West Virginia Sen Robert Byrd dead at 92
The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.
JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
-
U.N. Security Council blames Syrian gov't for Houla killings
( 4 )
-
U.S. drones kill 5 militants in Pakistan
( 9 )
-
NATO has fight on its hands in Afghanistan - Panetta
( 6 )
-
Iran may rethink 20% enrichment: spokesman
( 0 )
-
Egypt's uprising activists weigh Brotherhood vote
( 0 )
-
- English Instructor (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe)
- Berlitz Japan, Inc. (ベルリッツ・ジャパン株式会社), Kansai
- Salary: ¥125,000 ~ ¥250,000 / Month
-
- ALT - Mie Prefecture - Yokkaichi City - June start
- NPO法人グローバル教育推進機構（GLAD), Mie
- Salary: ¥230,000 / Month For a full working month. Some months differ.
-
- Business Teaching Positions - Part-time - Kanto Region
- Interac, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥3,000 ~ ¥5,000 / Hour
Order by Time Order by Popularity
73 Comments
Login to comment
0
jruaustralia
Ted Kennedy said of Sen. Byrd: “His passion for preserving the institution (of the US Senate) and its prerogatives” was Byrd's legacy...
RIP
0
Taka313
RIP Senator Byrd. You served with distinction.
Taka
0
MistWizard
As a once and former West Virginian with may similarities to Byrd, I will miss him. I wish I had learned more about him when I was a kid in school there.
One of the things I respect most about him is being able to realize his errors and really change. Some people will never let go of his past though. But something you have to remember is that he, like me, grew up in West Virginia of all places. Its full of wrong-headed people and while cleansing your mind of some of the nonsense is a rewarding process, its not easy. Maybe that will clue some of you in as to why I don't entertain what I perceive as false notions. And yes, I grew up with very racist people, but thankfully, I saw how ridiculous it was from the start. The anti-communist attitudes are equally ridiculous.
Rest in peace Senator Byrd and thank you for opposing the Iraq invasion. You were my voice in the Senate on that subject and history has proven us correct.
0
Sarge
"Unlike other prominent Senate Democrats who voted to authorize the war in Iraq, Byrd stood firm in opposition"
So Byrd supported keeping Saddam Hussein in power.
0
yabits
Byrd supported the U.S. Constitution in its crystal clear assignment of Congress, not the president, as the part of government given the responsibility for declaring war. Of course, he was faced with a renegade executive branch that thought torture was OK and whose VP thought he was a fourth branch of government all by himself.
0
YuriOtani
This man was a clear RACIST! He was a member of the Klan for Pete's sake. He will not be missed, just hope he made his peace before he died.
0
yabits
When regarding Senator Byrd's past involvement with the KKK -- an association which he later repudiated and expressed regret for, it is well to remember how popular the organization was back in the first three decades of the 20th century. A simple Google search will provide photos of massive hooded marches in our nation's capital, as well as screenings of the movie that glorified the Klan -- Birth of a Nation -- in the White House.
The voters of West Virginia were apparently able to forgive or overlook Byrd's racist past -- returning him to office again and again while, at the same time voting solidly for Republican candidates for president.
0
TheQuestion
Well of course, his last name is Byrd, he's probably the first name on the ballet and the republicans haven't been able to dig up a candidate with a last name starting with A.
Not for those who have suffered it.
0
borscht
So Byrd probably wanted proof that Hussein had anything to do with the 9/11 acts or that he had WMDs or that he financed bin Laden in anyway; none of which have been forthcoming even years after the invasion.
0
borscht
Editors,
I believe you are missing a word just after the the. Starts with a 'V.'
0
Madverts
sarge,
"So Byrd supported keeping Saddam Hussein in power."
Only for the poor soles still living in the mentally challenged "with us or against us" nonesense.
And a "costly mis-adventure it has been".
RIP
0
Alphaape
yabits, what does that mean? Byrd was a Democrat. He was part of the filibuster to delay the passage of the Civil Rights Act (not thd first one after the Civil War but the one in the 60's. So what does voting solidly for a Republican candidate for presdident mean. Not all Republicans are racist, just like not all Democrats love minorities. I come from the south, and the state was a solid Democratic state, with the party making sure that my black grandparents paid their poll taxes, and making sure that the schools were kept segregated.
