Gizmo Farms To Host Cattle ID Demo
January 18, 2011
The Northwest Florida Cattlemen’s Association and The Escambia County Extension will host a Cattle Identification and Freeze Branding Demonstration.
The event will take place Saturday, January 22 at 10:30 a.m. at Gizmo Angus Farm at 8284 Gibson Road in Molino.
Dr. Cliff Lamb, assistant director Animal Science Programs and associate professor, North Florida Research & Education Center, and his staff will be presenting the live demonstration.
Following the live demonstration lunch will be provided by the Cattlemen’s Association and Gizmo Angus Farm. For more information contact Allison Meharg at Escambia County Extension at (850) 475-5230 ex. 102.
State: No More ‘Taj Mahal’ Courthouses Without Approval
January 18, 2011
Any future court building will have to be approved by the State Courts Administrator, and that office will assign someone to monitor the project, under an order issued Monday by Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady in response to the controversy over the new district appeals court building in Tallahassee.
Canady issued a terse 2-page order Monday decreeing that no contract can be signed without the approval of the administrator’s office. Canady actually signed the order late last week following a tense meeting in which the court came under criticism from the Legislature for how the 1st District Court of Appeals came to be.
The new courthouse for the district panel was pushed through by two of the court’s judges, Brad Thomas and Paul Hawkes, who were hauled before legislators to explain how the project came to produce such a large and, to some, lavish building, while the rest of the court system was struggling under dwindling budgets.
Both Thomas and Hawkes apologized, but said that they didn’t think there was anything wrong with their push for the court, or the way it was built.
In addition to monitoring all future building projects, the court administrators will provide updates to the chief justice from time to time. The Supreme Court’s Office of Inspector General will also conduct reviews of district court building projects during planning and construction, Canady ordered.
Canady also testified last week, before the Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Subcommittee, and expressed his concern over the nearly $50 million building, in Tallahassee’s Southwood area.
“The Supreme Court of Florida shares the public concern about the implementation of the First DCA building project,” Canady told the committee. “Although operational oversight of … construction projects is necessarily an executive branch function, we understand that when the Legislature appropriates funds for the benefit of the judicial branch, the courts should help ensure that taxpayer money is handled with care. Every dollar spent should be spent wisely and with an unceasing awareness that it is hard-earned taxpayer money.”
The building went more than $15 million over budget. Much of the criticism was over what some said was a lavishness in the appearance of the domed building, and what some critics said were overly expensive and unneccessary fixtures, such as large, flat-screen TVs for judges, and granite countertops.
“Courthouses should be dignified, durable and functional,” Canady said last week. “They should not be grandiose, monumental and luxurious.”
The 1st District Court of Appeals hears cases from 32 counties, including Escambia and Santa Rosa.
Read The Speech: Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley Sworn In
January 18, 2011
Robert Bentley was sworn in as the governor of Alabama on Monday. The following is the full text of his prepared inaugural address:
Good afternoon. First let me say thank you, for choosing to share this very special day with me, my family and our state. Inauguration day is always a special day in our state and country, because it serves as a symbol of what our country is all about.
The people elect their leaders and then there is a peaceful transfer of power. As we’ve seen in other parts of the world, that is something to cherish and to celebrate, no matter your political affiliation.
Inauguration days are a time of new hope and expectations, but they’re also a time for reflection. And, as we look back over the past eight years, we owe a debt of gratitude to Gov. and Mrs. Riley for all they have done for our state.
I would also like to thank Gov. Riley and his staff for the smooth transition between the end of his administration and the beginning of ours, and for making sure we have a seamless transfer of power. When administrations work together it is always what’s best for the people of Alabama.
I want to also thank my family for their support and sacrifice the past several months. I especially want to say thank you to my wife Dianne, your first lady. She has sacrificed so much for me but always supported me and most of all prayed for me. Her character, wit and servant’s heart will serve her well as your first lady.
God has richly blessed me with a wonderful family and I am honored to have them here with me today.
I want to thank my staff, as well. You all have worked tirelessly alongside me because, like me, you believe Alabama’s best days are yet to come. I will always be grateful for your love and dedication.
Today, as I take the oath of office as governor of the state of Alabama, I will never forget, that no matter what my official title may now be, I am a servant of the people.
