Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, it pains me to rise in opposition to the valedictory measure of the gentleman from Hawaii, but there's no blinking at the fact that this bill strikes at the very foundation of a Nation that's dedicated to the concept of equality under law. It establishes a different set of laws, a different set of rights, and a different government for one group of Americans based solely upon their race. Two American families living next door to each other would be afforded two different sets of rights enforced by two separate sovereignties all based entirely upon accident of birth. Ever since Brown v. Board of Education buried the 'separate but equal' doctrine of Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court has consistently ruled that such an arrangement is fundamentally incompatible with the American Constitution. Ten years ago in the case of Rice v. Cayetano, the Supreme Court, in a 7-2 decision, struck down identical race-based voting qualifications for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.”