King family $100 after they found there was a massive conspiracy by our government and other groups to assassinate MLK. Does this make it true? Nah. On the flip side, does this make it false? Nah. But until the juries findings are disproved, history will always find in a small footnote in legal documents, that MLK’s assassination was the result of a conspiracy with our government.

And we continue to accept that the government has our back, protects our citizens, never imposing it’s might for the wrong reasons. Could “government protection” be an oxymoron like “open secret” or “liquid gas”?

I don’t know what happened that fateful day. Is the world better off without MLK in it? His death has made history around on our planet and brought to life a grass roots effort to break down the walls of ignorance. On the other hand, how much more would he have accomplished, allowed to live his life and spread his truth? We will never know. But anytime someone is shot over their beliefs, the world becomes smaller.

We know that around the globe, governments kill their citizens for not agreeing with the policies that are being imposed on them. Is this what America has to look forward too as well? I hope not. For now, I am grateful there was a person called MLK, with hopes and dreams that all could identify with. I know in my heart we can overcome the ignorance and bullying our government imposes on us. Just electing the right people to office can make a small difference that slowly takes hold and becomes the law of the land.

Am I political? Nah. I’m a musician first and foremost, an electronic tinkerer second and a critter enjoyer third. So, how do I know we’ll eventually prevail?

Because once again, I have faith.