We live in a great state where someone from humble beginnings can grow up and be chosen as its leader. So, most of all, I want to thank you, the people of Alabama, for giving me this opportunity to be your public servant.
I have said all along, I now work for you, the citizens of Alabama.
I feel like I’ve spent the last 18 months interviewing for a job, and I’m proud and humbled to have gotten the job. Now that you, the people, have hired me, I am no longer the Republican candidate for governor. I am the governor of all of Alabama — Democrat, Republican and independent, young and old, black and white, rich and poor.
My job is to make all of our lives better together. And let me also say how I look forward to working with the new leadership of our House and Senate to accomplish that.
I am particularly honored to be inaugurated on a day celebrating the life of one of our country’s most influential leaders. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached about facing challenge and adversity not far from where we stand today.
Dr. King once said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
I believe these words continue to ring true. I know these are challenging times for many of our citizens. I’ve looked into the eyes of those who’ve lost jobs and can’t feed their families. I’ve talked to people who have lost their homes. What I am trying to say is that
I know times are tough. I’ve seen the challenges.
But as I’ve traveled all across Alabama, I’ve also been reminded of the strength and determination of our resilient people.
I want to take a moment to encourage you to do what I’ve done. Travel this state — take time to enjoy the beauty of Alabama. Visit the mountains of north Alabama, enjoy our clear lakes and streams, stroll the main streets of our small towns in rural Alabama, and spend some good, quality time on the beautiful, clean beaches of Gulf Shores.
I believe, if you do this, you will learn what many of us have known all our lives: We are fortunate to live in a remarkable state.
We have so much to celebrate in Alabama today, our past and our future.
I’ve always been an optimist. Maybe it’s my background as a physician, but I’ve always believed that, if I listened to my patients, diagnosed the problem and we worked together to determine a course of treatment, we could overcome their challenges. And after talking — and listening — to so many people across the state, I know that, working together, we will make things better for all Alabamians.
Now, that process has begun.
Because of the new ethics laws proposed and signed by Gov. Riley and passed with the guidance of these outstanding legislative leaders, we have started the process of implementing the toughest ethics package in the country.
It is an excellent start to what I know will be a great working relationship. Now we can focus on helping the people who elected us rather than arguing about the need to get our own house in order here in Montgomery.
The people of this state are counting on us to focus on them, not ourselves.
All across America, people are looking for leadership. If nothing else, the 2010 elections told us the people of America are fed up with business as usual. They’re tired of partisan politics and the federal government. They want action, not arguments. Americans are looking to their own state governments to provide leadership. And we’re going to do that in Alabama.
We live in a great country, and we will work with the federal government when we can, but they will not dictate our every move.
As elected representatives, we answer to you, the people of Alabama, not to politicians in Washington.
I will defend our right to govern ourselves under our own laws and to make our own decisions without federal interference.
But I will also always remember the words of the Declaration of Independence, signed by our brave forefathers on July 4, 1776: “That 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.
These unalienable rights cannot be surrendered, bought or sold because they come from our creator, not from the government. In Alabama, from this day forth, government will only be an instrument for protection of these rights.
As I have said time and time again, we will put Alabama back to work. One of the most important things government can do in our state is help create jobs in the private sector. There are many challenges that we must address as we move Alabama forward. But creating jobs is the key to addressing all of these challenges. When Alabama is at full employment, our citizens have money to spend, our tax revenues increase and our economy thrives.
A thriving economy can lead to better education for our children, and can open the doors to improved health care for the vulnerable among us.
Most importantly, when Alabama is at full employment, it will mean that, along with a job, we have restored hope and purpose to thousands of our fellow citizens.
To those Alabamians who have been out of work for months and are discouraged and losing hope: I want you to know I will work every day to create new jobs in the private sector. And so will everyone else in state government.
We must continue to create a business climate that makes our communities competitive when we’re recruiting new industry to the state. But we must also remember that most new job creation comes from existing businesses and we must offer the same tax breaks and incentives to them.
We must acknowledge that job creation is everybody’s business and that state government needs an attitude adjustment.
If you work in government in Alabama, job creation must be your focus. That is a directive from your chief executive.
