[Vision2020] RE: Those Darn White Separatists? Who Are They?

[Warren Hoskins]

Senator Byrd, having been the target of much of this lately, is far from alone, of course.  Most of the others switched to the Republic Party after Reagan, though ;-) For instance, the late lamented Senator Strom Thurmond leaps to mind.  Former Democrat, Governor of SC who ran for US President as a third party candidate on a platform of segregation (perhaps because the US government had made defense industries integrate during WWII under Democratic leadership), eventual cause of the early retirement of Trent Lott--partly because Thurmond was still unrepentant of being a segregationist.  Of course he was contradictory: Per SLATE he was one of the first southern Senators to have a black aide, and he also, per SLATE, fathered a daughter in 1925 with an African American house servant:
 http://slate.msn.com/default.aspx?id=2085087

None of this stopped SC from naming many, many things after him: "Throughout South Carolina, Thurmond's name adorns high schools, federal courthouses and even a lake on the western edge of the state."
http://www.savannahnow.com/features/stromthurmond/hometown.shtml

Attacks on Senator Byrd, though, are highly suspect right now. First, does anyone question that he repented long ago of his KKK membership and his racist statements?  Second, look how these criticisms sprang up right after he spoke out critically of pResident Bush and the prememptive assault on Iraq: http://www.spinsanity.org/columns/20030618.html

Peace,
Warren

-- 
Warren Hoskins 


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