Recently, there was an editorial about a controversial speaker at Hamilton College. It stated that if David Duke were invited to speak at Hamiliton college that it would be “rightly opposed.” I wrote a response. Here is a copy of my original letter to The Sun.
Dear Editor,
I read the editorial saying that if David Duke were invited to speak at
Hamilton College it would rightly be opposed.
I am David Duke and My question is why so? Why are people who usually are passionate about free speech for their own point of view are suddenly for censorship when it involves an idea or person they oppose?
Isn’t academic freedom and the idea of freedom the idea that any point of view can be presented, debated or heard? I am in the one usually accused of prejudice, but isn’t prejudice about prejudging an idea or individual before hearing it or him for yourself?
I admit I get a bad press. But the only way thinking people should oppose me is by first reading what I myself say rather than what people say about me. A lot of people who go to my web site, davidduke.com are pretty surprised by what they read, and others decide they are against me more than ever, and hey, that’s their right.
All points of view should be discussed, heard and debated. Real bigotry is like the pupil of the eye, it shrinks the more light you shed on it. If a person is really unintelligent or wrongheaded such will be exposed all the more by “exposure,” but if he makes some sense, then people might have their mind expanded a little.
When I was a student at LSU, I sat on the Student Speaker’s Committee and I voted for all kinds of people I opposed ideologically to come speak at my university along with those I supported. Those who are suppressing freedom of speech at Hamilton should be interested to know that they are certainly
more bigoted than the man they love to hate: David Duke.
Former Representative David Duke
www.davidduke.com
This can be an effective way to reach many people. If you encounter any editorials in your local newspapers that are directly dealing with issues I take a stand on, let us know at davidduke.com and a letter from me might well have the clout to get published and give people another contact source for our work.
