In Memoriam Tom Lantos

I read with sadness this morning of the death of Tom Lantos, US Congressman from San Mateo (CA), from cancer of the esophagus. TIME described Lantos this morning as "a congressman who never tired of the fight for human rights around the globe."

Lantos was the Chairman of Congress's Committee on Foreign Affairs, was a founder of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, and was a member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. In his 27 years in Congress, Lantos established a reputation for speaking his mind and standing firmly for what he believed in.

The San Francisco Chronicle characterized Lantos this way: "In the nearly 60 years Tom Lantos spent in the United States, he never lost his Hungarian accent, his love for animals or his stubborn belief that political leaders have a duty to speak out against tyranny or oppression, wherever it occurs."

Many people will miss Rep. Lantos. Though I had never met him and have not lived in his district, I will miss his being a voice for California. I hope that his ideals - particularly that people have a duty to speak out against what they see as wrong, and to speak up for what they do believe in - will live on and that more of our politicians and citizens will live by those standards.