Sen. Robert Byrd, ex-klansman

TownHall.com ^ | March 7, 2001 | Michelle Malkin

[TankerKC]

Ex-Klansman Robert Byrd, the senior senator from West Virginia, casually used the phrase "white nigger" twice on national TV this weekend. Enraged civil rights groups organized a protest campaign against Sen. Byrd and demanded that he undergo sensitivity training ... not.

The ex-Klansman, you see, is a Democrat. Democrats can join hate groups and utter the ugliest racial slurs and get away with it because they are Democrats. They belong to the party of racial tolerance and understanding. They're paragons of virtue, and the rest of us are bigoted rubes.

The ex-Klansman showed his true colors when asked by Fox News Sunday morning talk show host Tony Snow about the state of race relations in America. Sen. Byrd warned: "There are white niggers. I've seen a lot of white niggers in my time. I'm going to use that word. We just need to work together to make our country a better country, and I'd just as soon quit talking about it so much."

The ex-Klansman, famed for Beltway blowhardism, should have quit talking a lot sooner. Why any prominent politician in his right mind would publicly and deliberately use the poisonous epithet "nigger" -- which most daily newspapers refuse to spell out, no matter the context -- is beyond comprehension. It's an open question as to whether the rant-prone, 83-year-old Byrd is even in his right mind, but senility doesn't excuse bigotry.

The ex-Klansman's admirers praise his historical knowledge, mastery of procedural rules, and outspokenness. They refer to the Senate's senior Democrat as the "conscience of the Senate." They downplay his white-sheet-wearing days as a "brief mistake" -- as if joining the Klan were like knocking over a glass of water. Oopsy.

This ex-Klansman wasn't just a passive member of the nation's most notorious hate group. According to news accounts and biographical information, Sen. Byrd was a "Kleagle" -- an official recruiter who signed up members for $10 a head. He said he joined because it "offered excitement" and because the Klan was an "effective force" in "promoting traditional American values." Nothing like the thrill of gathering 'round a midnight bonfire, roasting s'mores, tying nooses, and promoting white supremacy with a bunch of your hooded friends.

The ex-Klansman allegedly ended his ties with the group in 1943. He may have stopped paying dues, but he continued to pay homage to the KKK. Republicans in West Virginia discovered a letter Sen. Byrd had written to the Imperial Wizard of the KKK three years after he says he abandoned the group. He wrote: "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 Union."

The ex-Klansman later filibustered the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act -- supported by a majority of those "mean-spirited" Republicans -- for more than 14 hours. He also opposed the nominations of the Supreme Court's two black justices, liberal Thurgood Marshall and conservative Clarence Thomas. In fact, the ex-Klansman had the gall to accuse Justice Thomas of "injecting racism" into the Senate hearings. Meanwhile, author Graham Smith recently discovered another letter Sen. Byrd wrote after he quit the KKK, this time attacking desegregation of the armed forces.

The ex-Klansman vowed never to fight "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."

If this ex-Klansman were a conservative Republican, he would never hear the end of his sordid past. "Ex-Klansman who opposed civil rights and black justices" would appear in every reference to Sen. Byrd. And even the "ex-" would be in doubt. Maxine Waters and Ralph Neas and Julianne Malveaux and Al Sharpton and all the other left-wing bloodhounds who sniff racism in every crevice of American life would be barking up a storm over Sen. Byrd's latest fulminations. Instead, the attack dogs are busy decrying latent racial bigotry where it doesn't exist, while the real thing roams wild and free in their own political backyard.

©2001 Creators Syndicate, Inc.

[TankerKC]

A blast from the past.

[Michael.SF.]

"A blast from the past."

And let's not forget other great hits from the Dem's:

"White-Niggers, yes I am going to use that word" - R. Byrd

"Hymie Town - Jesse jackson

"Bill Clinton's Afro wig Party"

"Sen. Carnahan in Black face."

It is not what one says or does that is important, but how you can make political hay out of who says it.

[LibWhacker]

Senator Robert Byrd Receives KKK Lifetime Achievement Award

By N. B. Forrest

Senator Robert Byrd (D-Wva.) poses with the KKK Escort Committee that accompanied him into the Hangman's Grove Civic Center, where he received the KKK’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was presented at the 133rd Annual KKK Transparent Image Awards.

HANGMAN'S GROVE, WEST VIRGINIA — Billy Bob Cracker, President and CEO of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), has chosen Senator Robert Byrd (D-Wva.) as this year’s recipient of the KKK’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was presented at the 133rd Annual KKK Transparent Image Awards, taped last night and scheduled to air April 1st (8:00 p.m. ET) on FOX.

“The Lifetime Achievement Award reflects individuals at the pinnacle of their respective fields who’ve made significant contributions to the success of the KKK," Cracker said. "Senator Byrd exemplifies this prestigious award; no living person has worked as hard as he has to keep the black man dependant on, and subservient to, the white man. Not to mention his outstanding work against Jews and Catholics.”

