Can I get help on a freeper making KKK comments about Byrd?

[mrgorth]

What's the deal with the racists accusations against Sen. Byrd? Thanks.

[NWHarkness]

1. Byrd joined the KKK as a youth

He has said repeatedly that it was a stupid, ignorant thing to have done.

You may want to point out that Byrd has renounced his brief association with white supremacists, while Republicans like Trent Lott, John Ashcroft and Haley Barbour refuse to do so in regard to theirs.

[Faygo Kid]

2. Byrd joined the KKK briefly, in the '40s

As a young man in West Virginia, it was expected back then. When he was told he had to recruit others, he resigned - immediately. And since then, he has worked diligently for human rights. Typical right-wing smear tactics. Don't waste your time on a Freeper. They will put on the Brownshirts in a second Bush term and sing the "Horst Wessel Song" as soon as they get the chance - if they get it. Ask your Freeper acquaintance what should be done with protestors, and then you will understand where they are coming from.

[pistoff democrat]

3. Byrd was a member of the KKK.

He filibustered against the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

At some point, he had a 'conversion'...I dunno how sincere.

Try google or other search engines for details.

:hi:

[ThomWV]

4. Yep

I doubt that there is a soul in West Virginia who is not aware of it and takes it for exactly what it is worth, nothing.

Byrd admits that at sometime in his youth, the mid 30's as I recall, he was briefly a memeber of the local whatever-the-hell-they-call-it KKK group. He also tells us that within a week or two he understood just what they stood for and he disassociated himself from them, as he has every since. End of story.

To bring up what at worst was a youthful indisgression, and on its face much less than even that, and use it as a base snide implications of racism is simply not right.

Thom

God Bless Robert Byrd

[Dogmudgeon]

5. Yep

He was a Klansman a long time ago.

He wised up.

End of story.

Then, ask your Freeper what s/he thinks of Trent Lott supporting the Council of Conservative Citizens, the "civilian" branch of the KKK. (But don't take my word for it. Click on the link and savor the stench.)

He was a staunch supporter of the CCC from the time he entered public "service" until 2002. Ask him/her about that.

--bkl

[Scott Lee]

6. A brief on Robert Byrd.

It is true that Robert Byrd is an ex-KKK member. He cut all associations with that group in the 1940s, but has stubborn remnants of his former beliefs flare up occassionally; to his political detriment. For instance he was one of those (with 20 other democrats) fillibustering against the Civil Rights act of 1964. He also let slip with "white nigger" comments as recently as a few years ago that got him into hot water.

To his credit, he appears to have completely changed his formerly repulsive views. He always cautions young politicos never to get involved in the KKK.

Byrd is by all rights a reformed "liberal" democrat, who came from 19th century states-rights democratic roots (which was Strom Thurmond's stripe too). He has been vociferous in opposing the Iraq War and this is why the neocons are attacking him with his KKK past. Normally, the righties are silent to discreetly in agreement with racists as long as they don't oppose their lord and god, George W Bush.

[Cheswick2.0]

16. he filibustered the 1964 legislation because it was unfair

while the bill had the right intentions, Byrd, Gore and many other liberal southern democrats felt it unfairly penalized schools who could not comply quickly enough with the provisions of the bill. They did not think it was fair to hurt students who had done nothing wrong themselves. They also felt that the legislation created a police state in the south that was unacceptable. FYI, at least one member of the NAACP also voted against the legislation.

[pistoff democrat]

7. For What Its Worth...

many old-time Southern Democrats were in our party only because they refused to be in the party of Lincoln.

I don't know if being defensive about so-called 'yellow-dog' democrats helps us.

You may make more points by admitting Byrd's racist past rather than throwing in all the repiglican racists.

Everything isn't as pure as it seems. Of course, while we do have some shitty demos, ALL repukes are shitty, so WTF?

