Rankin Chapel-Vernon Jordan

A. Dean Richards and Dean proper. Pulpit associates friends of the chapel Judge William B. Brian Jr. my friend. Jim Johnson and Maxine Isaacs. Jim Johnson is a champion of the candidates and a board and it was announced yesterday in The Washington Post that he was stepping down having done a terrific job. We had breakfast Friday and I made the mistake of mentioning that I was going to be at Howard and he and Maxine are here. And to you who worship at Rankin once again Dean Richard has granted me the honor

and privilege to stand in the pulpit of Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel at Howard University Rankin Chapel is hallowed ground for me as it has been for generations of Howard University students. When I was a law student here from 1957 to 1960 I rarely missed a Sunday morning had Rankin Chapel and 7:56 three years later occasionally. I cut class from Metropolitan Amy. To come to Rankin. How can you resist. Not hearing Peter Golm.

Otis Moss last time Murphy McKenzie. And Gardner Teyla as we did last Sunday. Gardner Teyla called me early this morning. And he said Vernon. Going straight to Rankin. Rankin Chapel. Is the fountain from which Howard students drink deep play. The wisdom intellect and spiritual sustenance. Of great preachers. Of the day. Every now and then Dean rifted son slips a layman. Into the chapel service. And I welcome. The subpoena he issued for me to be here today.

I've had a lot of experience in this city with subpoenas. And I've learned two things. As a result. One. When a subpoena is issued you have to show up. And secondly. When you show up. You have to tell the truth. And the truth this morning. Is that the world in which we live. Is in a Mella. Yes. It is a world racked by war. Terrorism. Hunger. Pestilence hate. And disease. It is a world where countless numbers of people are ruled by despots

deprived of the most basic freedoms we in America. Take for granted. It is a world where nations and people focus on those superficial things that divide them rather than the common humanity. That unites them. It is a world where an unknown virus. Mysteriously appears in a corner of China. And then and Gough's the globe. But with fear and trembling. Within weeks. We did not need a sorrow's academic or an AIDS crisis. To teach us that this wide world. Has shrunk to a small speck. Spinning in a wide universe. And on that speck. The fate.

Of all humanity is bound together as never before. Whatever your views on the war with Iraq. The war is. Virtually over. America and Great Britain. Have Won the War. That was relatively easy and a foregone conclusion. The real issue is. Can we win the peace. That is on us. And the conclusion. Is in question. Here at home. We have learned a hard and difficult lesson. About America's invulnerability and about America's invincibility. For years our shores have been protected by those

vast band Deep Ocean. On the east and west of America. But on September 11. We learned that there is no hiding place down here. We learned that despite our military power. And auser pure weaponry that they are no defense against suicide bombers. That's. A. Sense of. Pride and security were pierced and punctured. And we now know death and destruction and America. As never before. We have been so preoccupied with war. That we seem to have forgotten. That the economic bubble has burst. That the federal deficit is

300 billion dollars that unemployment is 5.8 percent that black unemployment is ten point two percent. We seem to have forgotten that the S&P has lost. Approximately six trillion dollars in market value. The Dow is down 28 percent. The Nasdaq 71 percent. And consumer confidence. Is at a nine year low. We seem to have forgotten that greed. Misfeasance malfeasance and nonfeasance seem to define. Corporate America. Where I spend. Much of my time and for which. I bear. Some responsibility. That. The prospect for strong and robust economy is dead. That state and local governments. Have serious. Budgetary problems.

Lest we forget. That in the middle of the war. John Payton OG at the University of Michigan affirmative action case before the Supreme Court. And in that case. Not only did Howard University file an amicus brief. But the law students at Howard University Law School filed an amicus brief. Urging the Supreme Court to uphold affirmative action and to remedy past and present wrongs. Lest we forget. That in the middle of the war. The Supreme Court court heard the case of glargine. Versus Texas. And must rule on the issue. Of whether the local government can use its police powers. To punish. Private bedroom behavior. Between consenting. Adults.

Lest we forget that the Justice Department. Demands ever increasing powers to strip away constitutional protections to increase the government's police. I was all in the name of the war on terrorism. But we must fight the war on terror with them. Without confusing. Undermining freedom with protecting. Freedom. Put another way we must be on guard against subverting our constitutional law and our civil liberties in the name of defending. The Constitution. And liberty. Yet. In. The face of. All this darkness. Doom and Gloom negativism I remain

optimistic. I remain positive I remain hopeful about America. And the world. I believe in America. I believe in democracy and the free market. I believe in the Constitution of the United States and its ability through prices after price. I believe that we have values and goods and services. To share with the world. I believe that our hands and arms have and should stretch across the globe. And I believe. That weeping may endure for the night. But Joy. Cometh in the morning. Because I believe. I have some thoughts. I'd like to share. The first thought

stems from something my mother. Taught me throughout her life. As a youngster. When I made good grades. One declamation declamation contest was elected president of the class. Had more than one girlfriend. I developed. A little swagger. Acted a bit smug and cocky. And my mother would take me aside. In a quiet corner and she would say. Son. Don't get too big. For your britches. When I finished Howard last school and won. My first case she won. War in Tucson.

