Has anyone looked into the life of Sen. Robert Byrd?

[La_Serpiente]

I really found it amazing. He was born in 1917 in North Wilkesboro, N.C. On his website he shares his entire life story.

Born in 1917 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, Robert Byrd was left a virtual orphan by the death of his mother when he was only one year old. Brought to West Virginia by his aunt and uncle to be reared as their own, the future Senator grew up in various communities in the bituminous coalfields, mastering life's early lessons and graduating as valedictorian of his high school class in the depths of the Great Depression in the 1930's.

He spent his teen years growing up in the Great Depression. However, he also had an affection for the fiddle.



Here is the uncle who raised Byrd, Titus Dalton Byrd



Here is his biological mother who died of the influenza outbreak.




He was elected to West Virginia legislature and then ended up going to the Senate in 1958. When he got to the Senate, he enrolled himself in law school at American University. He got his law degree in 1963.



Pssss....recognize the other guy? Yes, that is the great President John F Kennedy.

here are more pictures:



Him and his two grand-daughters.



Psss....He has a dog, not a cat :-)



Psss....HEyHEY....this one is for you


Although Byrd has done many great things in his life, he does have a history with the KKK. He officially left the group in 1943, but, well in my view anyway, sympathized with them. He filibusterd the 1964 Civil Rights Act for more than 14 hours. He also opposed the nomination of Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas. Now, I am sure he reformed himself by the time Thomas came to the Senate, so I don't think he opposed him because he was black. I mean, Thomas wasn't the "best" canidate and there is a realistic reason why to vote against him.

I know that Byrd has changed over the course of his lifetime. I don't think that he is a KKK sympathizer nor do I think that he is a member of one. However, I am trying to find out what made him *change*. I find his life fascinating because he went from one end of the spectrum that was racist and bigotful to one that promotes peace and responsibility.

I am just trying to find out what made him change. When I tried to find out how he matured, I came across all these hate websites that were lambasting him for being a racist. Who were saying these things? Michelle Malkin. Ollie North. And some independent bloggers as well.

And how did they tie it into their columns? They brought out the lowpoints of Byrd's life and tied it into his opposistion to the war. In essense, they look for the worst things in people, not the best.

I believe that Byrd has rectified his past statements by supporting minorities and other things. I am just trying to find out when.

I also find it appaling that Ollie North would pass moral judgement on him even though he himself has the blood of thousands of Central Americans on his hands.

So if anyone has any information, please share it with me. Thanks.

[Stupdworld]

1. he aint all that great

he has some skeletons in his past too. but then it seems most congressmen and women do.

oh wait you mentioned that. nm

[sendero]

5. to be fair..

... it is not just Congresspersons who have skeletons in their past, it is everyone. Who here has never done anything they now regret?

There are lots of folks in Congress who not only have things in their past but who are willfully errant in the present. To me, Byrd is the soul of our party now, he is the only one standing up in the Senate and saying what should be obvious to everyone there. Good for him!

[Yupster]

17. I've done things I've regretted...

but at least I've never joined the $#%$# Ku Klux Klan.

And it's not like the Klan was a big thing when he joined it either. The Klan was big in the 20's. The FBI broke it with some giant scandals and sensational trials. By the time Byrd joined the Klan, it had lost over 80 % of its membership, and was completely discredited and disgusted even by its former members who read about its evils in the papers every day for years. In the 1940's it was not normal to join the Klan.

My opinion also agrees with another poster in believing that Byrd has not changed his heart as much as changed his politics on race. I believe his use of the "N" word on tv just a few years ago shows this. Also if you listen to his comments on gays, you see the same bigoted old fool. He just hasn't learned that he shouldn't spew his hate onto gays now either. Once he learns that, he'll find another group to hate. Maybe he'll just stick with hating Republicans.

Also, this may seem silly to some, but it was important to me. Recently Byrd appeared as an extra in a Civil War movie "Gods and Generals" (not bad but way too long). Anyway, if I had been a Klansman and now felt differently, I would have run a mile when someone said to me, "Here Senator. Put on this Confederate general's uniforn and let's take your picture." I mean he was an extra. He could have asked if there wasn't a uniform tinted a little more bluish. He didn't even have a speaking part He was just in the background. Even Phil Gramm was smart enough to wear civilian clothes in his bit part in the same movie.

Anyway, I can forgive him for his revolting comments, discraceful writings and disgusting past. It's a lot like many people have a grandfather who is a racist or some other weirdo. You accept the fact of what he is. But -- at the same time, he is still an embarrasment, and I sure don't want him anywhere near where public policy is being made.