I’m going to direct every state agency to do whatever it can to work with the private sector and create jobs.
We are going to have to be creative. Agencies that are not typically focused on job creation will certainly have to be now. Whether it is the Department of Transportation installing a turn lane so a Dollar General store can open on time or the Conservation Department helping to create and build a state-of-the-art convention center at Gulf Shores, our state’s mission from today forward is creating jobs for Alabamians.
You have heard me make this promise: I will not accept a paycheck until we reach a level of defined full employment. And now it is time that we — the men and women elected by you — remember this: We all work for the citizens of this state. We have 4.5 million bosses.
I challenge every elected official to join me in pledging to be a true public servant — a
servant leader — for the people of our state.
We must be more committed to creating jobs and doing what’s right for our citizens than keeping our own jobs in the next election cycle.
Jesus showed his disciples by example, that in order to be a great leader, you must first be a servant. And he demonstrated this, with the lowly act of washing the disciples’ feet.
As public officials, now is not the time to be self-serving. It’s not the time to remain silent, inactive or apathetic. Now is the time for us to come together, take on the challenges we face and make life better for the people of our state.
The challenges are great, but as Mordecai told Esther as she placed her life in jeopardy to save our Jewish brethren, how do we know that we have not been placed here today for a time such as this?
In these times of challenge, we must stand on the principles that unite us.
We all want a good job and to be able to take care of our families. We all want our state to be a great place to live and to work. Working together, we can accomplish these goals. Working together, we’re going to get through these tough times. We’re going to put Alabama back to work. And I truly believe Alabama’s best days are ahead
God bless you. God bless America. And God bless the great state of Alabama.
Drug Task Force Gets $130K Grant
January 18, 2011
The 21st Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force in Escambia County, Alabama, received a $130,285 grant Monday to continue their battle against illegal drugs and drug-related violent crime.
The grant was one of 17 multi-jurisdictional grants awarded by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs across the state.
The funds will help the task force to continue its work eliminating illegal drug use and distribution in Escambia County by arresting and prosecuting offenders.
The task force is a joint operation of the Atmore, Brewton, East Brewton and Flomaton police departments, the Escambia County District Attorney’s Office and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department. The agencies work together to disrupt drug organizations and their shipments, share intelligence relating to illegal drug activities and prosecute the users and dealers of illegal drugs. The task force also works to reduce the illegal distribution of prescription drugs.
Century Residents Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
January 17, 2011
The Century-Flomaton Improvement Association honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a motorcade in Century Monday morning followed by a program and celebration. NorthEscambia.com will have complete details, photos and video posted Tuesday morning. Pictured above: A Pilgrim Lodge Baptist Church choir performs. Pictured below: Area residents listen during a speech. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Four Homeless After Fire Destroys Byrneville Mobile Home (With Photo Gallery)
January 17, 2011
Fire destroyed a single wide mobile home Monday morning in Byrneville, leaving four people homeless and taking the life of family pet.
The fire, reported about 7 a.m. on Highway 168 near Raines Road, was believed to have started with an oven being used for heat.
All occupants of the home were able to escape without injury, but a family dog died in the blaze. The American Red Cross was called to assist the two adults and two children that lived in the mobile home.
The Century, Molino, McDavid and Walnut Hill stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Flomaton Fire Department responded to the fire.
For more photos from the scene, click here.
Pictured: Fire destroyed a Byrneville mobile home Monday morning, leaving four people homeless. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
2,200 Trees To Be Given Away For Arbor Day
January 17, 2011
Over 2,000 trees will be given away at two locations Friday as part of an Arbor Day Celebration.
The Honeysuckle Garden Club of Barrineau Park will hold a tree giveaway from 9 until 11 a.m. Friday at the Barrineau Park Community Center. Each person will be allowed to choose two free native bare-root trees, choosing from Southern crabapple, mayhaw, blackgum, Shumard oak, sawtooth oak, green ash and bald cypress.
A ceremonial tree planting demonstration will also take place at 11 a.m.
Honeysuckle Garden Club members, UF IFAS Escambia County Extension personnel, and Escambia County Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer questions about the trees and tree planting in general. For more information, contact Escambia County Extension at (850) 475-5230 or Jimmie Jarratt, environmental analyst and arborist, at (850) 595-3535.
