Political Quotes

“Madam President, 100 years ago this week, a legend was born. One hundred years ago, the champions of religious freedom refused to back down in the face of intolerance and hate. One hundred years ago today, the University of Notre Dame earned the moniker the ``Fighting Irish.'' On May 17, 1924, thousands of members of the Indiana chapter of the Ku Klux Klan gathered in South Bend, IN, for a rally, a rally called by their infamous leader D.C. Stephenson. The target that day for their despicable and misguided message of ``true Americanism'' was the Catholic institution of the University of Notre Dame, the young men who attended the university, and the Holy Cross priests who taught at it. In the years that immediately preceded that fateful day, the KKK had watched with despair as Coach Knute Rockne and his football ``Ramblers'' had barnstormed across the country, winning praise for their fighting spirit and the university. We can't forget that at the time, Catholics were a major target for the KKK in the Midwest, and Notre Dame's success on and off the field was an affront--an affront--to the Klan's false message of superiority. So the KKK gathered outside the Golden Dome for what was to be a 3- day rally, complete with parades and speeches and dances and no small amount of overtly violent intimidation. You see, they weren't used to anyone standing up to them. They weren't expecting anyone to stand up to them.…”