Today is "Martin Luther King Jr Day" and in honor, as well as recognition of this great man, I'm sharing some of his quotes with you all.

******************************
Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him. Martin Luther King Jr.

I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law. Martin Luther King Jr., "Letter From Birmingham Jail ", 4.16.63

Whatever career you may choose for yourself -- doctor, lawyer, teacher -- let me propose an avocation to be pursued along with it. Become a dedicated fighter for civil rights. Make it a central part of your life. It will make you a better doctor, a better lawyer, a better teacher. It will enrich your spirit as nothing else possibly can. It will give you that rare sense of nobility that can only spring from love and selflessly helping your fellow man . Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for human rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in. Martin Luther King Jr., 4.18.59

A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom. Martin Luther King Jr., "The Trumpet of Conscience", 1967

Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Martin Luther King Jr., "Letter From Birmingham Jail ", 4.16.63

If you succumb to the temptation of using violence in the struggle, unborn generations will be the recipients of a long and desolate night of bitterness, and your chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos. Martin Luther King Jr., "Justice Without Violence", 4.3.57

The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But... the good Samaritan reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?" Martin Luther King Jr., "I've Been to the Mountain Top ", 4.3.68

******************************
He Came Not to Praise King But...........
by Timothy McDonald of the LOS ANGELES TIMES
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0119-09.htm
******************************
Excellent article on presidential debates by Ralph Nader via Common Dreams website.
'Gated' Debates Challenged by Citizens Debate Commission
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0119-03.htm