The second event will begin with a tree care workshop at 11:00 a.m. at Lexington Terrace Park and Community Center, 90 South Old Corry Field Road. The seedling giveaway will be from noon until 2:00 p.m. The tree care workshop will be presented by Escambia County Extension and Trees Plus. Demonstrations will include the latest tree planting techniques, “Right Tree Right Place” selection, and pruning for structural improvement. An arborist will be available to demonstrate proper climbing and safety considerations while pruning.
Chance Of Rain Tonight, Tuesday
January 17, 2011
Here is your official North Escambia are forecast:
- Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers after midnight. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 67. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west.
- Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 43. North wind around 5 mph.
- Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 60. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 38. Calm wind.
- Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 65. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.
- Thursday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. North wind between 5 and 15 mph.
- Friday: A 40 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 55. North wind between 10 and 15 mph.
- Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 27. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 54.
- Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 28.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 58.
- Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 31.
- Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 58.
Century Council Reschedules Regular Meeting, Sets Workshop
January 17, 2011
Tonight’s regular meeting of the Century Town Council has been rescheduled, and the town has set a workshop.
Tonight’s council meeting has been rescheduled for Monday, January 24 at 7 p.m. due to today’s holiday.
The council will also hold a workshop to learn more about the Sunshine Law on Wednesday, January 19 at 2:30 p.m. at the Century Town Hall.
MLK: The Drum Major Instinct
January 17, 2011
Across North Escambia and our nation, Americans will celebrate and remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today.
King’s efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. There, he raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement and established himself as one of the greatest orators in U.S. history.
Another lesser known but powerful speech entitled “The Drum Major Instinct” was delivered by Dr. King on February 4, 1968, as sermon at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. In “The Drum Major Instinct,” King said everyone can be great because everyone can serve. King clearly understood the joy of service to others, and his words have never been truer or more important than they are today.
It was King’s last sermon at Ebenezer Baptist, and the audio was replayed at his funeral.
“The Drum Major Instinct” is reprinted below in its entirety.
This morning I would like to use as a subject from which to preach: “The Drum Major Instinct.” “The Drum Major Instinct.” And our text for the morning is taken from a very familiar passage in the tenth chapter as recorded by Saint Mark. Beginning with the thirty-fifth verse of that chapter, we read these words: “And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came unto him saying, ‘Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.’ And he said unto them, ‘What would ye that I should do for you?’ And they said unto him, ‘Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.’ But Jesus said unto them, ‘Ye know not what ye ask: Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’ And they said unto him, ‘We can.’ And Jesus said unto them, ‘Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of, and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: but to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.’” And then Jesus goes on toward the end of that passage to say, “But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your servant: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.”
The setting is clear. James and John are making a specific request of the master. They had dreamed, as most of the Hebrews dreamed, of a coming king of Israel who would set Jerusalem free and establish his kingdom on Mount Zion, and in righteousness rule the world. And they thought of Jesus as this kind of king. And they were thinking of that day when Jesus would reign supreme as this new king of Israel. And they were saying, “Now when you establish your kingdom, let one of us sit on the right hand and the other on the left hand of your throne.”
Now very quickly, we would automatically condemn James and John, and we would say they were selfish. Why would they make such a selfish request? But before we condemn them too quickly, let us look calmly and honestly at ourselves, and we will discover that we too have those same basic desires for recognition, for importance. That same desire for attention, that same desire to be first. Of course, the other disciples got mad with James and John, and you could understand why, but we must understand that we have some of the same James and John qualities. And there is deep down within all of us an instinct. It’s a kind of drum major instinct-a desire to be out front, a desire to lead the parade, a desire to be first. And it is something that runs the whole gamut of life.
And so before we condemn them, let us see that we all have the drum major instinct. We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade. Alfred Adler, the great psychoanalyst, contends that this is the dominant impulse. Sigmund Freud used to contend that sex was the dominant impulse, and Adler came with a new argument saying that this quest for recognition, this desire for attention, this desire for distinction is the basic impulse, the basic drive of human life, this drum major instinct.
And you know, we begin early to ask life to put us first. Our first cry as a baby was a bid for attention. And all through childhood the drum major impulse or instinct is a major obsession. Children ask life to grant them first place. They are a little bundle of ego. And they have innately the drum major impulse or the drum major instinct.