The south did not start becoming Republican until after the 68 election when many Dems. did not recognize their party after the convention and thought that it was going in the wrong directioni. That is how Nixon was able to use the "Law & Order" motiff to win the south over.
Byrd was a member of the Klan and if he says he had repent and you buy it, then don't you think you should at least be fair enough to say that not all Republicans hate minorities. After all, the first Blacks elected to Congress were from the Republican party, and the first black elected to the Senate in the 20th (1967-1979)century was Edward Brooke, from Massachusetts even.
0
Taka313
Some posters are incapable of showing even a hint of class when one of their elected officials die. People like that should grow up.
Taka
0
yabits
It would be more appropriate to say that Byrd was a conservative. Most of the southern Democrats were extremely conservative in their attitudes and politics.
This is totally wrong and betrays a gross ignorance of history. The south started breaking away from the Democratic Party right after President Truman ordered the integration of the armed forces, and cases against school segregation started making their way through the court systems. It was liberalism that racist southern whites started to rebel against.
Not all Republicans look down on those who are different. The more that a Republican is liberal in their outlook, the less likely they are to be racist. (Which describes less than 10% of current Republicans.) I seriously doubt that Senator Brooke would feel welcomed in today's Republican Party. (Brooke was elected in Massachusetts because the state is generally liberal in its politics and outlook.)
0
amerijap
His legacy can be contrasted with Ted Kennedy. His name will be remembered in many ways including his connection with KKK, even though he was repentant and made everything he could to break with the past. I wonder how the media portray him in comparison with the late Jesse Helms—a notorious Rep. Senator from South Carolina.
0
MistWizard
And you supported getting our young men needlessly killed, destroying the reputation of America, lying to the country and the world, and making the national debt skyrocket. Its a stupid game Sarge, but if you really want to play it...
0
MistWizard
He made his peace before you were even born! Most white people were racist in the 50s and were not complaining about segregation. At least Byrd had the guts to admit he was wrong. Most oldies will lie to you about they felt and act like were marching with MLK! Byrd will be missed, just like he was elected to the Senate over and over.
0
LFRAgain
Sarge,
You couldn't possibly be this simple minded.
0
Alphaape
yabits, I guess you didn't get the memo that Mass. just elected Brown to fill in the vacant seat when Kennedy died. I guess they must really be liberal in their outlook and politics to put this guy in, or your argument that Rep. are closet racist is probably false.
Yes, the Dixiecrats did start to break away from the Dems when Trumena started to desegregate the Armed Forces, but it was stalwart Dems like Byrd, Fabus, Wallace, Bull Conner and others who kept the Democratic party going in the South. The only way Nixon won was by gaining the southern vote and you can see that he got that from many of the Dems who left the party due to it's leftist leanings.
Ike was elected in 1952, and I don't think it was in response to Truman's desegregation policy. After all, it was Ike who called out the 82nd Airborne to escort 9 Black students to desegregate a high school in my hometown.
Byrd may have had racist views, and that is his perogative. What I think we can learn from this is that some people will just not like you because of the color of yourskin or national origin. No need to go about "white washing" it just because he died.
0
goodDonkey
R.I.P. to the Dean of the Senate.
0
yabits
It is unfortunate that you can put two and two together and never come up with four.
The "Democratic Party" that you claim was "kept going" in the South bore little resemblance to the mainstream Democratic Party in the rest of the nation and, increasingly, the mainstream party disavowed them. What they actually "kept going" was their own regional political system. Meanwhile, unrepentant racists like Strom Thurmond were welcomed into the newly evolving GOP. Nixon pretty much sealed the deal.
By "leftist leanings," is meant "pro-integration" among other things. Unrepentant racist whites couldn't tolerate that so, like David Duke, they looked for a new home -- and found one in the Republican Party.
Byrd repented and so remained welcome among mainstream Democrats. The "white washing" you refer to is called "forgiveness." Byrd was far more than his distant racist past.
0
Alphaape
yabits, I guess you didn't read about Rev. Martin Luther King's comments on the little "demonstration" that he encountered when he started to shift his movement from the south to places like Chicago where he faced just as intense hatred and violence like he did in the south. The same Chicago that was under the thumb of Mayor Dailey.
Funny how when it seems that it was in Byrd's far distant past on his racist leanings, but when someone like Lott tried to pay homage to Strom Thurman and his past gets removed from his seat.
