Senator Robert "Sheets" Byrd

[SCUDSBROTHER]

Originally Posted by joeydb

But when Byrd, one of their own legislators, has speeches about "white n-words", and writings I won't repeat mentioned here (fourth paragraph, inset):

http://www.npr.org/blogs/politicalju...lf?ft=1&f=1014

everythings just great. That is the definition of hypocrisy, his death notwithstanding.

There are people who started out thinking the Conservatives view of the world is simply the obvious common-sense truth (especially if they grow up surrounded by Conservatives.) When they get their 1st so called "good" job, it's only then that they realize that the world is set up to favor a very few in society. Then, they simply work harder (because that's the Conservative cure-all fix for anything) only to realize that hard work is often overlooked by the deciders. It's at this point (regardless of their future) that many people realize the Conservative view is a highly-oversimplified load of crap. Luck, looks, people-pleasing skills, family contacts etc. all rival hard work's value in moving up in the world. No, they didn't know this before. They bought the Conservative load of crap. Now they know. They go on with their life, and regardless of how well they do, they know the Conservatives are dead wrong. That's one reason there are a lot of rich people who aren't Conservatives. I say this, because people can be wrong about something early on in their life, and realize it. I'm not saying it happened with Senator Byrd. I think it's a possibility. It's also a possibility that he never changed, and just hid his true racist feelings until he died. Lott certainly had very few signs of changing his racist views. Not so with Byrd. On something like this, people will often let the harmed group make the call. Meaning that Byrd would have probably been gone if Blacks thought he hadn't changed. It's a fair issue to bring up. I think people were aware of his past, and made a judgement about whether he had changed inside. It is a judgement call. People constantly make excuses for Muslim Scum, and the main excuse is that they are born into the bad environment. Unfortunately, the Muslims rarely see the light, and, hopefully, Byrd did.

[joeydb]

Originally Posted by SCUDSBROTHER

There are people who started out thinking the Conservatives view of the world is simply the obvious common-sense truth (especially if they grow up surrounded by Conservatives.) When they get their 1st so called "good" job, it's only then that they realize that the world is set up to favor a very few in society. Then, they simply work harder (because that's the Conservative cure-all fix for anything) only to realize that hard work is often overlooked by the deciders. It's at this point (regardless of their future) that many people realize the Conservative view is a highly-oversimplified load of crap. Luck, looks, people-pleasing skills, family contacts etc. all rival hard work's value in moving up in the world. No, they didn't know this before. They bought the Conservative load of crap. Now they know. They go on with their life, and regardless of how well they do, they know the Conservatives are dead wrong. That's one reason there are a lot of rich people who aren't Conservatives. I say this, because people can be wrong about something early on in their life, and realize it. I'm not saying it happened with Senator Byrd. I think it's a possibility. It'a also a possibility that he never changed, and just hid his true racist feelings until he died. Lott certainly had very few signs of changing his racist views. Not so with Byrd. On something like this, people will often let the harmed group make the call. Meaning that Byrd would have probably been gone if Blacks thought he hadn't changed. It's a fair issue to bring up. I think people were aware of his past, and made a judgement about whether he had changed inside. It is a judgement call. People constantly make excuses for Muslim Scum, and the main excuse is that they are born into the bad environment. Unfortunately, the Muslims rarely see the light, and, hopefully Byrd did.

Well, I'd like to point out that what Byrd said in that paragraph on that webpage is worse than just about anything any non-Democrat has said regarding race relations in the last 50 years or so. George Wallace comes close, but he was another Democrat.

[hi_im_god]

what joey can't see is that byrd wasn't frozen in his 1964 views unlike a lot of politician's. he renounced them while noting that the shame of those views would never leave him. he became a reliable vote in favor of civil rights legislation from 1967 onwards.

the george wallace reference is telling. wallace was an unrepentant racist as a politician. however, he also eventually renounced his racist past. the last years of his life he spent sunday's in black southern churches talking about his past and asking for forgiveness. the conservative movements dreaded "apology tour".

conservatives don't like change and apparently from the comments here, also don't believe sincere change is possible.

So the moral of the story is if you want to be racist make sure you're a democrat.

[joeydb]

Originally Posted by Coach Pants

So the moral of the story is if you want to be racist make sure you're a democrat.

[Cannon Shell]

Can't we just celebrate his death without so much controversy?

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Can't we just celebrate his death without so much controversy?

[hi_im_god]

Originally Posted by Coach Pants

So the moral of the story is if you want to be racist make sure you're a democrat.

the moral of the story is that even racist's can change. party affiliation has nothing to do with it.

joey ignoring the argument and awarding trophy's is just precious though. you must be proud.

Originally Posted by hi_im_god

the moral of the story is that even racist's can change. party affiliation has nothing to do with it.


joey ignoring the argument and awarding trophy's is just precious though. you must be proud.

Oh you're right! My bad. Byrd would've got the same post from you if he was a republican. You're totally not a disingenuous twat!

Yeah I'm all about getting the trophy smiley. GFY twice.

[hi_im_god]

Originally Posted by Coach Pants

Oh you're right! My bad. Byrd would've got the same post from you if he was a republican. You're totally not a disingenuous twat!

Yeah I'm all about getting the trophy smiley. GFY twice.

i really don't think party affiliation matters. if there's ever a republican that admits past racism and demonstrates a change of heart the way byrd did, i'd feel the same.

i think the republicans on this board would like it to be about party affiliation. that let's them be resentful victims all over again. thus the studious ignoring of any argument that distinguishes byrd from an unrepentant racist. it's all about 1964 and nothing else.

and i wasn't targeting you with the trophy comment. that was all about joey's pretending my post in anyway reflected your 1 sentence analysis.

Oooook. When is the next bible study? We must forgive because Jesus forgave us and stuff.

Please save the Hallmark movie moments for a soap opera forum.

– 1942: Joins the KKK; eventually rises to the rank of “Exalted Cyclops.”
– 1945: Writes “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.”
– 1947: Says in a letter that the Klan is needed “like never before” and declares that he is “anxious to see its rebirth.”
– 1964: Attempts to filibuster the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It wasn’t out of principled libertarian support for property rights. Cites a racist study claiming that black people’s brains are statistically smaller than white people’s.
– 1967: Votes against Thurgood Marshall’s Supreme Court nomination. Went to J. Edgar Hoover to see if Marshall had any Communist ties that could ruin his nomination.
– 1968: Tells the FBI that it’s time that Martin Luther King, Jr., “met his Waterloo.” FBI ignores him.

He was an old man when he stopped being a racist. Sure you can forgive him if you're naive enough to believe he changed. The truth is people don't really change and if they do "change" it's for selfish reasons.

[SCUDSBROTHER]

Originally Posted by joeydb

Well, I'd like to point out that what Byrd said in that paragraph on that webpage is worse than just about anything any non-Democrat has said regarding race relations in the last 50 years or so. George Wallace comes close, but he was another Democrat.

That's true. O.K. Lets not kid ourselves here. You can't compare someone who votes for helping poor Blacks to someone who doesn't vote to help poor Blacks. He voted to help Black people in this country. Fact is he helped the same people he is accused of hating. Democrats do take this into account. Being a modern-era Democrat is not exactly what most present-day haters of Black People would probably choose to be. It's not like he got elected to a National Office. West Virginians made the choice (overwhelmingly by the way) to keep him their Senator. I would never have done that.