Senator Byrd’s legislative accomplishments, as well as his ascension as the only KKK alumnus to serve as the Majority Leader of the US Senate, a post he served in for six years (1977-80, 1987-88), made him an obvious choice for this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. “This distinction, awarded to those who advance the ideals of the KKK through personal achievement and service to all people of Caucasian and protestant heritage, accurately describes the contributions Senator Byrd has made to our racially pure organization,” Cracker said.

Born in 1917 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, Robert Byrd was orphaned when his mother was killed in a tragic sausage making accident. Taken to West Virginia by his Auntie Belham and Uncle Peduncle, the future KKK Lifetime Achievement recipient grew up mastering life's early lessons, like learning the proper way to tie a noose. Unable to receive a taxpayer-funded college education, Senator Byrd sought to make a buck wherever he found an opportunity—pumping gas at a filling station, working as a white sheet salesman, and then becoming a “Kleagle” in the Ku Klux Klan—picking up new skills as he advanced. One of those skills—recruiting other white, protestant bigots for the KKK—was in demand at the time, and he worked during the war years of the early 1940’s building the rank and file of the Klan.

After WWII came to an end, Byrd had a vision of what his state and nation should be: a bastion of ignorant, inbred, government-subsidized, white racists. In 1946, in his first attempt at elected office, he was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates. After that he went on to serve in the US House of Representatives and the US Senate. He has served longer in the United States Senate than anyone else in West Virginia's history, an indication of the moral depravity and lack of work ethic of most West Virginians.

In presenting the award to Senator Byrd, Billy Bob Cracker remarked, “Senator Byrd is living proof that being a member of the KKK is not an insurmountable obstacle, so long as you are resolved to push forward against decency and realize your dreams. He filibustered the 1964 Civil Rights Act. He opposed the nominations of the only Negro justices of the Supreme Court. And he fought valiantly against integrating the military when he wrote, ‘I vow never to fight 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.’ That is why I am honored to salute Senator Robert Byrd as this year’s KKK Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.”

In accepting the award, Byrd reflected on his years serving the interests of Klan members and remarked, "The Klan is needed today as never before and I am anxious to see its rebirth in every state in the Union."

Last year's KKK Lifetime Achievement Award went to Bill Clinton. The KKK Transparent Image Awards are presented each year to those who strive to deny meaningful opportunities for, and inflict insurmountable harm on, African Americans, Jews, and all other "race mongrels." Past recipients have included David Duke, Barbara Boxer, Jesse Jackson, Michael Jackson, and Martha Stewart.

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© Copyright 2002 BSNN.net/Nathan Porter

[Jean S]

Bump.

[anniegetyourgun]

And Hillary's slur of Jews.

[onedoug]

Expel all Congressional & Senate racists. New national elections to refill both bodies.

[Las Vegas Dave]

Ah yes, how can we forget "FJB", by hildabeast!

[ArcLight]

Spare us this nonsense. So what if Byrd used to be a bigot? Lott's statements clearly indicate that he still is.

[Republic of Texas]

Let's not forget Bill Clinton's racist mentor from Arkansas. Grand Wizard Fulbright.

[Republic of Texas]

Byrd's RECENT statements prove he still is. (Using your logic of course)

[Lizavetta]

Ah yes, how can we forget "FJB", by hildabeast!

And don't forget Calif. Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, who said the dreaded 'n' word at an event (I don't remember what it was) with an audience full of blacks.

When is HE going to resign?

[ArcLight]

By all means use my logic. You always should, you know. :-)

I think the "white niggers" line was stupid, but I'm not convinced it was racist. Go ahead; talk me into it. It still doesn't lett Trent off the hook.

[dfwgator]

Don't forget Fritz Hollings and flying the Confederate Flag over the SC State House.

[going hot]

I think the "white niggers" line was stupid, but I'm not convinced it was racist. Go ahead; talk me into it. It still doesn't lett Trent off the hook.

This is not to let Lott off the hook.

My question to you is to define the word "nigger".

Then use it with the prefix white,black, brown or yellow.

Does the prefix change the intended slur?

[July 4th]

This is a Malkin classic. "Oopsy!" I love it...

[ArcLight]

I guess one reason I'm not so quick to condemn Byrd is that behind closed doors, black folks have been known to say much the same sort of thing. We shouldn't but we do.

In any case, I think his appalling choice of words is a long way from an active endorsement of the politics of Strom Thurmond, circa 1948.

[plain talk]

no

[Salvation]

Why do the dims like Byrd get a pass and Lott gets mobbed?

[going hot]

...is that behind closed doors, black folks have been known to say much the same sort of thing.

Does not excuse nor rationalize, not even justify it if one is indeed not a racist or bigot.

[MissBaby]

Where are the pic of Byrd in white hood? I mean the real ones. OH, ooops, how would we know it was him. Okay, holding his white hood. Or better yet, voting to ban blacks from his fraturnity.