Bottom line, I wonder who will fill in his seat. I guess the Senate is lucky since the Gov. of WV is a Dem and I am sure he can fill the seat by appointment until an election is held.
0
WhiteHawk
article:
Thus making West Virginia dependent on the federal government and Senator Byrd. Now they'll have to come up with a plan "B".
Things that "liberals" (Leftists) are quick to forgive, while simultaneously continuing to chastise Trett Lott over a single comment made in honor of Strom Thurman (a comment that they had to apply their own content to in order to make it sound eeeeviiiiilll, just as they recently did to Rand Paul's comment about states rights).
Also... "briefly"? Didn't he rise to Grand Kleagle or Grand Cyclops or something like that? Well, I suppose his time in the KKK could be considered "brief" relative to the length of his life.
MistWizard:
I strongly suspect the purple-fingered Iraqis disagree with you.
yabits:
Funny how "liberals" (Leftists) had no use for Byrd until he opposed Iraq. Suddenly, the old racist was forgiven of his past and was no longer ridiculed for rambling diatribes on the senate floor.
For your argument to have any basis in reality, the Republican Party would have offered something to those "racist southern whites". What was it, exactly? Re-segregation of the armed forces? Re-segregation of schools? Legalized lynchings of blacks? No, Alphaape was right. It was the Left turn the Democrat Party took in 1968. It was, as I call it, the "Haight-Ashubry takeover". The "conservative" southerners left the Democrat party because it was over-run with hippies/socialists/communists. Remember George McGovern?
But hey, I've only been a southerner all my life and lived through all this stuff. You can go read about it on Wikipedia and claim to be an expert, right?
Now we know your opinion of Republicans. Yeah, I know, you've already made up your mind, there's no need to confuse you with facts. Interesting that with comment, you've proven yourself to be a bigger bigot than 99% of all the Republicans I've ever met (tens of thousands of people at least).
amerijap:
Yeah, I don't remember hearing about Byrd telling KKK or race jokes, while Kennedy is remembered for telling Chappaquiddick jokes. But most of Byrd's "repentance" was paid for with other peoples' money (taxes).
yabits:
So did a lot of southern blacks. Like Martin Luther King Jr. And Condoleeza Rice's father.
So where's your forgiveness of Trent Lott? Or are you too busy writing libel about 90% of Republicans?
Yes, Billion$ and billion$ more.
0
RomeoRamenII
As an Army retiree and combat veteran, I am a bit irked that Byrd will be buried with full military honors. While true, he was a welder in the ship yards during WWII, and it was a "critical" war occupation; still, he never served in uniform. In fact, while American men and women of Byrd's generation were signing up to go overseas to fight during WWII, he chose instead to join the Klan.
0
Alphaape
Whitehawk, Good Post!
0
Sarge
LFRAgain at 8:18AM June 29 - "Sarge, You couldn't possibly be ths simple-minded"
Heck, all I did was point out the fact that Senator Byrd, by voting against authorizing the war in Iraq, supported keeping Saddam Hussein in power, which was the alternative to the liberation. That doesn't make me simple-minded. Try again.
0
Madverts
"Heck, all I did was point out the fact that Senator Byrd, by voting against authorizing the war in Iraq, supported keeping Saddam Hussein in power"
And several posters have pointed out that this is a childish perception of the senators position.
0
Taka313
Other posters also said he should grow up. Obviously that fell on deaf ears.
Taka
0
Madverts
What about the Iraqi's with purple limbs, rather than fingers, whitehawk? Or all those American boys?
Senator Byrd was right to oppose the conflict based on utter lies.
0
yabits
Byrd reflected on his distant past with genuine shame and remorse. Lott, by contrast, refered to it as the "good old days."
0
Sarge
"seveal posters have pointed out that this is a childish perception of the senator's perception"
"Other posters also said he should grow up"
It is not a childish position, it is a fact that certain posters cannot admit to.
"Senator Byrd was right to oppose the conflict ( the liberation of Iraq )"
Following that logic, now Secretary of State Clinton was wrong. But, in fact, she was right on that vote, as were many other Democrats.
0
yabits
The Republican Party offered the "southern strategy," whiched promised retrenchment via support for "states rights," i.e. weak federal enforcement of civil rights and voting laws, and opposition to measures designed to achieve greater integration.