Now in adult life, we still have it, and we really never get by it. We like to do something good. And you know, we like to be praised for it. Now if you don’t believe that, you just go on living life, and you will discover very soon that you like to be praised. Everybody likes it, as a matter of fact. And somehow this warm glow we feel when we are praised or when our name is in print is something of the vitamin A to our ego. Nobody is unhappy when they are praised, even if they know they don’t deserve it and even if they don’t believe it. The only unhappy people about praise is when that praise is going too much toward somebody else. (That’s right) But everybody likes to be praised because of this real drum major instinct.
Now the presence of the drum major instinct is why so many people are “joiners.” You know, there are some people who just join everything. And it’s really a quest for attention and recognition and importance. And they get names that give them that impression. So you get your groups, and they become the “Grand Patron,” and the little fellow who is henpecked at home needs a chance to be the “Most Worthy of the Most Worthy” of something. It is the drum major impulse and longing that runs the gamut of human life. And so we see it everywhere, this quest for recognition. And we join things, overjoin really, that we think that we will find that recognition in.
Now the presence of this instinct explains why we are so often taken by advertisers. You know, those gentlemen of massive verbal persuasion. And they have a way of saying things to you that kind of gets you into buying. In order to be a man of distinction, you must drink this whiskey. In order to make your neighbors envious, you must drive this type of car. (Make it plain) In order to be lovely to love you must wear this kind of lipstick or this kind of perfume. And you know, before you know it, you’re just buying that stuff. (Yes) That’s the way the advertisers do it.
I got a letter the other day, and it was a new magazine coming out. And it opened up, “Dear Dr. King: As you know, you are on many mailing lists. And you are categorized as highly intelligent, progressive, a lover of the arts and the sciences, and I know you will want to read what I have to say.” Of course I did. After you said all of that and explained me so exactly, of course I wanted to read it. [laughter]
But very seriously, it goes through life; the drum major instinct is real. (Yes) And you know what else it causes to happen? It often causes us to live above our means. (Make it plain) It’s nothing but the drum major instinct. Do you ever see people buy cars that they can’t even begin to buy in terms of their income? (Amen) [laughter] You’ve seen people riding around in Cadillacs and Chryslers who don’t earn enough to have a good T-Model Ford. (Make it plain) But it feeds a repressed ego.
You know, economists tell us that your automobile should not cost more than half of your annual income. So if you make an income of five thousand dollars, your car shouldn’t cost more than about twenty-five hundred. That’s just good economics. And if it’s a family of two, and both members of the family make ten thousand dollars, they would have to make out with one car. That would be good economics, although it’s often inconvenient. But so often, haven’t you seen people making five thousand dollars a year and driving a car that costs six thousand? And they wonder why their ends never meet. [laughter] That’s a fact.
Now the economists also say that your house shouldn’t cost-if you’re buying a house, it shouldn’t cost more than twice your income. That’s based on the economy and how you would make ends meet. So, if you have an income of five thousand dollars, it’s kind of difficult in this society. But say it’s a family with an income of ten thousand dollars, the house shouldn’t cost much more than twenty thousand. Well, I’ve seen folk making ten thousand dollars, living in a forty- and fifty-thousand-dollar house. And you know they just barely make it. They get a check every month somewhere, and they owe all of that out before it comes in. Never have anything to put away for rainy days.
But now the problem is, it is the drum major instinct. And you know, you see people over and over again with the drum major instinct taking them over. And they just live their lives trying to outdo the Joneses. (Amen) They got to get this coat because this particular coat is a little better and a little better-looking than Mary’s coat. And I got to drive this car because it’s something about this car that makes my car a little better than my neighbor’s car. (Amen) I know a man who used to live in a thirty-five-thousand-dollar house. And other people started building thirty-five-thousand-dollar houses, so he built a seventy-five-thousand-dollar house. And then somebody else built a seventy-five-thousand-dollar house, and he built a hundred-thousand-dollar house. And I don’t know where he’s going to end up if he’s going to live his life trying to keep up with the Joneses.
