Robert Byrd's Klan History, and the 150 Recruits He Brought With Him

It is not possible to fully understand a particular time in history unless you were there. It is easy to comment on the past when one has the benefit of 20-20 hindsight. Same thing as a monday morning quarterback.

The life and times of Rober Byrd were enabled by the media which served him. A conservative never would have gotten away with what he did. Byrd will really be remembered fondly by the citizens of West Virginia for which Byrd brought home the Pork year after year. So much so sometime they had to invent ways to spend it. Again the news media enabled him so much and so often for him to waste money in mega amounts without any oversight. Glad to see the media lavish praise in spite of the truth.

President Harry Truman became president because he had the vision and courage of his convictions to rise above his times, condition and upbringing to take up a courageous stand vis a vis segregation. Byrd stayed a provincial mandarin exactly because he had not the vision to rise above his.

He was a good politician who served his constituency. He was not a leader who made a difference. Neither to his constituency nor to his nation.

God Bless Our Great Senator Robert C Byrd We all Love and will Miss Such a Great Statesman and Defender of our Constitution

Lets try to understand something. Sometimes people change. But a very old saying is true, a leopard never changes its spots. Maybe, just maybe, some of these people did it for the power they could acheive at the time, but felt different inside. Who knows? What I do know is that just yesterday, I watched several Repubican leaders drag Thurgood Marshall name into the mud to attack a Supreme Court appointee. Sessions, Kyl and a at least 4 others literally called Justice Marshall unAmerican because he believe that every person from this country should be treated fairly and equally. It was a display that would have played nicely in 1950 but now??? Racism is alive and well, just hidden below the surface. Obama has brought it up being the first black President. The true colors of the loyal right is showing its ugly head and its up to us to stop them. They fly under the tea party banner, WE WANT OUR COUNTRY BACK. Well, the preamble to the constiution says WE THE PEOPLE, NOT WE THE WHITE PEOPLE.

Senator Byrd was an admired man and someone that I myself could say was trustworthy. He was someone that I myself experienced his true worth as my Senator. I had some problems with an ex-spouse in the military. A new baby and a husband serving in Korea with no intention of sending an allotment check to help me with his son. Living with my parents and no money I had heard that if I contacted my Senator that he would check into it. I called Senator Byrds office in D.C. about my situation. The first time I actually talked to him. He advise me to write to him the situation and he would see what he could do to resolve this issue. About 2 weeks later Senator Byrds secretary called to let me know that the Senator had contacted the base Commander in Seoul, Korea and that I should be receiving a resolution to my problem. I did receive a letter from the base commander about 2 weeks later stating that I could look forward to an allotment check from my husband within the next week. The base Commander signed it Lt.Col. Colin Powell. Now I am thankful to two wonderful icons. Senator Byrd for his consistancey in getting this problem solved quickly and to then Lt.Col. Colin Powell for his caring act and working with Senator Byrd so quickly and efficently. Senator Byrd's shoes will be very hard to fill. There will never be another like him ever. A lot of politicians now only care about the money and themselves. I truly believe that Senator Byrd was more for the people. He actually did what he was put in office to do. To be there when need by his the people that elected him. How many Senators or Congressmen can say the same. Not many. To a Great Man: "Senator Robert Bryd, you will be sadly missed but always be remembered as the Senator with a Compassionate Heart for West Virginia and for the people that live there."

There are several frightening thoughts about Senator Robert Byrd's history. First, It is difficult to understand how so many American Citizens voted for this man and for how long. Second, is his admission that becoming a member of the klan was a mistake because of the damage to his life, career, and reputation. That statement seems to me more like a reproach without the smallest regret or understanding of the damage that opened or invisible bigotry causes. Third, and most feared, How many other bigots now and in the future, will remain silent and not make their hate decissions visible. When you consider the large amounts of funds, people, and hate training that this people can collect, organize, and provide in secret, invisible to the average American not realizing that these people can be their neighbors, elected officials, law enforcement officers, or doctors. It is more than likely that the majority of these hate driven people now act in silence and invisible. There are so many ways that these people can act without being detected, for even an insignificant hater can be driven to the voting booth with instructions on whom to vote for, but the more authority, pull, popularity, or financial strenght they have, the more active and dangerous they become. May he rest in peace.

This is just another case of the hypocrisy of the Democrats. When Strom Thurmond died, people were castigated for saying good things about him because of his segregationist past. Somehow Byrd, not just a segregationist but a KLANSMAN, got a pass. I guess revering a man for who he IS rather than who he WAS is only permitted for Democrats. Phooey.

As a thoughtful person who was raised and came of age in a segregated society, I have noted many black and liberal commentators who, for all their sophistication, are actually clueless about what it meant to be born into a time and place where segregation was the norm. People are a product of their culture and that culture's beliefs.

Just like regional accents, people incorporate the beliefs of their society into their worldview. Many of the beliefs of Muslims, Christians, and Hindus are downright loony.....but only when held up to the scrutiny applied by non-believers. There is little doubt in my mind that columnists such as Ms. Curtis, would quite probably have been good little Nazis, communists, segregationists, Hezbollah supporters.....or whatever their conditions of birth may have predisposed them to be. She was born a black American, probably in a post-segregation era. So naturally, her worldview is skewed by that fact. I'd bet that she has her own prejudices. Republicans are racists, affirmative action will be needed for the next 25,000 years, Obama's critics must be motivated by racism, and so on......blah, blah, blah.

I voted for Jesse Helms every time he ran, but not because of racism. I favor low taxes, an all powerful military, a ruthlessly aggressive foreign policy, and essentially zero expenditures for social programs. Who the hell SHOULD I have voted for? Harvey Gantt? Once the civil rights of American blacks had been addressed by the legislation of the 60's, I considered that unfortunate oversight in American freedom.....fixed. To people such as Mary Curtis, it is NEVER fixed. And everything must be seen through the prism of race.....always and forever.

It is trendy today to denigrate the accomplishments of Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, et al. Why? Because they were slaveowners! Horrors!!! The point that people such as Ms. Curtis should consider carefully is that slavery was, for thousands of years considered a normal part of the human condition. You cannot apply a Twenty-First Century perspective to judge people in different times and places. Jesus was a citizen of the Roman Empire during a time in which one third of the Empire's people were slaves. Yet he never uttered so much as a peep of condemnation.....because it was the everyday norm. Most people of European and Asian ancestry have slaves among their ancestors. We have gotten over it.

I totally agree with the comments from Panhermes. I am appalled that Sen.Byrd has been praised to such a degree. This is a man who wrote letters refusing to sit next to or be a part of anything that had to do with a negro. He was a racist in every sense of the word and a disgusting one at that. I, too am a white senior citizen, and I remember only too well the injustices this man created for the negro. I feel utter shame to know that this man was one of our senators. Stop praising men like Byrd. He doesn't deserve these accolades. His regrets were for his own greed and nothing more. Why, we Americans, foist praise on the wrong people will forever baffle me!! I love being an American, but I am very sad as to the direction our country is now taking. Our leaderships are failing us in every direction. How Congress cannot revive the unemployment benefits at this time is nothing short of irresponsible. How, can we allow our citizens to suffer through this economic crisis which has reached an all time low and is expected to get worse. The administration would have you believe that the economy is improving, but you can always make the figures suit your goal. The president needs to put pressure and act agressively to see that this bill is revived and passed.