Quote:
Originally posted by Say_hello_for_me
Strangely, I think I read the same article. The best part was when he said something like, "oh, those guys, I just joined em because all the important people in town belonged, and I only belonged for one year... from 1942-1943". And then someone dug up a letter from Byrd to the Grand Wizard from 1945 where he was like "we must stop the race mongreling in the military, I would rather move to France than serve in the military with a Negro".
I'm sure he's really, really sorry.
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Oh, ps: from the archives:
In a 1946** letter when the issue of integrating the military came up, Grand Kleagle Byrd vowed never to fight in the military"with a Negro by my side." And added,
"I should rather die a thousand times and see old glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again than see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen of the wilds."
He later went on to spend 14 hours filibustering against the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
He also voted against Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas, the only two blacks ever nominated for the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 2001 he let slip the charmingly derogative phrase, "white nigger" in response to a critic.
Sorry indeed. The conscience of the Senate, right?
** Note: before anyone invokes the concept of youthful indiscretion, he was 29 at that time.
