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      ATLANTA (AP) - The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy as a
preacher of peace and tolerance was lauded Monday as Americans
marked his memorial day just over a week after the shootings in
Arizona that killed 6 people and seriously wounded a congresswoman.


      Attorney General Eric Holder, speaking at King's former church
in Atlanta, praised him as "our nation's greatest drum major of
peace" and said the Jan. 8 bloodshed was a call to recommit to
King's values of nonviolence, tolerance, compassion and justice.
     

 "Last week a senseless rampage in Tucson reminded us that more
than 40 years after Dr. King's own tragic death, our struggle to
eradicate violence and to promote peace goes on," Holder said.


      President Barack Obama, in Washington, said part of King's
legacy was about service and urged Americans to get out into their
communities - a step he suggested would have special meaning
following the shootings.


      "After a painful week where so many of us were focused on the
tragedy, it's good for us to remind ourselves of what this country
is all about," he told reporters as he and first lady Michelle
Obama took part in a painting project at a school on Capitol Hill.


      National and local politicians joined members of the King family
at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta to mark what would have been
the civil rights icon's 82nd birthday. Members of the King family
also laid a wreath at the tombs of King and his widow, Coretta
Scott King, on the 25th anniversary of the federal holiday
established to honor the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize winner.


      Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, who worked with King during the
civil rights movement, issued a renewed call for Americans to unite
in peace and love as King preached during his lifetime.
    


  "If Dr. King could speak to us today, he would tell us that it
does not matter how much we disapprove of another person's point of
view, there is never a reason to deny another human being the
respect he or she deserves," Lewis said.


      The Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor of Ebenezer, called for members
of Congress to show solidarity during the State of the Union
Address this month. Quoting the Bible and Abraham Lincoln, Warnock
said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand."
    

  "Maybe after Arizona what our children need to see is us
sitting together," Warnock said.


      In Philadelphia, hundreds of volunteers including Mayor Michael
Nutter helped refurbish computers for needy residents as part of
the city's "day of service" events to mark the King holiday.


      "The computer is your passport, not only to the future but to
knowing what's going around you," Nutter said. 


The effort was part
of the $25 million federally funded Freedom Rings Partnership,
which aims to deliver 5,000 computers over the next few years to
people in the city, where 41 percent of residents lack Internet
access.


      In Maine, Gov. Paul LePage changed plans and attended a memorial
breakfast just days after saying critics of his decision to skip
other King events could "kiss my butt."


      LePage attended the breakfast in Waterville on Monday, just as
he had done for several years as the city's mayor before being
elected governor. His appearance was scheduled after he responded
Friday to critics of his decision not to attend the state NAACP's
annual holiday celebrations. His "kiss my butt" comment drew
harsh criticism from state and national leaders of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People.


      King is the only American who was not a U.S. president to have a
federal holiday named in his honor. He has been recognized on the
third Monday in January since 1986.

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Social Issues

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy as a
preacher of peace and tolerance was lauded Monday as Americans
marked his memorial day just over a week after the shootings in
Arizona that killed 6 people and seriously wounded a congresswoman.

King's peace legacy praised after Ariz. shootings

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