I don't see why the gays aren't up in arms about this; King County was originally named for the first gay vice-president.

Talk about a "Culture of No", why don't you Stranger folks look at yourselves in the mirror once in a while? I mean, I dig where you guys are coming from most of the time, but isn't it you guys who time and again are bitchin' and moanin' about how Seattle's provincialism and overall hayseedish-ness continually keep it from becoming a bonafide, big-time U.S. city? I mean, who cares what MLK's historic links are to the Pacific Northwest. Isn't it his ideals and works that are the important thing here, Josh? And what American ideals in the past century have been more progressive, or should be more celebrated, than those of Dr. King? I'd say very few, if any. To me, King Co.'s adoption of the MLK logo (albeit 20 years late) -- an action that transcends the clinging-on to historical provincialism in favor of aspiring to grasp onto perhaps some of the greatest intellectual ideals of mankind in our lifetime -- is a bigtime move for Seattle, King Co., the Pacific Northwest, or anywhere, for that matter; regionalism be damned.

"We" did not rename the county after Martin Luther King in 1986, A small group of local politicians hijacked the county name without bothering to consult anyone.

Personally, I think that King County sounds better when it doesn't commemorate anybody. Wags is correct, though. The county was technically named after Rufus King, a US Vice President that many historians contend was the live-in lover of US President James Buchanan.

And, yes, the MLK estate has commonly demanded royalties or sued for copyright infringement if MLK's name or image is employed by anyone else. Several years ago, the King estate sued CBS TV for airing the "I Have a Dream" speech. It made no difference to the estate that the speech was delivered in public and the speech footage aired by CBS had been filmed by a CBS news crew that covered the speech live back in the 1960s.

Dogday: Renaming a super white, super liberal place like King County after MLK is the definition of provincialism. It's tacky.

What exactly does Washington have to do with the pacific northwest which is to say, who cares if King has anything to do with the region.

Symbols are important. They provide us with a shorthand way of expressing our values. Our old symbol was a crown, our new symbol will be someone who fought for equality and justice for all. As a parent of young children, anything that stimulates discussion of Dr. King's message is good to me.

King County may be "super white" and "super liberal", but we still have the same economic and racial divisions any other major metropolitan area has. There is still much to be done.

Of course, there is still "much to be done."
That's why naming our county after MLK Jr.—which isn't doing much—is tacky and provincial.

The phrase "trying too hard" comes to mind.

i propose that we honor local heroes. . .why not name our county August Wilson County? That would be way cooler. Damn, even Octavia Butler county would be awesome, even though she is more of a sci-fi hero than a civil rights hero.

All I can say is that this has been important to many people in the community for many years. You may not share their passion for the symbol, but many do. It is easy to be cynical, much harder to work for change. Of course you are right about the ultimate utility of such an action, but methinks you doth protest too much.

BTW--watch the debate on the King County website. Watching third graders and high schoolers speak passionately about the logo change was inspiring. I doubt the change will mean much to many adults, but future generations may get some awareness of social justice issues through this symbol.

So by your logic, Josh, anyone who is "super white" shouldn't dare to adopt the ideals or celebrate the heroes of other races?

Hmmm. I may be wrong here, but it sounds like you're promoting racism, Mr. Feit.

(Then again, it may be you're reasoning in this string is tainted because you simply can't admit that you're wrong...

My adendendum to the previous post:

JF writes: Of course, there is still "much to be done."
That's why naming our county after MLK Jr.—which isn't doing much—is tacky and provincial.
--
Dogpuke's rebuttal: The "naming" of King Co. after MLK happened in 1986, Josh (isn't that long before you ever called King "our" county, or even knew where WA was??)

JF writes: Renaming a super white, super liberal place like King County after MLK is the definition of provincialism. It's tacky.
--
Dogpiss' rebuttal: By that line of reasoning, the passage (and henceforth, celebration) by the US of A -- a super white nation -- of the MLK holiday in 1983, was a tacky provincial act. (Gee Josh, Jesse Helms -- for years, THE major opponent and stymie-er of the MLK national holiday -- would be proud of your reasoning in this here post.)

I'm just against hero worship in general. You build people up too much, they stop being real. I'd be happier if it was called "Cedar". It's where all our water comes from.

Provincialism is elevating some local icon into superstar status as if small town affairs matter to the rest of the world. Recognizing a national/ world leader is not the definition of provincialism.

Anyway, King County lost nothing by severing its connection to its original namesake, some obscure slaveholder, just as it lost nothing by renaming Empire Way to MLK Way.

"Weird" and maybe even "tacky" is that this conversation about the civil rights movement's relationship to King County is happening without reference to the fact that the person most responsible for the logo change is Larry Gossett, a LOCAL civil rights movement veteran.

LOL the two nays were from the suburbs.

And symbolically 'renaming' a state with the exact same moniker is just... I don't know if there's a word to define such P.C. self-back-patting. My elementary school in Vegas was named after an alcoholic wife-beating mobster politician. So what? The clothes do not make the man and neither does the name of the county make the county.

Seattle's desperation to not appear racist ironically reeks of closet racism.

Right. I'm sure Larry Gossett is a closeted racist.

And everyone around him echoing his sentiments is not. SUUUUUURE.

Uh, Josh, what does George Washington have to do with the Pacific Northwest?

By naming a county after a man who believed strongly in civil liberties, doesn't that challenge the country to live up to King's standards? Hell, it's an honor to have your county named after MLK...

The state is named after George Washington? I always thought it was in honor of jazz vocalist Dinah Washington.

I have always strongly supported renaming this state "Jackson", and changing the flag to the twenty-dollar bill.