View Full Version : Senator Byrd Dead
Business_Casual
06-28-10, 06:11
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_obit_byrd
Robert Byrd, longest sitting Senator, enemy of freedom, former KKK member and inveterate raider of the Federal Treasury has shuffled off this mortal coil.
B_C
ThirdWatcher
06-28-10, 06:35
I wonder if he tried that "twaddling" nonsense in front of the Great White Throne. :confused:
John_Wayne777
06-28-10, 06:48
He'll be elevated to a minor deity by lunch...possibly on par with J.C. within a week.
William B.
06-28-10, 06:52
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_obit_byrd
Robert Byrd, longest sitting Senator, enemy of freedom, former KKK member and inveterate raider of the Federal Treasury...
B_C
But they just said on the radio that he was a poet and the conscience of the Senate. :eek:
variablebinary
06-28-10, 07:01
He was in the KKK. That is the nicest thing I have to say about him...
John_Wayne777
06-28-10, 07:05
But they just said on the radio that he was a poet and the conscience of the Senate. :eek:
If someone referred to me as the "conscience of the senate" I'd be almost insulted enough to demand satisfaction on the field of honor.
But they just said on the radio that he was a poet and the conscience of the Senate. :eek:
Looking at most of the members of the Senate, I'd say that sounds about right.
thopkins22
06-28-10, 07:40
I disagreed with almost every single decision he ever made, but the West Virginian in me will mourn him.
He was what he was, but he was not the worst Washington has to offer. I don't want to see a bash-fest here. The man is dead.
I disagreed with almost every single decision he ever made, but the West Virginian in me will mourn him.
He was what he was, but he was not the worst Washington has to offer. I don't want to see a bash-fest here. The man is dead.
If you loathe or despise someone while they are alive, why mourn their death?
I disagreed with almost every single decision he ever made, but the West Virginian in me will mourn him.
He was what he was, but he was not the worst Washington has to offer. I don't want to see a bash-fest here. The man is dead.
Can't always get what you want...for better or worse. Some criticism is warranted; death does not (or should not) rewrite the history of anyone's life.
Not sure if anyone has seen the Adam Sandler movie "Little Nickey" But I have a feeling Satan is having Sen. Byrd pick out the largest Pineapple on display. :D
Well wishes for his family in their time of grief.
Can't say I'll miss him though.
GermanSynergy
06-28-10, 08:48
Amazing that as a Democrat he got away with being a member of the KKK. If a Republican had been within a 10 mile radius of a Klan rally the media would never shut up about it.
Condolences to his family.
He was in the KKK. That is the nicest thing I have to say about him...
Well to be honest, he was a founding member.....:eek:
But they just said on the radio that he was a poet and the conscience of the Senate. :eek:
I thought Teddy was the conscience of the Senate?
GermanSynergy
06-28-10, 11:15
Well to be honest, he was a founding member.....:eek:
Not to stir the proverbial pot, but how many people (that the KKK hates) automatically voted for him because he had a (D) next to his name? How is that for irony?
PrivateCitizen
06-28-10, 11:20
If you loathe or despise someone while they are alive, why mourn their death?
Because good men do not revere death, they just sometimes see it as necessary.
The mourning is more likely the consideration to that of the family.
The current governor of W. Virginia is a Dem so I don’t see any change in the senate now but maybe in November.
MarshallDodge
06-28-10, 11:59
Well wishes for his family in their time of grief.
Can't say I'll miss him though.
What he said.
Thanks for destroying my country Robert, you gun banning, negro hating, money wasting plutocrat.
One of the authors of the 1968 GCA, along with Chris Dodd's father, correct?
Don't forget he also led a democrat fillibuster of the 1964 Civil Rights act. Amazes me that people consider the Democraps the party of civil rights.
I was disgusted to see the flag at half staff in front of the post office for a former member of the KKK. There is no explaning away membership in the KKK.
Nathan_Bell
06-28-10, 19:51
I was disgusted to see the flag at half staff in front of the post office for a former member of the KKK. There is no explaning away membership in the KKK.
It's funny, the Left will excuse that as he "was of a different age" when anyone brings that up. A white Republican uses a term that someone can spin into a racist seeming slur and his career is over. Much of a double standard?
ThirdWatcher
06-28-10, 20:04
... Amazes me that people consider the Democraps the party of civil rights.
+1, especially since Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president.
It's funny, the Left will excuse that as he "was of a different age" when anyone brings that up. A white Republican uses a term that someone can spin into a racist seeming slur and his career is over. Much of a double standard?
Watch the NBC evening news? Just wondering, because that's pretty much what they said. That "he was of a different age".