There comes a time that the drum major instinct can become destructive. (Make it plain) And that’s where I want to move now. I want to move to the point of saying that if this instinct is not harnessed, it becomes a very dangerous, pernicious instinct. For instance, if it isn’t harnessed, it causes one’s personality to become distorted. I guess that’s the most damaging aspect of it: what it does to the personality. If it isn’t harnessed, you will end up day in and day out trying to deal with your ego problem by boasting. Have you ever heard people that-you know, and I’m sure you’ve met them-that really become sickening because they just sit up all the time talking about themselves. (Amen) And they just boast and boast and boast, and that’s the person who has not harnessed the drum major instinct.
And then it does other things to the personality. It causes you to lie about who you know sometimes. (Amen, Make it plain) There are some people who are influence peddlers. And in their attempt to deal with the drum major instinct, they have to try to identify with the so-called big-name people. (Yeah, Make it plain) And if you’re not careful, they will make you think they know somebody that they don’t really know. (Amen) They know them well, they sip tea with them, and they this-and-that. That happens to people.
And the other thing is that it causes one to engage ultimately in activities that are merely used to get attention. Criminologists tell us that some people are driven to crime because of this drum major instinct. They don’t feel that they are getting enough attention through the normal channels of social behavior, and so they turn to anti-social behavior in order to get attention, in order to feel important. (Yeah) And so they get that gun, and before they know it they robbed a bank in a quest for recognition, in a quest for importance.
And then the final great tragedy of the distorted personality is the fact that when one fails to harness this instinct, (Glory to God) he ends up trying to push others down in order to push himself up. (Amen) And whenever you do that, you engage in some of the most vicious activities. You will spread evil, vicious, lying gossip on people, because you are trying to pull them down in order to push yourself up. (Make it plain) And the great issue of life is to harness the drum major instinct.
Now the other problem is, when you don’t harness the drum major instinct-this uncontrolled aspect of it-is that it leads to snobbish exclusivism. It leads to snobbish exclusivism. (Make it plain) And you know, this is the danger of social clubs and fraternities-I’m in a fraternity; I’m in two or three-for sororities and all of these, I’m not talking against them. I’m saying it’s the danger. The danger is that they can become forces of classism and exclusivism where somehow you get a degree of satisfaction because you are in something exclusive. And that’s fulfilling something, you know-that I’m in this fraternity, and it’s the best fraternity in the world, and everybody can’t get in this fraternity. So it ends up, you know, a very exclusive kind of thing.
And you know, that can happen with the church; I know churches get in that bind sometimes. (Amen, Make it plain) I’ve been to churches, you know, and they say, “We have so many doctors, and so many school teachers, and so many lawyers, and so many businessmen in our church.” And that’s fine, because doctors need to go to church, and lawyers, and businessmen, teachers-they ought to be in church. But they say that-even the preacher sometimes will go all through that-they say that as if the other people don’t count. (Amen)
And the church is the one place where a doctor ought to forget that he’s a doctor. The church is the one place where a Ph.D. ought to forget that he’s a Ph.D. (Yes) The church is the one place that the school teacher ought to forget the degree she has behind her name. The church is the one place where the lawyer ought to forget that he’s a lawyer. And any church that violates the “whosoever will, let him come” doctrine is a dead, cold church, (Yes) and nothing but a little social club with a thin veneer of religiosity.
When the church is true to its nature, (Whoo) it says, “Whosoever will, let him come.” (Yes) And it does not supposed to satisfy the perverted uses of the drum major instinct. It’s the one place where everybody should be the same, standing before a common master and savior. (Yes, sir) And a recognition grows out of this-that all men are brothers because they are children (Yes) of a common father.
The drum major instinct can lead to exclusivism in one’s thinking and can lead one to feel that because he has some training, he’s a little better than that person who doesn’t have it. Or because he has some economic security, that he’s a little better than that person who doesn’t have it. And that’s the uncontrolled, perverted use of the drum major instinct.