[sangh0]

19. I bet you don't dump mountaintops into streams either

But Byrd, in order to fulfill his committments to the coal companies, does. Byrd is one of this nation's top polluter-enabler's, and with Bush in office, that's no small feat. In his latest crime, Byrd voted AGAINST the Democrats bill calling for action to combat global warming.

[0007]

10. Good Christians believe every man is redeemable...

but then again some christians don't, so what's your point?

Robert Byrd may not be a great man, but he is well respected, liked and is a good senator.

[MuseRider]

2. It really would be interesting

to see that story. I would love to know what changed his mind. I suppose it is always possible he has not totally changed his mind but knows that for this country to be what it should be he can't let his personal feelings get in the way. I would love to know that story because I have developed a healthy respect for the way he has been doing his job and it is always difficult to respect someone until you know the story. Part of that comes from my journey to Kucinich, I would never be able to vote for someone I did not think would support Roe V Wade. It was his journey to his decision to change his voting that sold me. If I find anything I will let you know. Please share if you find out.

[san antonio]

3. His change...

His change was a little too similar to that of Thurmond in the fact that I think he did it because he realized he could no longer be a career politician if he didn't.

I can understand how others would forgive what he did, everyone can change. I just can't ignore it but it's not my say any way, he's not my senator. The deep racism that existed back then just can't be completely wiped away from some people. We'll just have to burry it with them when they move on.

Regarding what Ollie and company are using Byrd for, he's a bit of a political liablity for us. I mean, let'e be honest, we would be harping on it if there were a former KKK repug senator, why do we expect better from that scum?

[Bridget Burke]

7. Welcome to DU

Byrd's actions in recent years & most especially his words & deeds in THIS century make him far more than a "political liability for us".

When you've lived as long as he, we'll see if you have nothing to regret. We'll also see if you are standing up & speaking for your country as he does.

[san antonio]

8. Thanks.

Like I said, seme people can forgive a guy for that. I however, just can't. I'm not going to foreget something just because it was 'last century' or because he's been helpful to us lately.

Do I have skeletons? You bet. I'm also not representing millions of people.

[Bridget Burke]

9. But you're doing what Ollie wants...

They really want him to sit down & shut up NOW.

[FlaGranny]

13. I can easily "forgive" someone

for believing in things he learned from childhood. Racism is indoctrinated from the earliest ages in children. We all believe in the values we were taught as children. The "great" person is one who, with maturity, begins to see the error of his beliefs and personally changes, because he has learned life's lessons and become wise, and that I have much respect for. How many times have people on this board said "look at the actions, not the words"? That is what I do when forming opinions about others. I don't know Sen. Byrd personally, so I don't know anything about his private actions, but his public actions speak volumes. If he still personally has racist feelings, he is publically denigrating racism by his denial of racist views, and deserves a bit of credit for that.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

15. IMHO, it sounds like you have the problem, not Byrd. I would suggest...

...that you talk to the millions upon millions of West Virginians of all colors that he has represented during his long political career, but it sounds like your mind couldn't be swayed by anything as trivial as that.

The proof is in what Byrd has done since he set aside the beliefs of the Klan, not what he did prior to that time. But I'm sure that kind of thinking is foreign to you as well.

[jonnyblitz]

4. too bad he is such a homophobe...

oh well.

[0007]

12. I guess you don't want to see junior get smacked in the chops, 'eh?

[dsc]

16. The man is a homophobe

He once famously claimed, as Senate Majority Leader while trying to prevent passage of the Ryan White Act, that there were no homosexuals in West Virginia and thus he saw no need for AIDS funding. He is one of a handful of Democrats against ENDA. He may well be doing the right thing now but he is an unrepentent homophobe.

On edit I do get awful tired of people who truthfully point out just how bad Byrd's record is in regard to gays and lesbians getting smeared as favoring Bush. Byrd is the worst or at least close to the worst Democrat in the entire Senate on this issue. That isn't the fault of posters who truthfully state that fact.

[sangh0]

20. The man is also king of pork and a polluter

The pork goes to huge corporations, many of whom are in the energy biz (and strong supporters of Bush*) and the pollution goes into people's lungs. Not a bad deal from such a noble Democrat, huh?

[MuseRider]

18. That is too bad

I did not know that. This makes me sad.

[Melsky]

6. Thanks for sharing that

What an inspiring life, to progress from being in the kkk to being an admirable senator. He also seems to be one of those people who looks like his dog!

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

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[bushisanidiot]

14. Lott Is Against Affirmative Action, Byrd Isn't. Lott hasn't changed

he's saying the same thing he always has, he's just using that childish race-bait code the GOP invented. :P