office. it is up to you to have the courage to stand up for our values and keep the doors of opportunity open to all. from our history, from the bill of rights to the brown versus the broad of education, to individual, political economic rights have been central to the strength of our democratic ideals. my charge to you is to build on that tradition and make that legacy your own. to know that you have the confidence leaving here -- leaving here to have the confidence that legal education from this great and respected university and the morals to pursue the work of justice. as thurgood marshal declared sometimes history takes things into its own hands. today and in the future, the law school graduates class of 2013 of the university of baltimore

must take history into your hands. en you do, your fellow americans and people across the country will look to each of you long ook to my father a time ago and my brother sooner than this. when you do, you will ensure that the constitution remains the cornerstone of the american dream. we can keep the doors of opportunity -- i keep saying it over and over -- open to every american. congratulations to all the graduates of the class of 2013. [applause] i'm honored to be a member of your class. as you go forward remember that you have a friend and a classmate in the capital of the united states. may god bless you. may god bless america. thank you for the opportunity.

[applause] >> st. john's university in queens, new york recognized republican congressman peter king for his work in congress in the aftermath of hurricane sandy. new york honored him an honorary law degree on may 19, despite a student protest of him being a commencement speaker. herself his 10 minute address. [applause] his 10 minute address. >> it is my honor to introduce ur honorary speaker peter king of new york. thank you very much.

let me first of all, congratulate today's graduates. i wish you continued success. based upon the outstanding education you have received at st. john's the lasting friendships you have formed the enriching experiences you have shared and the life lessons you have learned at this great university. we also commend and thank the father for his many years of dedicated service and for all of the accomplished in leading st. john's university to ever higher academic heights. it is an honor for me to be your speaker and to receive the honorary degree. as someone who grew up in new york city, queens, this moment is particularly meaningful to me. i'm well aware that some of you

are more enthusiastic than others. that is what separates our country and our society from so much of the rest of the world. americans welcome the clash of ideas. they are not afraid to listen to opinions and ideas other than our own. we encourage free speech and do not attempt to silence those ith who we might disagree. leading university such as st. john demand academic freedom and refuse to be intimidated by political correctness. st. john's has the commitment to service and welcomes all students as the integral part as the st. john's family, no matter ethical religion, backgrounds. st. john's is rooted in the

principle of the st. paul who dedicated his life to serve the poor, the needy, the sick and the victims of tragedy and disaster. needed ee sets of are today. we live in a world that is increasingly seduced by wealth, status, and worldly possessions. this is however, not the world of st. john's. that is why so many of you have donated during your years here at st. john's to voluntary in nursing homes, soup kitchens and what you did during hurricane sandy. thankfully, it was these kind of valley use that the great people of new york and new jersey demonstrated when we stood together as one after we were ravaged by superstorm sandy last

fall. sandy was the worst natural disaster to hit our region in 75 years. in new york alone, it was almost $33 billion in overall damage. more than 300,000 damaged homes, more than two million residents were without power, that is larger population of 15 states and over $300,000 in damage to hospitals and health facilities. this can go and an own. hrough the suffering and anguish, lesser people would have given up or worse, turned against one another or looked out for only themselves. that was not the spirit of new york or new jersey. not only did we refuse to give in but communities came together. police officer, firefighters,

e.m.t.'s, voluntary associates displayed uncommon bravery and concern. political and government leaders in new york and new jersey worked across party lines and state boundaries for the greater good. as you follow politics today, you know that is not the norm in our country. this unity proves to be essential. for the first time in recent history, congress was refusing to approve the natural disaster aid that was so desperately eed. the storm that hit louisiana and mississippi congress gave them more than $65 billion. after two months after sandy, new jersey and new york has received almost nothing. instead of trying to blame it on

another party we fought as hard as we could. the governors from the two states and all our senators and members of our congressional delegations knew our obligation was the suffering people we represented and who so desperately needed help. governor christie and i in particular, have taken on the leadership of our own party. this was a small price to pay compared to our constituents whose homes were destroyed, who were without power, in many cases lost everything. this was a tough, difficult fight. we finally prevailed and congress appropriated the money and recovery is under way and we'll come back stronger than ever. by making sandy, the suffering and the aftermath the theme of your commencement today.

you have demonstrated your commitment to the ideal which is what st. john's university is about. today, you're entering into a world con fronted with many critical challenges, severe economic instability, north korean rockets and the constant threat of terror attack, which is what we saw in boston last month. i'm confident as you go forward from st. john's you will successfully and courageously confront and outcome those challenges, doing what is right, whether or not it is happens to be popular. the knowledge you have received and the ideals you have acquired and accept as your own, will guide your life as you make a lasting difference. i wish you well. thank you very much. >> i begin with integrity

because it is so essential to who and what you will become. any of you have a career path in mind, many of you have no idea where you will and up. a few of you may be surprised by a where life takes you. i certainly was. and in the end it is not only what we do but how we do it. start by tweeting this. give me a second. i am a professional. when i wake up this morning and started writing my speech i was thinking about -- [laughter] infirst month on campus september when i was a freshman and the football team went into the season number one in the nation. there was all this, i remember when i would die here, there was all this excitement on campus. our first game was at wisconsin and we