Charles E. Schumer: “I think we have no moral choice here. To me this is not an issue over free speech. Free speech, unfortunately, allows…”

“I think we have no moral choice here. To me this is not an issue over free speech. Free speech, unfortunately, allows people like Mr. Muhammad to say what he wants. Free speech should impel us to say that it is wrong. But I would like to explain to many of my colleagues here who wonder, in all good faith, what is the fuss, why is it that we take someone who obviously has very poisonous views, views contrary to what every one of us have, whatever our race, our religion, our creed or color, wherever we come from, why do we take this time because it does, unfortunately, bring more attention to these hateful remarks? The answer is, at least for me and many of the people from my community rooted in history, the answer is that once in the past we ignored hateful language because it came from a nut. A man in Germany in 1923 tried a coup to overthrow the German Government, and basically the rest of the world ignored it. He was a nut. He has no power. And in 1925 when he wrote Mein Kampf with words eerily reminiscent of the words uttered by Mr. Muhammad, he was a nut; he should not be paid attention to. And in 1928 when the power of his party grew, and in 1932 when Hindenburg, the leader of the German establishment, handed over the keys to the government to this man, he as a nut, and he should be ignored.”