:shrug:


:kick:

[rfranklin]

8. Strom Thurmond and other "Dixiecrats" fled the...

Democratic Party in the later 1960's after the passage of the Civil Rights Act. The Republican Party, implementing Nixon's "southern Strategy," welcomed the racists with open arms. To this day, the Republicans use code words to rile up the Southern Whites and Northern Bigots, i.e., "affirmative action," which means 'I'm a dismal failure because some black got the job I was more qualified to have.'

Why do you bother with these "morans?"

[pistoff democrat]

12. Just an idealist at heart?

I do believe I was overtaken by something I et day beefor yesterday.

You're right. No sense to try to reach out. They're unsalvageable.

Back to the business of dethroning Bush II!

[Q]

9. A smear in the form of a question...

...How clever of you.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

14. I Don't Think He Intended To Smear Byrd....

NT

[Lefty48197]

10. Here's my response:

Once upon a time, the conservative white racists were Democrats. Nearly a century ago, we Democrats denounced the racist viewpoint. A few Democrats abandoned their racist views (Sen. Byrd, for example), others held tightly to their racist views, and found they needed to migrate to the Republican party in order to remain represented by their party. Strom Thurmond and Jesse Helms are two examples of the latter.

[James T. Kirk]

11. background info on Byrd

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Byrd

[oasis]

13. Since 93% of Freepers are racists wouldn't they defend ex- KKK members?

[_Jumper_]

15. Is is true that Byrd has interracial grandchildren?

How many Republicans do?

[Cheswick2.0]

17. his son in law is an Arab american

I don't know if that qualifies as interracial. But he certainly has come far from his childhood hasn't he?

[pistoff democrat]

18. the son-in-law?

Hell, yeah...Byrd, I'm still not so sure...:shrug: :hi:

[Yupster]

19. Defend the bigoted old fool if you want to

He's the same old bigot he always was. He's just redirected his hatred toward gays now instead of African-Americans.

Here's the old klansman during the debate for the Defense of Marriage Act just a few years ago.

"the drive for same-sex marriage is in effect an effort to make a sneak attack on society by encoding this aberrant behavior in legal form before society itself has decided it should be legal." He also went on to link the fall of Greek civilization to homosexuality.

Yep, the old fool always knew how to turn a phrase.

Here's one from when he was a WV state senator after he left the Klan.

"never submit to fight beneath that banner 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."

Yep, he's a silver-tongued little devil all right.

You guys defend the old bigot all you want. Not me.

He joined the Klan when it was a pitiful remnant, long after it had been brought down and humbled by the FBI and huge show trials. It was in no way fashionable for anyone to join the Klan when he did it. Maybe 20 years earlier, but when he did it, the Klan had been exposed and discreditted.

Also, he was not just a member, but a mid-level officer, a Kleagle, and he kept corresponding favorably with the leadership years after he left the group.

My favorite Byrd story was just recently when he decided to be in a movie, Gods and Generals about the Civil War. Ted Turner offered him and some other bigshots a cameo role. Now you would think that if you were an embarrassed former Klansman, if someone ever said to you, "here senator. Put on this Confederate general's uniform and we'll take your picture," that you would run for the hills, or at least ask for a bit part that was maybe a bit more bluish. But there was Senator Byrd playing Confederate General Semmes in the movie. Even Phil Gramm had the good sense to do his cameo in civilian garb.

And yes, I've done things in my past I'm not proud of too,but I never joined the $#$%%^$ Klan!! for heaven's sake. And Strom Thurmond and Jesse Helms were awful, but neither of them ever joined the $#$%^$$ Klan either!

No, I don't want him killed or put in stocks on the mall. I just don't want him anywhere near places where decisions are made for our country.

Hopefully he'll retire soon and we won't have to do contortions defending his sorry bigotted butt anymore.

[0007]

20. Where did ya get your information from, the freepers?

I bet there's a lot of repuke bigots in your area, 'eh?

Robert Byrd has done far more good than he has done harm. And all good christians will tell ya that all men are redeemable.

So let's just concentrate on getting that phoney bastard out of our house. I'm talking about junior.