You mean the honored WWII bomber pilot who hails from the hippie/socialist stonghold of South Dakota? If there's one thing the Republicans are good at, it's character assassination.
0
Sarge
I should have said, following that logic, now Secretary of State Clinton was wrong, as were many other Democrats, to vote to authorize the liberation of Iraq. But, in fact they were right, and Senator Byrd and President Obama, who would have voted against the authorization if he had been a U.S. Senator at the time, but was still just an Illinois state senator, were wrong.
0
sailwind
I'll pass that on to Sarah Palin.
Senator Byrd represented everything I can't stand about politics in general and was the epitome of Liberal politics at its absolute worse. The man lavished more pork on his state than any other pol could have hope to dream of over his career and which has resulted in West Virginia still being one of the poorest states in the Union (so much for Big Gov as the answer)but that lesson never seems to sink in. The man was nothing more than a political opportunist and a spendaholic with the taxpayer dollar.
On the other hand he was a master at it. For his ability to master Washington's insider ways, keep himself getting elected while changing his political stripes as the times changed and staying one step of an West Virginia electorate by basically buying them off with all the pork he brought home........He will be remembered as the consumate Pol from a by-gone era. For that he has my respect but not my admiration. I shed no tear for the way he practiced his politics and the failed policies he espoused.
Rest in Peace Senator and condolences to your family.
0
Madverts
"I'll pass that on to Sarah Palin."
sarah palin did fine on her own without anyone helping her thank-you sailwind.
0
sailwind
She assassinated her own character? Dang talk about a neat trick.
0
yabits
Yes, more Republican "logic" at work here: A state will be richer when denied billions and billions of dollars.
Look aside from the fact that West Virginia was a poor backwater long before Senator Byrd took office -- decades of business-run, laissez-faire economics having had no affect -- being a state with no navigable rivers or a decent road system, the kind of infrastructure needed to take goods to market.
As for the woman VP candidate, some of the effective assassins' hits have come from mainstream conservatives and Republicans.
I rest my case.
0
Madverts
"She assassinated her own character? Dang talk about a neat trick."
I wouldn't call it neat. But yeah, she only has herself to blame.
Moderator: Back on topic please.
0
Alphaape
So by that logic yabits, I should be happy that the Senator from Nebraska held out on the health care bill to make sure that his state residents are not hit by the Medicare cuts. So I, from another state am paying for Nebraska's senators deal.
With a comment like that, you must be one of those east or west coast liberals I have heard about. So with Byrd giving so much to a "backwater" as you call it, why is it still that way. I guess the many buildings and roads he had sent their didn't pay off. Oh well, it was not his money anyway, only my tax dollars.
0
Taka313
Some of you people need some Jeezus. Seriously! A man died and we have posts whining about how sarah palin is portrayed in the media. Another poster, even after being told he's acting childish, has to push the issue, on a thread about a public servant's death. Why can't you things just pay your respects? Is it too much for you? Is that level of decency that much of a stretch?
WOW! Stay classy guys.
Taka
0
WhiteHawk
yabits:
Wow, that's some interesting "nuance". Again, merely your interpretation, which has no support in reality.
The fact that McGovern campaigned from Left-of-center on issues (such as guaranteed handouts) is not character assassination. Nor does it have anything to do with whether he served in WWII.
It's interesting (and telling) how you use the "everybody was doing it at the time" defense for Byrd's involvement with the KKK, but point to McGovern's service in WWII as though it was a rare thing.
Madverts:
"Anyone"... except Katie Couric and the CBS team of editors, and Tiny Fey and the SNL writers, DailyKos and their "birthers", and partisan Leftist hacks willing to believe anything derogatory about Republicans.
yabits:
...and it didn't work. All Byrd did was enable the state of West Virginia to become dependent on federal tax dollars to prop it up, instead of doing what so many other states (like my own Tennessee) have done to attract business, such as offering tax incentives. But West Virginia hasn't needed to do that, because they've had Byrd's pork to rely on. Since Byrd's replacement probably won't be on the Appropriations Committee, it looks as though West Virginia's federal support will end. They'll have to actually compete for business with other states without Byrd's help, and they're late to the starting gate for the reasons I mentioned earlier.
