[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 49 (Wednesday, April 17, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H3556-H3557]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO OUR FALLEN FRIEND, RON BROWN
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from New York [Mr. Rangel] is recognized for 5 minutes.
[[Page H3557]]
Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, later on this evening, the gentleman from
New Jersey, Don Payne, and other Members of Congress will continue to
pay tribute to my fallen buddy, Ron Brown, but I just want to share
some views as I saw Ron and 33 other coffins arrive in Dover, these
flag-draped coffins covering the bodies of people that were in the
business of selling the United States of America, and then heard the
tributes that were paid to all of them, as well as attending at
Arlington cemetery.
As the bands were playing and the flags were unfurled and the cannons
were blasting, I could only think what a great country we live in and
how many things we just take for granted; that here a young American
who comes from one of the poorest communities can, in such a short
period of time, capture the love and gain the respect of not only the
President of the United States but so many Americans from seashore to
seashore, and, at the same time, to know that in so many foreign
countries, some not as friendly as we wish that they would be, that
they lowered their flags at half mast for this great American, Ron
Brown.
I think that when we start thinking about loving America, we have to
think about what kind of person could love his country so much that he
would try to climb mountains that other people would not even attempt,
not only to show how great America was and what products we wanted to
sell, and not how superior we were, but to actually talk with trade
ministers and prime ministers and presidents in terms of the needs of
their country. The poverty, the disease, the sickness, the hunger, the
unemployment, the joblessness, and to be able to say to that country
that America was there as a friend that wanted to help.
This was a part of the world that we never spent that much time in.
This was the part of the world that we had to develop markets in. This
was the part of the world that we had to increase their ability to have
disposable income so that as we had once done in Europe under the
Marshall plan, that we could regain the leadership that we have
possessed since World War II. And how they loved him, because it was
not just selling America, it was the interest he had in them.
I saw at the funeral Ambassadors that had flown in from Mexico,
India, South Africa. They spoke, they talked, they loved, they cared.
And I said what a wonderful country it is that we have in the United
States of America, people that come from every country in the world.
{time} 1730
Unlike other countries where you just look at the country and you can
feel just the narrow culture interest that they have, there is no
country in the world that we cannot reach and show that Americans come
from all over. To see what investing in the education of a Ron Brown,
or Ron Gonzalez, or Ron Lee, or the women that have been denied the
opportunity to show, to be given the opportunity to show that they are
Americans, this is a great country, and go abroad and find out that
they are making friends for us, as well as creating trade.
Mr. Speaker, I have received notices, as well as telephone calls,
from Senator Dole and from Haley Barbor, who is the chair of the
Republican Party, to say to me, as they have said to others, this issue
is too big to look at party labels. It is too big to look at the color
of American skins. It is American to be able to say that we can make
our country a greater place, create more jobs if only we cared enough
to train our people for these type of opportunities and to share our
talents with so many other countries in the world.
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