57 years is a long time to do anything. Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia served in government for that long. His two heroes were Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower. Robert Byrd passed away last night at the age of 92.
“Child of the Appalachian Coalfields” was released in 2005 and in this autobiography you learn as much about American History as you do about Robert C. Byrd. The Senator that carried a copy of the US Constitution in his shirt pocket. The Senator that quoted the bible endlessly.
It would be easy to simply say: “He was one of a kind!”. But that would be a great understatement. Robert C. Byrd was a member of the Ku Klux Klan for 20 years. Robert C. Byrd got more Federal Tax Money for the people of West Virginia than could have been thought possible. Robert C. Byrd was and in many ways is still West Virginia!
Coming from arguably the poorest state in the union, West Virginia is a dichotomy of thought and action. West Virginia was the birthplace of George Washington and the one state to be separated into two from the time of the Great Civil War.
Robert C. Byrd was a conservative, a liberal and a progressive. He was against the Bush War in Iraq. He was against the Bank TARP Bail-out!
God rest his soul. With all your faults Senator….you made a good run from poverty to huge pork barrel spending for a State that needed it more than any other.
57 years feeding at the public trough, not bad at all. Hey, if a bigot KKK member like Byrd can be supported by the hypocrite Dems that long, what a great country this is!
Jose Mejia,
Byrd was indeed, at one time, a racist. But let me ask you this, and a simple yes or no will do;
Do you think it’s possible for a man to renounce evil points of view, change, and become a better man in the process?
Anon,
Absolutely! I renounced many of the Liberal views that were instilled in me by my parents, but kept the ones I felt were important (mostly social issue views). But I no longer believe that the Democratic party is “for the working man” or that the Republican party is “for the rich”. I have met many, from both sides of the aisle, that talk out of both sides of their mouth. I have known many Democrats that are staunch supporters of: gun rights, national defense and free markets. I have also met many Republicans that are: pro-choice, anti-gun and believe in govt regulations on free market enterprises. I think of myself as an independant voter, who tries to do their homework before voting. I am probably closer to being a Libertarian than anything else, but I do not totally support ANY political party’s complete platform.
They should have lynched Tyrd years ago!!!