Now the other thing is, that it leads to tragic-and we’ve seen it happen so often-tragic race prejudice. Many who have written about this problem-Lillian Smith used to say it beautifully in some of her books. And she would say it to the point of getting men and women to see the source of the problem. Do you know that a lot of the race problem grows out of the drum major instinct? A need that some people have to feel superior. A need that some people have to feel that they are first, and to feel that their white skin ordained them to be first. (Make it plain, today, ‘cause I’m against it, so help me God) And they have said over and over again in ways that we see with our own eyes. In fact, not too long ago, a man down in Mississippi said that God was a charter member of the White Citizens Council. And so God being the charter member means that everybody who’s in that has a kind of divinity, a kind of superiority. And think of what has happened in history as a result of this perverted use of the drum major instinct. It has led to the most tragic prejudice, the most tragic expressions of man’s inhumanity to man.
The other day I was saying, I always try to do a little converting when I’m in jail. And when we were in jail in Birmingham the other day, the white wardens and all enjoyed coming around the cell to talk about the race problem. And they were showing us where we were so wrong demonstrating. And they were showing us where segregation was so right. And they were showing us where intermarriage was so wrong. So I would get to preaching, and we would get to talking-calmly, because they wanted to talk about it. And then we got down one day to the point-that was the second or third day-to talk about where they lived, and how much they were earning. And when those brothers told me what they were earning, I said, “Now, you know what? You ought to be marching with us. [laughter] You’re just as poor as Negroes.” And I said, “You are put in the position of supporting your oppressor, because through prejudice and blindness, you fail to see that the same forces that oppress Negroes in American society oppress poor white people. (Yes) And all you are living on is the satisfaction of your skin being white, and the drum major instinct of thinking that you are somebody big because you are white. And you’re so poor you can’t send your children to school. You ought to be out here marching with every one of us every time we have a march.”
Now that’s a fact. That the poor white has been put into this position, where through blindness and prejudice, (Make it plain) he is forced to support his oppressors. And the only thing he has going for him is the false feeling that he’s superior because his skin is white-and can’t hardly eat and make his ends meet week in and week out. (Amen)
And not only does this thing go into the racial struggle, it goes into the struggle between nations. And I would submit to you this morning that what is wrong in the world today is that the nations of the world are engaged in a bitter, colossal contest for supremacy. And if something doesn’t happen to stop this trend, I’m sorely afraid that we won’t be here to talk about Jesus Christ and about God and about brotherhood too many more years. (Yeah) If somebody doesn’t bring an end to this suicidal thrust that we see in the world today, none of us are going to be around, because somebody’s going to make the mistake through our senseless blunderings of dropping a nuclear bomb somewhere. And then another one is going to drop. And don’t let anybody fool you, this can happen within a matter of seconds. (Amen) They have twenty-megaton bombs in Russia right now that can destroy a city as big as New York in three seconds, with everybody wiped away, and every building. And we can do the same thing to Russia and China.
But this is why we are drifting. And we are drifting there because nations are caught up with the drum major instinct. “I must be first.” “I must be supreme.” “Our nation must rule the world.” (Preach it) And I am sad to say that the nation in which we live is the supreme culprit. And I’m going to continue to say it to America, because I love this country too much to see the drift that it has taken.
God didn’t call America to do what she’s doing in the world now. (Preach it, preach it) God didn’t call America to engage in a senseless, unjust war as the war in Vietnam. And we are criminals in that war. We’ve committed more war crimes almost than any nation in the world, and I’m going to continue to say it. And we won’t stop it because of our pride and our arrogance as a nation.
But God has a way of even putting nations in their place. (Amen) The God that I worship has a way of saying, “Don’t play with me.” (Yes) He has a way of saying, as the God of the Old Testament used to say to the Hebrews, “Don’t play with me, Israel. Don’t play with me, Babylon. (Yes) Be still and know that I’m God. And if you don’t stop your reckless course, I’ll rise up and break the backbone of your power.” (Yes) And that can happen to America. (Yes) Every now and then I go back and read Gibbons’ Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. And when I come and look at America, I say to myself, the parallels are frightening. And we have perverted the drum major instinct.
But let me rush on to my conclusion, because I want you to see what Jesus was really saying. What was the answer that Jesus gave these men? It’s very interesting. One would have thought that Jesus would have condemned them. One would have thought that Jesus would have said, “You are out of your place. You are selfish. Why would you raise such a question?”