CarlosDJackal
06-28-10, 22:15
But they just said on the radio that he was a poet and the conscience of the Senate. :eek:
That really isn't saying much!! :p
Condolences to his loved ones.
Three Down
Kennedy, Murtha, Byrd
Bye Bye Byrdie!
I hope he roasts in the eternal fires.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_TYvlC8IxUPM/S78gFsiNQUI/AAAAAAAAFK8/Xa7_SH7_k44/s400/kkk-byrd.jpg
Magic_Salad0892
06-29-10, 03:04
I thought this guy was from Illinois.
I was wrong I guess.
Condolences to his loved ones.
I don't like the guy though.
Although contrary to most members here: I generally have a soft spot for the Kennedy family. My family isn't Democrat but we've always liked them.
Always hated the gun banning though. (Mom, Sister, and I. My crazy grandma can't get enough of it.)
Nathan_Bell
06-29-10, 06:57
Watch the NBC evening news? Just wondering, because that's pretty much what they said. That "he was of a different age".
All of the MSM have been using that phrase for years to deflect comments about his blatantly racist past.
He was a perfect fit with the D party of today. They are still carrying the 'white man's burden' now it is just the assumption that non-white males are going to fail if in competition against the white male, and so there must be protections against this happening.
Just got this line off of another forum.
"So, SCOTUS rules a black man can have a gun, Robert Byrd keels over dead.Coincidence?
I shouldn't be too hard on ex-Sen Byrd. He now has a white sheet over his head again, and no one can complain."
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. - Senator Byrd
Amazing...
I can't believe this guy continued to get elected.
http://saynsumthn.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/kkk-byrd.jpg
+1, especially since Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president.
Better yet, every one forgets it was President Eisenhower who sent federal troops to enforce integration and protect the nine students at Little Rock.
I can't tell you how many idiots I've met who actually think that was Johnson.
I thought this guy was from Illinois.
I was wrong I guess.
Condolences to his loved ones.
I don't like the guy though.
Although contrary to most members here: I generally have a soft spot for the Kennedy family. My family isn't Democrat but we've always liked them.
Always hated the gun banning though. (Mom, Sister, and I. My crazy grandma can't get enough of it.)
If your family is in favor of banning guns, they don't respect John Kennedy much.
NRA Lifetime member, gun owner and very pro second amendment.
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/9986/jfkzk5.jpg
http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/5707/jfklttr0561lrgqr6.jpg
The guy always reminded me of Senator/Emperor Palpatine from the Star Wars movies. Creepy resemblance. :rolleyes:
RogerinTPA
06-29-10, 16:58
BFD....Good Riddance (Yawn).
Magic_Salad0892
06-30-10, 07:15
No, big fans of JFK. My grandma hated him though.
And that was a big reason why.
My mom's always been scared of guns. Due to admittedly being incompetent with them. Sister owns guns. I own guns. All support pro-gun laws.
My grandma is insane.
arizonaranchman
07-05-10, 19:20
Amazing that as a Democrat he got away with being a member of the KKK. If a Republican had been within a 10 mile radius of a Klan rally the media would never shut up about it.
Condolences to his family.
Exactly. The hypocrisy of the liberals/communists is beyond description. They should all be arrested for treason as they've all bastar*#zed the nation into a mess that no enemy could ever hope to achieve.
The day he was hurried they mentioned he was in the KKK for Ten Years from 24-34!
The day he was hurried they mentioned he was in the KKK for Ten Years from 24-34!
BS. He was still in the KKK during the 1940s.
In the early 1940s, Byrd recruited 150 of his friends and associates to create a new chapter of the Ku Klux Klan.
In 1944, Byrd wrote to segregationist Mississippi Senator Theodore Bilbo:
“ 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. ”
— Robert C. Byrd, in a letter to Sen. Theodore Bilbo (D-MS), 1944,
In 1946 or 1947 Byrd wrote a letter to a Grand Wizard stating, "The Klan is needed today as never before, and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia and in every state in the nation.".
However, when running for the United States House of Representatives in 1952, he announced "After about a year, I became disinterested, quit paying my dues, and dropped my membership in the organization.
But that doesn't keep the libtards from whitewashing events.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/02/robert-byrd-kkk-says-late_n_633701.html
Robert Byrd: KKK Says Late Senator 'Wasn't A Klansman Long Enough To Get His Sheet Broke In'
"He wasn't a Klansman long enough to get his sheet broke in," said Travis Pierce, national membership director for the Ku Klux Klan, LLC, one of several groups that uses the KKK name. "It's much ado about nothing."
Nope, not long at all. Long enough to FOUND A CHAPTER and recruit 150 members.
