Political Quotes

“I have asked the sponsors of this resolution if there is any precedent in this Congress for condemning an American for statements he has made. Neither Mr. Lantos nor Mr. Hyde can recall such a condemnation ever having been made in the history of this House. Make no mistake, the statement of this extremist was reprehensible. His bigotry extended not only to Jewish-Americans but also to Catholic-Americans such as myself. His words truly represent outrageous hate-mongering of the most vicious and violent nature. As an American, I condemn the statement of Khalid Abdul Muhammad. However, I recognize his right to speak these awful words under the protection of the Constitution which I have sworn to uphold--even when the exercise of one's constitutional rights offends me deeply. If the job of Congress is to condemn irresponsible speeches in America, then we have taken on a monumental task. We cannot stop with this speech in New Jersey nor with the rally recently organized by the Ku Klux Klan in my hometown of Springfield. To be consistent, we must monitor all speeches for these excesses. This resolution, which sets a precedent for Government action against such outrageous speech, is a mistake. Let us spend our time attacking the causes of all bigotry in America and not attacking words of hatred, however painful they may be.”