Getting the words right

“I Was A Drum Major For Justice, Peace and Righteousness” was inscribed into the base of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial. It was the last straw in a series of controversies and the pompous phrasing (the full quote is from a speech called “The Drum Major Instinct” deriding the attention-seeking antics of some leaders) botched the original which was: “Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter.”  Removing the inscription cost $900,000.