Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day to reflect on the
teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the figurehead of the
Civil Rights movement. There is much debate over the true
message Dr. King sought to bring to the American people, with
both liberals and conservatives trying to claim King (who never
identified with a specific political party) as their own. King's
niece, Alveda King, is a prominent figure at Tea Party and other
conservative rallies. She would say that King's teachings of
self-reliance, and absolute morals inspired by a higher power,
firmly would place King in the conservative camp, as opposed to
the liberal camp with their "moral relativism." Others (notably
Ronald Reagan as he voiced his opposition to affirmative action)
cite King's own words during his "I Have A Dream" speech,
referring to King's call to judge people not by "the color of
their skin, but by the content of their character." Many on the
right use those words to justify their opposition to not only
Affirmative Action, but