Speech #940057097

I must say that I sense some hypocrisy in the notion that somehow we can feel mbre stronglymore stronglyfor displaced foreign nationals. in this case the South Vietnamese who now find themselves in this country. than we can feel for Americans who are in this country who are in exactly the equivalent circumstances in terms of economic need and in terms of the bleakness of their own prospects. I would say to the Members I know there are some districts in this country that have been harder hit than others by the economic situation in which we find ourselves. I have a district with a 21 percent unemployment rate. but I honestly believe that even with that many folks in my district out of work. they are prepared to do what is necessary to help the South Vietnamese refugees if at the same time we are prepared to make exactly the same help available to Americans who have equivalent needs and requirements. What they do not want is a double standard. and if we are going to open a window up to provide this help. which I think we should and which I think we have to. if an American goes up and stands in that line to receive the same help and the same assistance. and if he be asked to step out of the line because he does not qualify because he is not a South Vietnamese or he is not a Cambodian. that is not humanitarian and that is not humanitarian interest. in my judgment. and I think it is hypocrisy. I must say in the course of 10 years of history of the war in Vietnam I saw very little humanity coming out of the White House in terms of what was happening to the civilians in Southeast Asia.