Magic_Salad0892
07-06-10, 00:58
And people supported this guy knowing this?
GermanSynergy
07-06-10, 17:33
And people supported this guy knowing this?
Sure! As long as he has a (D) next to his name!
I meant age 24-34 not 1923-1934. Either way he was not the type of guy I feel should have bees honored with half mast.
Gutshot John
07-06-10, 17:43
I'm tired of the whole racial/identity political bullshit.
I'm no more in favor of lambasting Robert Byrd (whom I've met and was actually a Dem I admired) than I am in favor of lambasting Trent Lott.
I've done enough stupid shit in my life that I hope no one judges me by the idiotic actions of my youth.
RogerinTPA
07-06-10, 18:23
What crack my ass up was Obama and Bill Clinton defending the POS.
Clinton said He only joined the KKK to get elected!:rolleyes: So to follow that logic, anything done that is morally reprehensible to get elected is fair game? Thought that comment was totally appropriate coming form an individual with flexible morals to begin with.
RancidSumo
07-06-10, 19:28
I'm tired of the whole racial/identity political bullshit.
I'm no more in favor of lambasting Robert Byrd (whom I've met and was actually a Dem I admired) than I am in favor of lambasting Trent Lott.
I've done enough stupid shit in my life that I hope no one judges me by the idiotic actions of my youth.
Well if you did something as stupid as joining the KKK in your youth, then I'm going to be judging you by that. I may not have many miles under my belt yet but my morals still prevent me from doing things such as that. Youth is no excuse for questionable at best morals.
[QUOTE=Gutshot John;699926]I'm tired of the whole racial/identity political bullshit.
I'm no more in favor of lambasting Robert Byrd (whom I've met and was actually a Dem I admired) than I am in favor of lambasting Trent Lott.
I've done enough stupid shit in my life that I hope no one judges me by the idiotic actions of my youth.[/QUOTE
Have any of the things you've done in your youth involved lynching people because of the color of their skin? If so you too should be judged harshly. Were not talking about simple youthful mistakes or "stupid shit" here he was in the KKK from age 24-34 I would not call that youthful. Once you're of a certain age your clearly an adult and responsible for your actions.
Gutshot John
07-06-10, 19:53
Well if you did something as stupid as joining the KKK in your youth, then I'm going to be judging you by that. I may not have many miles under my belt yet but my morals still prevent me from doing things such as that. Youth is no excuse for questionable at best morals.
First I would say that I hate the KKK.
Second you're free to have any opinion you choose.
Third I think you missed the point.
Gutshot John
07-06-10, 19:57
Have any of the things you've done in your youth involved lynching people because of the color of their skin? If so you too should be judged harshly. Were not talking about simple youthful mistakes or "stupid shit" here he was in the KKK from age 24-34 I would not call that youthful. Once you're of a certain age your clearly an adult and responsible for your actions.
Really? Byrd lynched people? That's news to me.
Pick a figure from the Bible - King David, Solomon, Paul or any number of people who sinned horribly (who indeed killed people) and who recognized how far they had fallen and came back from the brink. I'm sure you're much far more "moral" than these people.
How about John Newton?
Business_Casual
07-06-10, 20:00
First I would say that I hate the KKK.
Second you're free to have any opinion you choose.
Third I think you missed the point.
I don't think he did. Does the name David Duke ring a bell?
B_C
Gutshot John
07-06-10, 20:04
I don't think he did. Does the name David Duke ring a bell?
B_C
Yep I know who he is, I don't recall mentioning him. Big difference between an unrepentant clansman and Senator Byrd. Any comparison is flawed.
Does the name John Newton ring a bell?
thopkins22
07-06-10, 21:37
I won't dive into Byrd's views on race, or his view of the role of government, nor his views on gun control. I disagreed with him vehemently on pretty much all of those issues.
With that said, he was a public servant in the truest sense. He was not gallivanting around the world on congressional private jets and whatnot. He was not using his power to behave in a corrupt fashion at all that I'm aware of. He did everything he could for the state of West Virginia(even though I disagree with the premise of federal spending.)
The fact that he could string a sentence together(at least for most of his life,) should put him at the top of the heap compared to what both parties and the democrats in particular have offered.
I meant age 24-34 not 1923-1934. Either way he was not the type of guy I feel should have bees honored with half mast.
Ahhh, understood. And agreed.
On one hand it is hilarious Obama is in a position where he is required to kiss the ass of a former Klansmen, but on the other hand it is completely offensive that such a POS represented out country for so long.
Really? Byrd lynched people? That's news to me.
