Just in case you thought that Martin Luther King’s message of unity brought together the two rival factions forced to march together on Monday on a permanent basis, guess again:

Less than 24 hours after holding a joint parade to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the race to obtain separate permits for next year was on Tuesday with the Black Heritage Society striking first.
Ovide Duncantell, the group’s executive director, arrived at Department of Public Works and Engineering headquarters just after 9 a.m., making his the first permit application for a 2007 parade received by the city.
Afterward, he said he had no doubt Charles Stamps, president of the MLK Grande Parade Foundation, promoter of the city’s only other King parade, would seek a permit, too.
“Whoever has the permit has the parade,” Duncantell said. “I wanted to make sure I’d done everything proper.”
The city has 10 days to review the application.
Under city ordinance, another organization can apply for a parade permit during the 10-day review period. If a second application is made for the same day, both applicants must submit to — and pay for — arbitration to resolve the dispute.
The arbitration provision was put in place by the City Council in hopes of reducing the city’s chances of winding up in court, as it did last month over this year’s parade permit.

I’m sick of this bickering and squabbling. In fact, I’m very tempted to submit my own application for a Martin Luther King Day parade.
After all, it’s supposed to be a celebration for all races, right?
Who’s with me?

MY MLK DAY PARADE CHECKLIST:
Pirates fighting Ninjas
Marching Bands playing kazoos
David Lee Roth (set on fire)
Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson in a tug-of war for money
More Ninjas!
Pie