Perhaps the old saying should be changed to "The road to West Virgina is paved with good intentions."
0
yabits
Byrd's state isn't anywhere near as bad off as it would be had he not directed so many dollars to it. While 30% or more of the counties in the state are now considered economically competitive, and a number of others assessed to be in a transitional condition to greater competitiveness, those considered part of deep Appalachia are still in distress. The wealth from the rich coal deposits certainly have not been fairly distributed or returned for development.
That's right, let the poor folks in W.V. remain that way. Thank goodness for people like Senator Byrd to counter that completely self-centered attitude.
0
Madverts
whitehawk,
I notice you chose to wilfully ignore the "What about the Iraqi's with purple limbs, rather than fingers, whitehawk? Or all those American boys?"
Right or left at least you Americans had Senator Byrd to dissent the Iraq madness you're still lying about, even to yourselves.
0
Madverts
" Why can't you things just pay your respects? Is it too much for you? Is that level of decency that much of a stretch?"
Is this a rhetorical question?
0
yabits
Point One: Byrd's involvement in the Klan was typical of millions upon millions of mainstream white men of the time. The defense of Byrd comes in his unequivocal condemnation of his former association. Contrast that with the unrepentant white supremacists who the Republicans welcomed into their fold.
Byrd never fathered an out-of-wedlock baby with an African-American woman as you-know-who did, but the character-assassinating Republicans in South Carolina accused John McCain of exactly that.
Point Two: A devout Methodist who served honorably in one of the most dangerous assignments in WWII is not congruous with the tag of "hippie/socialist/communist." But it comes from the same Republican types of character assassins.
0
WhiteHawk
yabits:
Only a Leftist would consider someone wanting to keep what they've earned "selfish", and someone wanting to keep what someone else has earned as noble.
MadVerts:
Because I had made my point. I know people (like you) disagree with me. I was simply pointing out that there are people who disagree with you, such as the purple-fingered Iraqis. A point you've yet to substantively counter, I noticed.
Those purple-fingered Iraqis disagree with you and Byrd. But hey, they only lived in Iraq under Saddam Hussein, so what do they know?
0
Taka313
WhiteHawk,
You make a very bold assumption when you say "purple-fingered Iraqis" are all happier with saddam gone. How broad is the brush you paint with (other than 'real')?
Taka
0
yabits
The constitution that Senator Robert Byrd so loved provided for taxation so that government could promote the "general welfare" of the people as one of its basic functions. Liberals support projects like rural electrification, while conservatives would rather large portions of our nation were left in the dark.
And yes, it truly is noble for the nation to provide rural folks with stuff like electricity and telephone service which the rural folks could never afford to do themselves. (And Byrd in this regard certainly was noble.)
There's another word for it: American. It's a shame that Byrd's detractors are so ignoble and un-American.
0
Taka313
Add classless. The man wasn't even cold before these things started picking at the carcass.
Taka
0
Sarge
It's a shame that people can't criticize Byrd without being accused of being ignoble, un-American, classless and childish.
0
yabits
The greater shame is how the manner and level of criticism directed towards the late senator justifies those labels.
0
sfjp330
You give respect to people who earn it. Just because he spent alot of time there doesn’t mean he did a good job or did it with any class, nor did he do alot for the American people. He certainly got a lot of roads and buildings named after himself. My goodness, just the idea of judging someone based on race is creepy, and that was a large part of his early life. That’s too big to overlook, whether he “apologized” for it or not. Not just an attendee, but a leader of his local KKK chapter. It would be hypocritical to suddenly shower him with respect simply because his time on Earth is done. I’ll pray for his soul and his family, but lets not get carried away with the “honorable” stuff.
0
Taka313
It's a bigger shame that those are your best qualities.
Taka
0
Alphaape
yabits,
Point One: Byrd's involvement in the Klan was typical of millions upon millions of mainstream white men of the time. The defense of Byrd comes in his unequivocal condemnation of his former association. Contrast that with the unrepentant white supremacists who the Republicans welcomed into their fold.
Byrd never fathered an out-of-wedlock baby with an African-American woman as you-know-who did, but the character-assassinating Republicans in South Carolina accused John McCain of exactly that.
So by logic you are presenting, JFK who was around that time was probably a member of the KKK as well as FDR and all the rest. By the way, the reason why I used men from the North was because the rebirth of the KKK in the 20th century started up in Indiana, a northern state but by your logic men such as LBJ, and all the other southern gentlemen in government were KKK'ers.