Pick a figure from the Bible - King David, Solomon, Paul or any number of people who sinned horribly (who indeed killed people) and who recognized how far they had fallen and came back from the brink. I'm sure you're much far more "moral" than these people.
How about John Newton?
I truly think if Hitler repented and got religion a bunch of folks would have lined up to forgive him. Most of the people in the Bible are reprehensible. Almost all ancient monarchies were truly reprehensible people (this happens when you believe you are divine and have dominion over the lives of others).
And John Newton sounds like a Class A POS too.
There are simply some things you cannot come back from the brink from. To return from "the brink" you have to be able to fix what you did.
If you are a serial killer, you can't fix that.
If you are a rapist, you can't fix that.
If you intentionally kill an innocent, you can't fix that.
Might as well go whole hog and kill everyone you can at that point, because there is no coming back. I don't care if you realized it was wrong, found God or were born again. The innocents you harmed won't be "reborn innocent" so in my mind you cannot fix anything and your life should be forfeit.
It is of course unfortunate that there will be a small percentage of such people who truly did "figure it out" but sadly for them it happened too late and if they really did "figure it out" they will understand why they should pay with their life.
As for being in the KKK for approx. 10 years. Yeah, I guess I could give somebody a pass if they truly learned the error of their ways. But that doesn't mean they should become eligible for government positions or are suitable for the military. Some things just cost.
Joining the KKK, the Communist Party and similar groups should preclude you from many things like government jobs (to say nothing of Congress) and military service. It's quite a bit like being a convicted felon, or at least it should be.
ThirdWatcher
07-07-10, 06:18
Joining the KKK, the Communist Party and similar groups should preclude you from many things like government jobs (to say nothing of Congress) and military service. It's quite a bit like being a convicted felon, or at least it should be.
I gotta agree with that. Racism (and communism, & socialism for that matter) is antiAmerican.
Gutshot John
07-07-10, 08:07
And John Newton sounds like a Class A POS too.
He was - "He saved a WRETCH like me." He knew it and spent the rest of his life trying to atone for his actions but who can deny that he had far more impact for the good in his life than the bad?
Was Byrd as bad as Newton, probably not. Did he recognize that he did some pretty horrible things? Obviously.
We have a right to be bigots, no matter how flawed the 1st Amendment protects that right. Byrd's beliefs in his youth were little different than Abraham Lincoln's so it's only as a result of the Civil Rights movement that those attitudes have changed.
Criminalizing free speech and the freedom to believe as we choose is antithetical to American liberty. We're not talking about a serial killer or a rapist. Many many criminals, convicted felons etc (including those that openly rebelled against the Union) served with distinction in our government.
The people of WV, including many many blacks, knew Byrd's record and voted for him repeatedly. It's called liberty.
People want to condemn the man because he was a Democrat, not because he was a bigot. If that's the criteria there are a whole bunch of Republicans that have to go who aren't anywhere near as repentant. Strom Thurmond may not have been a member of the KKK (that we know of) but his beliefs and actions were no different and had at least the same effect on race relations as did Byrd.
Both became decent and honorable men who stood by their convictions (even if I hated some of them) and we need more people like that - Men that recognize when they've transgressed and who make an effort to make up for it because in the end that's what we're all sent here to do.
We are all deeply flawed and the more people want to think they are better than they, the more hypocritical the coverup of their own iniquity.
"I hate white people. All of them. ... You want freedom? You are going to have to kill some crackers. You are going to have to kill some of their babies."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN67KJdd6Mw&feature=player_embedded
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ForTehNguyen
07-07-10, 10:34
I guess filibustering the Civil Rights Act was another way to get re-elected too
Is there any indication that Byrd's repentance and rejection of his earlier racist ways was insincere, phony, contrived, etc?
A man can change. If you believe in the Bible -- look at Saul / Paul as an example.
I do not and did not like Mr Byrd or almost anything he stood for, but he seems to have rejected his earlier beliefs on race and become somewhat honorable.
Criminalizing free speech and the freedom to believe as we choose is antithetical to American liberty. We're not talking about a serial killer or a rapist. Many many criminals, convicted felons etc (including those that openly rebelled against the Union) served with distinction in our government.
Nobody is making it a crime. Only Democrats want "thought crimes", I am saying your "free speech" can have consequences. You are FREE to be a member of the KKK, Nazi Party or Communist Party. But your freedom to join such groups has consequences. You should become ineligible for certain things...especially government.
We are all deeply flawed and the more people want to think they are better than they, the more hypocritical the coverup of their own iniquity.
