David Levy: “one of the problems with free speech is that from time to time it is abused. Such was the case when Kahlid Abdul…”

“one of the problems with free speech is that from time to time it is abused. Such was the case when Kahlid Abdul Muhammad took to the podium in Kean, NJ, in November. I am not going to reiterate what has been said. He has been quoted here enough. Suffice it to say his speech was racist. It promoted hate. Many of us would have preferred that Kahlid Abdul Muhammad would never have opened his mouth that day, but he did. What is the remedy for speech that is offensive, as has been coming too often from the leadership of the nation of Islam? The answer, I think, is more speech, speech from good, decent, and thinking people who are revulsed by what has been said; people, I think, like the vast majority of the people that we all represent. On their behalf we have to speak out today. We must label the Muhammad speech for what it is. And what it is, is racist hate mongering. There should be nothing controversial about what we are doing here today. In fact, in the other body a vote on a similar resolution was 97 in favor and none against. Censorship has no place in our law, but racism has no place in our culture. We cannot quiet the racists among us, but we can drown them out. Let us help the gentleman from California [Mr. Lantos] do that today by passing his resolution.”