As far as the issue of out of wedlock birth, we don't know if that is the case, just like we didn't know the same thing about Strom Thurman until he was dead. And for the record, when he made the baby, he was a strong Democrat in SC at the time, and he didn't shift to the Republican party much later. So, once again using your logic, we should expect the same to come out about Byrd.
Bottom line, I hope that WV had a procedure in place to help them cope with the loss of the "gravy train" that they had in Byrd.
0
yabits
Judging people based on race was a very large part of the early life of the United States, and continues right to this day. The country has moved on, as Byrd certainly did from his racist past.
The obvious is that some people are not big enough to aknowledge that and move on themselves.
0
yabits
The illogic of claiming that just because millions of whites were in the Klan that all white were is simply that. (I presented no such claim, even though something compels you to wrongly think that I did.) Nevertheless, the Klan was not the fringe organization it is today, not by any means. Of the many millions of whites who were directly in it, there were many millions more who sympathized with its purpose and aims.
Regarding Thurmond, unlike Byrd, he never recanted his racist, segregationist past. And he was welcomed into the Republican Party with open arms despite that -- even praised as recently as just a few years ago by a Republican senate majority leader who claimed the US would have been better off if the racist segregationist had been leading the country.
0
Sarge
I'll give Byrd credit or one thing - he was one of three Democrats who voted against the confirmation of that tax-cheat Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner.
0
Sarge
credit for one thing...
0
WhiteHawk
taka313:
Certainly not any broader than the brush I've seen you use on here quite a few times. And miniscule compared to yabits' "90% of Republicans are racist" brush. A comment he has yet to admit is wrong, much less retract and apologize for.
yabits:
Promote the general welfare, not provide it. A "nuance" commonly missed by Leftists.
Byrd didn't spend 50+ years and tens or hundreds of billions of dollars propping up West Virginia just to get electricty and phone service (say, isn't phone service in the private sector?) to the rural areas. His role went well beyond that.
sfjp330:
Actually, the Left didn't shower him with respect until he opposed Iraq. Prior to that, Byrd was routinely criticized and ridiculed by blog pundits and forum commentators for being "senile, racist", etc. But once he voiced his opposition to removing Saddam Hussein from power and bringing truly free elections to Iraq, he became a darling of the Left.
yabits:
Oh, you're slipping! ;) You admitted that the Republican Party welcomed Thurmond in despite his racist, segregationist past, not because of it. Maybe there's hope for you yet.
Byrd, by contrast, was a Democrat the entire time.
Sarge:
Maybe he was trying to make up for past mistakes... ;)
0
sfjp330
yabits at 10:25 AM JST - 30th June. The obvious is that some people are not big enough to aknowledge that and move on themselves.
What a joke. You really don't know nothing. If you are big enough ask the old black people in the south if they moved on. If they said yes, then I will agree with you. Byrd was a not a follower but a cruel racist leader of his local KKK chapter.
0
sfjp330
Senator Robert Byrd was masterful in fighting AGAINST CIVIL RIGHTS. I'm amazed how easily the black community has been fooled all these years into thinking democrats love and care for the black community when they actually hate their presence. Sucks for blacks. Although Senator Byrd was a master of Senate rules he was a true hater of blacks with or without his KKK sheet. I'm sure his coffin lining will be lined in white with pointed corners. The senate has been cleansed of the KKK in spirit but not in truth.
0
yabits
A point of clarification: Thurmond carefully chose the Republican Party because of his unrepentant views; the Republican Party accepted him despite those views.
There was no problem with Byrd remaining a Democrat, and that's precisely the contrast I was trying to draw with Thurmond. The Democratic Party did, in fact, become the party that offered little refuge to those who would not disavow their past racism.
0
yabits
Yes, once upon a time, Senator Byrd also thought the black community was incapable of determining what was best for it.
0
sfjp330
When the Truman administration tried to segregate the army in 1945, Byrd wrote an angry letter to “Mississippi’s segregationist senator Theodore Bilbo, wherein he expressed anger over the Truman administration’s efforts to integrate the U.S. military.” He wrote: “I shall never fight in the armed forces with a Negro by my side … Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds.”