No we are not. I'm not perfect, but I'm not deeply flawed and neither are most average folks. I managed to get through my all my "younger days" without accidentally joining the Klan or becoming a communist. Nor did I kill anyone, rape anyone or anything else that a "deeply flawed" person might do.
Youthful flaws include drinking and driving (though I never have), experimenting with drugs (though I never have) and being caught in public naked (I was never caught). Young people do lots and lots of dumb shit (I know I have) and if that is all a potential Congressman did those things can be overlooked so long as they were NOT patterns of habitual behavior.
Joining hate groups and drowning women in lakes are much different things.
Is there any indication that Byrd's repentance and rejection of his earlier racist ways was insincere, phony, contrived, etc?
A man can change. If you believe in the Bible -- look at Saul / Paul as an example.
I do not and did not like Mr Byrd or almost anything he stood for, but he seems to have rejected his earlier beliefs on race and become somewhat honorable.
There is forgiveness and there is suitable to join Congress.
They are two very different things. If Byrd truly figured out he was a reprehensible person and stopped, I can forgive him for being that reprehensible person. But that "former person" didn't die, and the "new person" will still carry the consequences of the actions of the former.
Same as if you murder somebody innocent, you can try and be "born again" all you like, but you still took the life of an innocent. You are still the same living being, the innocent person is still dead and nothing you can do will ever fix it. The closest thing to atonement would be to take your own life, but even that won't bring anyone back.
Some things you can fix, some you can't. Most "young adults" know this.
thopkins22
07-07-10, 11:58
But your freedom to join such groups has consequences. You should become ineligible for certain things...especially government. It's not really a freedom then. Those consequences can be that nobody will vote for you as a function of your free choice, but it shouldn't be a law.
being caught in public naked (I was never caught).
In the state of TX indecent exposure makes you a sex offender. That's the problem with classifying who can and cannot run for office based on actions of their youth...decades later these things become very muddy.
There is forgiveness and there is suitable to join Congress.
They are two very different things. If Byrd truly figured out he was a reprehensible person and stopped, I can forgive him for being that reprehensible person. But that "former person" didn't die, and the "new person" will still carry the consequences of the actions of the former.
Same as if you murder somebody innocent, you can try and be "born again" all you like, but you still took the life of an innocent. You are still the same living being, the innocent person is still dead and nothing you can do will ever fix it. The closest thing to atonement would be to take your own life, but even that won't bring anyone back.
Some things you can fix, some you can't. Most "young adults" know this.
Except that the things you mention are all legal against the law things. Byrd's racism and stuff was not against the law. If his constituents did not like it and wanted to vote against him for it, renewal or not, that is the consequence for him.
Gents help me out here. What is the difference between the KKK, especially of fifty to sixty years ago, and the terrorist our troops are fighting today?
Gents help me out here. What is the difference between the KKK, especially of fifty to sixty years ago, and the terrorist our troops are fighting today?
The mainstream media abhors the KKK but thinks Hamas is cute?
Gutshot John
07-07-10, 16:53
Gents help me out here. What is the difference between the KKK, especially of fifty to sixty years ago, and the terrorist our troops are fighting today?
One wants to overthrow the government of the United States and kill as many Americans of any color as they can.
They other is a bunch of inbred rednecks who couldn't think their way out of a paper bag. Some Kluckers have killed people but the vast majority (people like Robert Byrd) only argue their position without engaging in criminal activity. Many in the South killed Blacks WITHOUT joining the Klan. What's the difference?
In return I'd ask you to help me out...
What's the difference between someone who joins the KKK and a person who believes that whites are superior or that blacks are dumb or who uses a racial epithet, usually outside of earshot of minorities?
Robert Byrd came to realize the error of his ways and the last half of his life trying to atone for what he had done.
Equating Byrd to criminals such as rapists or child molesters is fatuous.
Business_Casual
07-07-10, 19:32
One wants to overthrow the government of the United States and kill as many Americans of any color as they can.
They other is a bunch of inbred rednecks who couldn't think their way out of a paper bag. Some Kluckers have killed people but the vast majority (people like Robert Byrd) only argue their position without engaging in criminal activity. Many in the South killed Blacks WITHOUT joining the Klan. What's the difference?
In return I'd ask you to help me out...
What's the difference between someone who joins the KKK and a person who believes that whites are superior or that blacks are dumb or who uses a racial epithet, usually outside of earshot of minorities?
Robert Byrd came to realize the error of his ways and the last half of his life trying to atone for what he had done.
Equating Byrd to criminals such as rapists or child molesters is fatuous.
I don't think you know the history of the Klan. I also don't think this thread is going anywhere other than people contradicting each other and chest thumping. None of this is on topic.
Moderator - please close this.
B_C
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