I would like to encourage all of my fellow Republicans to take a moment today to honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. King was a minister and the most famous civil rights activist in our American history and it was his work on behalf of civil rights that earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 at age 35, making him the youngest person in history to receive the honor.

Dr. King is most often remembered for his, "I Have a Dream" speech, which included a reference to the Declaration of Independence and went on to say, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

Dr. Martin Luther King fought for equality, for justice and for human dignity. These are not ideals that belong to the Republican Party or to the Democrat Party. These are American ideals that belong to all freedom-loving Americans.

As our Declaration of Independence says most eloquently, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Dr. King stood for these ideals, lived for these ideals and ultimately, died for them.

Regardless of political philosophy or party affiliation, we should all stop for a moment today and remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life, his work and the truly American ideals for which he stood.