In honor of MLK-day, this week’s tool is James Earl Ray, the man who gunned King down in Memphis on April 4^th, 1968 (I didn’t even have to look that up). I’m not a big fan of assassins (unless they take care of no-talent pop stars or maybe Curt Schilling), especially if they end the life of one of the most influential Americans of all time.

Ray initially admitted to being the assassin, then was sentenced, then said he didn’t do it, then died in jail before anything was proven. His name is pretty much mud for the rest of eternity, I’d say. Never trust anyone with two first names, and definitely never trust anyone with three. James Earl Ray, Lee Harvey Oswald, Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

Anyway, more importantly, Martin Luther King, Jr. is easily one of the top five Americans in the history of America. He did more for race relations than Justin Timberlake and Eminem combined – and he didn’t even need to use violence or ridiculous lyrics. He was also actually black.

He gave some of the most moving and inspirational speeches since coach Norman Dale in Hoosiers, and his Letter from Birmingham Jail is one of the most influential documents ever in terms of justice, ethics, rights and peace. It’s really long but there’s some good stuff in there.

His influence and legacy continue to be evident today. I can think of only three dudes that left such an important legacy and maybe even had more influence AFTER they died, in this order: Jesus, King, and Tupac.

Also, he gave us a really sweet day-off from school. Big ups, Marty.