Sam Brownback: “the issue I specifically want to address this morning, more than just our legislative agenda, is something that we…”

“the issue I specifically want to address this morning, more than just our legislative agenda, is something that we celebrated yesterday, and that is the tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the celebration we had yesterday, on January 18, when we once again paused to remember Dr. King, a man who changed the course of history and America's conscience. Dr. King is one of the few individuals throughout history who has so nobly exemplified the principles of sacrificial love and devotion. Yesterday, in Kansas, I attended two Dr. King celebrations, one in Topeka and one in Kansas City, and both full of people rededicating themselves to the life of Dr. King and what he had committed himself to and what he had done. Dr. King dedicated his life to the advancement of individuals in need. He selflessly gave of his time and energy--and his life--in order to bring this country to a higher moral plateau. Dr. King suggested that we should not, as he stated, ``judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobiles, but rather . . . by the quality of our service and relationship to humanity.'' In keeping with that vision, it is not enough to discuss how we can foster change within our communities. We must act and become involved in our communities the way Dr. King involved himself in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s. This year, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday observance theme was ``Remember! Celebrate! Act!...”