But that isn’t what Jesus did; he did something altogether different. He said in substance, “Oh, I see, you want to be first. You want to be great. You want to be important. You want to be significant. Well, you ought to be. If you’re going to be my disciple, you must be.” But he reordered priorities. And he said, “Yes, don’t give up this instinct. It’s a good instinct if you use it right. (Yes) It’s a good instinct if you don’t distort it and pervert it. Don’t give it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be first in love. (Amen) I want you to be first in moral excellence. I want you to be first in generosity. That is what I want you to do.”
And he transformed the situation by giving a new definition of greatness. And you know how he said it? He said, “Now brethren, I can’t give you greatness. And really, I can’t make you first.” This is what Jesus said to James and John. “You must earn it. True greatness comes not by favoritism, but by fitness. And the right hand and the left are not mine to give, they belong to those who are prepared.” (Amen)
And so Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be important-wonderful. If you want to be recognized-wonderful. If you want to be great-wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. (Amen) That’s a new definition of greatness.
And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, (Everybody) because everybody can serve. (Amen) You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. (All right) You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. (Amen) You only need a heart full of grace, (Yes, sir, Amen) a soul generated by love. (Yes) And you can be that servant.
I know a man-and I just want to talk about him a minute, and maybe you will discover who I’m talking about as I go down the way (Yeah) because he was a great one. And he just went about serving. He was born in an obscure village, (Yes, sir) the child of a poor peasant woman. And then he grew up in still another obscure village, where he worked as a carpenter until he was thirty years old. (Amen) Then for three years, he just got on his feet, and he was an itinerant preacher. And he went about doing some things. He didn’t have much. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. (Yes) He never owned a house. He never went to college. He never visited a big city. He never went two hundred miles from where he was born. He did none of the usual things that the world would associate with greatness. He had no credentials but himself.
He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him. They called him a rabble-rouser. They called him a troublemaker. They said he was an agitator. (Glory to God) He practiced civil disobedience; he broke injunctions. And so he was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. And the irony of it all is that his friends turned him over to them. (Amen) One of his closest friends denied him. Another of his friends turned him over to his enemies. And while he was dying, the people who killed him gambled for his clothing, the only possession that he had in the world. (Lord help him) When he was dead he was buried in a borrowed tomb, through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today he stands as the most influential figure that ever entered human history. All of the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned put together (Yes) have not affected the life of man on this earth (Amen) as much as that one solitary life. His name may be a familiar one. (Jesus) But today I can hear them talking about him. Every now and then somebody says, “He’s King of Kings.” (Yes) And again I can hear somebody saying, “He’s Lord of Lords.” Somewhere else I can hear somebody saying, “In Christ there is no East nor West.” (Yes) And then they go on and talk about, “In Him there’s no North and South, but one great Fellowship of Love throughout the whole wide world.” He didn’t have anything. (Amen) He just went around serving and doing good.
This morning, you can be on his right hand and his left hand if you serve. (Amen) It’s the only way in.
Every now and then I guess we all think realistically (Yes, sir) about that day when we will be victimized with what is life’s final common denominator-that something that we call death. We all think about it. And every now and then I think about my own death and I think about my own funeral. And I don’t think of it in a morbid sense. And every now and then I ask myself, “What is it that I would want said?” And I leave the word to you this morning.
If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. (Yes) And every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize-that isn’t important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards-that’s not important. Tell them not to mention where I went to school. (Yes)
I’d like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others. (Yes)
I’d like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody.
I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question. (Amen)
I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. (Yes)
And I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. (Yes)
I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison. (Lord)
I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity. (Yes)
Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. (Amen) Say that I was a drum major for peace. (Yes) I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. (Yes) I won’t have any money to leave behind. I won’t have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. (Amen) And that’s all I want to say.
If I can help somebody as I pass along,
If I can cheer somebody with a word or song,
If I can show somebody he’s traveling wrong,
Then my living will not be in vain.
If I can do my duty as a Christian ought,
If I can bring salvation to a world once wrought,
If I can spread the message as the master taught,
Then my living will not be in vain.
Yes, Jesus, I want to be on your right or your left side, (Yes) not for any selfish reason. I want to be on your right or your left side, not in terms of some political kingdom or ambition. But I just want to be there in love and in justice and in truth and in commitment to others, so that we can make of this old world a new world.