Don't get too big. For your britches. Until she could speak no more. Her refrain was son. Don't get too. Big for your britches. Therefore. To America. To the president. And to the Congress to the world's greatest super power. Ever. To my country. With the mightiest economic technological and military forces ever in the history of the world. I say listen. To my mother. Don't get too big for your britches. The Babylonians the Egyptians and the Greeks of yore. Got too

big for their britches. The Roman Empire which fell not from without but from within. Got too big for its britches. Napoleon was about. To conquer. The world. He thought. Until the hard core of what. The Russians taught him. That he had gotten too big. For his breeches. It was once said that the sun never set. On the British Empire. Now the sun has trouble finding. The British Empire. Hitler. Mussolini Stalin. Saddam Hussein all got too big. For their britches. Secondly. Now that we. Have won the

war. There is no need to brag about it. No need for chest bangin. As Maureen Dowd said last week. In the New York Times. The great big United States of America. And the United Kingdom. Of gangster Iraq. That's like me trying to beat Tiger Woods at golf. Triumphalism is bad manners triumphalism. Is bad taste. Winston Churchill got it right when he said in war resolution in victory magnanimity in peace goodwill. Winning the war was the easy part. Rebuilding and

winning the peace is the real challenge. So common sense and sound public policy suggests that we recalibrate our approach to the world. Consistent with our historical experience. America perhaps alone among the great powers in history. Has not sought to dominate and control the rest of the world. Rather we fought when we had to. And afterwards poured our wealth and energy into building a better world by helping our friends. And our conquered enemy. And. We did not. Do it. Alone. That was the UN the NATO. The World Bank IMF and other world institutions that arose from

the ashes of World War 2. Driven by the lessons of the past and by America's sense of responsibility. And good. Therefore I declared this morning that I am unequivocally. And unapologetically a more tired letteris. If there is one applicable lesson here. It is this from the civil rights movement. The extraordinary advances in civil rights were not made by black people alone. We had brand alliances cooperation coalitions and support. And in those alliances and coalition. There was disagreement dissent and debate out of which flowed strength.

Determination. And resolution. Therefore dissenters are not patriotic are not unpatriotic because they oppose a war they believe is wrong. No. No the president and his advisers evil because they deposed a tyrant like Saddam Hussein. People of good will can disagree. About the proper course of action our nation should take on a given issue. In a civil society such disagreement must be respectful of opposing viewpoints. And the debate conducted with mutual respect. That is what I learned in the Howard University Law School. As to what

freedom. And liberty. All about. Thirdly. I share Gardner Taylor's concern. About a kind of civil religion. That is some time creeping. And at other times blatant in our cause. That God according to some has chosen America. As the selected people to dominate the world while others claim that God or Allah has chosen Islamic people to dominate the world. Well as a boy growing up in St. Paul am the church. I learn that we are all God's children. And as a boy singing in the Saints to see your quiet St. Paul church we sang in him. In God there is no east or west no north or

south. But one great fellowship of love throughout the whole of water and I read in Malakai. Chapter 2 Verse 10. Have we not all one father. Hath not. God created us. Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother by profaning. The covenant of outfought. I think Malakal is telling us that God is an equal opportunity employer. That we are all God's children. Black. White. Brown and yellow rich and poor and unlettered Christian Jew Muslim Buddhist and Hindu all young and middle age the halt. And the lame the blind and those who can

see. Believers and doubting agnostics. We are all. God's children. And if we acknowledge. That we are all God's children whatever our faith or lack thereof we can find the common ground that binds us rather than the differences. That. Plague. Us. And then we all of us. The world over. Can say with Luke. Power shout love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all my soul and with all my strength. And with all our minds. And thy neighbor. As Thyself. After my memoir Vernon can read it. Was published. Many white people wrote to me.

And said to me in various way. My life. Is like yours. My mother. Was like your mother. My father was like your father. I worked two jobs. I struggled long and hard at scratched and at and had aspirations. The only difference they wrote. Is that my story is a white story. And your story. Is a black story. But what I got from those letters were. Not. Black or White stories but common story. The stories of all Americans. Just as the stories that come from this war as passed was will be stories of all Americans. Those stories each in their own

way are stories about the American dream. The American Dream is the dream of freedom that black people have clung through. Throughout the generations. It is a dream that rescued us from despair and the worst of times and filled us with hope and the best of times. For black people for all of our righteous anger. And forceful dissent. Believe. In the American dream. This land is sprinkled with our sweat. Water without tears and enriched with our blood. We help build America's power and glory. We black people. Doug Tadros and cotton bales and Sangeetha can now wait to sing God Bless America. We too saying Oh beautiful for spacious skies. For amber

waves of grain. We to. Pledge allegiance to the flag and America represent we died in America's every war from the revolution to Iraq. Even in segregated Army. And we will be there when America needs us in war as in peace. Yes we know there are racial divisions in this country yet to be healed but we also know there are deep and strong bonds that link God destiny to that of our country. The bonds that are irrelevant to race bonds that derive from Luke's injunction to love our neighbors and Malecon in sight that we are all God's children. Now as we and our fellow Americans face death tolls dangers and snags of a troubled and uncertain world.

We can turn again to the faith and values we have absorbed here at Rankin Chapel. And we can say with the Psalmist God is our refuge and strength a very present help in time of trouble. Therefore will not we fear though the earth be removed though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. That young people is your charge to keep. Your calling to fulfill your rendezvous with destiny. And to that end may you neither stumble not falter but rather may you mount up with wings as eagles made you run and not be weary. May you walk together children and not faint. Thank you. God bless you all. The.

The. The. Man. My.

Eyes have seen eyes of her and our hearts have felt in this celebration of worship. Now I said to the one who stood at the gate. Give me a light that I may go out into the darkness and into the unknown. She replied to me go out into the darkness go out into the unknown but put your hand in the hand of God. And God shall be for you better than light and much safer than a known way. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and give you peace both now and for ever more. Amen. Not everyone is invited to the basement where we have a book signing with Mr. Vernon

Jordan