Letters to the Editor

New York Sun Staff Editorial
March 23, 2006
URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/29696

'David Duke Claims Vindication'

Given the controversy over the Kennedy School paper on "The Lobby," I thought you might want your readers to know what the late Senator Hubert Humphrey, a Democrat of Minnesota, had to say about "ethnic lobbies" ["David Duke Claims to be Vindicated by a Harvard Dean," Eli Lake, Page 1, March 20, 2006].

Here are excerpts of his address to an America Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference dinner on May 3, 1976, when I was AIPAC's executive director. His words ring true today:

"Columnists, editorial writers have warned us about ethnic lobbies. We've heard careless, and I think, reckless things being said about the powerful Jewish lobby. As if somehow or another, it was against the law in this country to speak up for what you believe in.

"In fact, I not only approve of what you are doing ... because there is work to be done in this city, and make no mistake about it.

"It is good for the basic democratic process that people who have convictions about what American public policy should be take time to get their fellow Americans and their public officials to understand what they believe and to urge their support. That's what we mean by free speech in this country.

"I say it will be a sad day for this country when its citizens stop using the precious guarantees in the first amendment to petition their government.

"So I say there is nothing new about lobbying on behalf of causes in foreign places. It's as American as a hot dog or apple pie, spaghetti, gefilte fish, or Polish sausage.

"And we have every right to urge the Congress and the president to pursue policies that we deem to be correct. We are never assured that those policies will be followed. We may not win. We may not be able to gain the majority, but we surely have that right to state our case."

MORRIS J. AMITAY
Fairfax, Va.