“If you want to be important, wonderful. If you want to be recognized, wonderful. If you want to be great, wonderful. But, recognize that he who is greatest among you will be your servant… You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love, and you can be that servant.”

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

[Commentary] Gov. Chet Culver plans to sign a proclamation Monday declaring Jan. 21 to Jan. 28 as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Week. I do not object to the proclamation or to honoring one of the greatest motivators and civil rights and peace activists of our time. I do, however, object to politicians signing things with which they either disagree or fail to understand.

Yesterday, in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Culver was interviewed after taping “Iowa Press” about the current controversy involving same-sex marriage in Iowa. While Culver is taking a wait-and-see attitude toward the pending Iowa Supreme Court decision, he also refused to rule out a special legislative session to “deal with” the court’s ruling. Our Democratic governor, aligning himself against party platforms, has steadfastly proclaimed that he will “do whatever it takes” to discriminate against the LGBT community in this area.

There have been many times I have spoken with elected officials and urged them to do the right thing and, most of those times, I’ve suffered the pain of disappointment as the political system — of doing what it takes to win the next election — was explained to me as if it were an insurmountable truth. I will also unhappily admit that I too have been the pusher of such grim dissertations. I have meticulously explained, to those who asked how politics works, why this or that thing would need to be pushed back and saved for another day. After all, it seems logical to believe that the overall good of being less controversial, and, thus, ending in a better position to stand and fight another day, is more important than the hot-button minuscule.

What is not logical about the argument is that the end goal — the day when birds sing, roses bloom and good men and women stand on principle, despite political downfall — has never come. It is this seemingly never-ending display of eggshell walking that makes what Culver is poised to do tomorrow smack with some the ugliest malfeasance in recent memory. The proclamation emailed this morning reads, in part:

…WHEREAS, it is appropriate for all of us to review our own attitudes and to reaffirm the American ideals of freedom, justice and opportunity for all; and

WHEREAS, this is when people of all races, religions, classes and stations in life should put aside their differences and join in an effort to bring peace to our world; and…

It wasn’t that long ago that the majority of people in America believed mixed-race marriage would be the downfall of our society. Before the Supreme Court handed down its decision Richard Perry Loving vs. Virginia, interracial marriage was considered a felony punishable by up to five years in a state penitentiary. In addition, those who crossed racial lines without taking the final step of marriage were vilified and persecuted. Marriage of racial couples was described as a convenience of “illicit sex” instead of a relationship built on respect and love. Above all else, such unions were described as “unnatural.”

As we stand today, listening to many of the same old arguments in relation to same-sex marriage and debating whether all American citizens should be entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, Culver has an amazing opportunity. He could be one of the few politicians in our nation who sets self-preservation aside in favor of doing what he knows to be the right thing.

In 1968, in his last speech before being shot to death, King said, “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now.” Unlike King, who had real fears of physical safety, Culver only fears for his political life and yet he seems unwilling to even risk that for the greater good.

To be clear: The Culver administration, along with our state legislature, has made great strides when it comes to ending discrimination. Those acts should not go without our notice or our applause. But, when Culver takes pen in hand tomorrow, I hope he takes time to digest and truly consider the words on the page. There is much more work to be done and, with a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love, the task can be accomplished.