0
amerijap
That's exactly the problem (or I would say "chronic disease") that people in most democratic countries(the US, UK, Japan, etc) have in common today.
0
goodDonkey
Typical nescient comment for a hatemonger to make. People like sfjp330 don't realize what full integration actually means. Unlike his world of us and them, there is simply us.
Mirror image: "when they actually hate their presence"
Sen. Byrd had no problem with blacks and I saw both dated and recent comments by him showing true remorse for his past. The vitriol displayed by WhiteHawk, sfjp330 and others just goes to show what a great and influential man Sen. Byrd actually was. They feel the need to tear him down. Byrd enjoyed a perfect 100 percent rating from the NAACP. He proposed $10 million to fund a Martin Luther King National Memorial in Washington, DC. sfjp330's disparaging comment about the Democrats with relation to blacks is actually saying blacks are too dumb to notice the difference between sincerity and using them for political gain. I don't have to ask the blacks as sfjp330 suggests. I have constant communications with black friends who would expose such comments as outright racebaiting lies.
0
sfjp330
goodDonkey at 06:47 AM JST - 2nd Jul. Byrd enjoyed a perfect 100 percent rating from the NAACP.
The way Sen. Byrd's racist comments were treated is typical of our current civil rights leadership. Groups like the NAACP have become nothing more than liberal mouthpieces. They seem beholden to liberal interests and, in this case, will simply issue a statement to make it look like they're doing something. They must hold the Democrats to the same standards they've held Republicans lest it become apparent that they've sold their souls and credibility to the liberal cause.
0
yabits
OK, what Democratic leader in the past 4 decades has openly stated that the country would have been better off earlier on if an arch-segregationist had been elected as president? What remarks by any Democrats since the 1960s are worthy of censure by "current civil rights leadership?"
Like many conservatives, you seem to want things both ways: to hold the black community and civil rights leaders in contempt while expecting them to lend their support to the very same people who hold them in contempt. (And then claim that African-Americans aren't smart enough to know who is really holding them in contempt.) More perverse is the concept that seeking the betterment and justice for the downtrodden in society is actually "hating their presence."
It's pretty easy to see that Senator Byrd was a decent man at heart to reject that kind of thinking many decades ago -- the kind of attitude all too prevalent among modern conservatives.
0
sfjp330
yabits at 08:16 AM JST - 2nd July. What remarks by any Democrats since the 1960s are worthy of censure by "current civil rights leadership?"
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the "Southern Bloc" of 18 southern Democratic Senators and one Republican Senator led by Democrat Richard Russell of Geogia launched a filibuster to prevent its passage. Said Russell: "We will resist to the bitter end any measure or any movement which would have a tendency to bring about social equality and intermingling and amalgamation of the races in our (Southern) states."
The most fervent opposition to the bill came from Sen. Thurmond, then Democrat from South Carolina. He said: "This so-called Civil Rights Proposals, which the President has sent to Capitol Hill for enactment into law, are unconstitutional, unnecessary unwise and extend beyond the realm of reason. This is the worst civil-rights package ever presented to the Congress and is reminiscent of the reconstruction proposals and actions of the radical Republican Congress."
0
yabits
Again the contrast with Senator Byrd: So...modern civil rights leaders are supposed to admire and support the Republicans for welcoming an unrepentant segregationist into their wings? While at the same time distance themselves from Democrats who shed their racists like Thurmond in the mid-60s? (That's how far you have to go back -- roughly half a century.)
Most of the southern states, in which the attitude of white supremacy (and contempt for the African-American community) is more prevalent even today, are pretty much all solidly Republican.
0
sfjp330
yabits at 11:35 AM JST - 2nd July. Again the contrast with Senator Byrd: So...modern civil rights leaders are supposed to admire and support the Republicans for welcoming an unrepentant segregationist into their wings? While at the same time distance themselves from Democrats who shed their racists like Thurmond in the mid-60s?
Mr. Thurmond was an embarrassment. Nevertheless, there is a vast difference between a former segregationist and a former Klansman like Byrd. Practically every single Southerner alive during the 40's and 50's was a segregationist, until they learned better. That's not a proud heritage, granted, but it's a damn sight different from membership in a lawless vigilante group that routinely lynched blacks for the crime of being black. If you truly can't see the difference there, then I'm afraid your beyond help.
Back to top