David Duke and Richard Byrd...in the media...

[Tekneek]

Let me just say that I don't know much about David Duke at all, but I've heard his name a dozen times this morning on CNN and he is always referred to as, "Former Ku Klux Klan leader, David Duke", and it made me wonder about something. Have any of you wondered why Senator Robert Byrd's former membership in the KKK is never mentioned? From what I understand, his job with the KKK was as a recruiter. He is the only member of the US Senate to have been a member of such a group. I wonder why he is never referred to as, "Former KKK recruiter, U.S. Senator Robert Byrd..."

After all, he said this on national television (but was given a free pass, apparently):

"They are much, much better than they've ever been in my lifetime," Byrd
said. "I think we talk about race too much. I think those problems are
largely behind us... I just think we talk so much about it that we help to
create somewhat of an illusion. I think we try to have good will. My old mom
told me, 'Robert, you can't go to heaven if you hate anybody.' We practice
that." Then 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."

[albionmoonlight]

As someone who lives close to Duke country, I can say that Duke is more than a former KKK member. He has never made a move away from that extreme except to indicate that he no longer advocates violence to achieve his objectives.

I don't know about Byrd.

Funny story about Duke. It was either the '92 or the '96 Republican primaries, and Pat Buchanan was campaining in Louisiana. Duke and his people wanted to get Duke in a picture with Pat in order to associate Duke with the more mainstream conservative. Pat and his people did not want a picture with Duke so as to avoid the association of Pat with a more radical conservative. Apparently, during the entire campain stop, there was a Three Stooges style tableau in which Duke tried to get into position to have his picture taken with Pat and Pat kept trying to avoid him. In the end, I beleive that a picture was taken, but that it showed Duke in motion pushing himself toward Pat while Pat had a suprised look on his face. Good time.

[Jon]

Because Byrd repudiated his membership and Duke hasn't. David Duke has come scarily close to being elected to important positions in Louisiana. In 1990, he made a senatorial runoff against a democract (b/c la uses the open primary system) and forced the state republican party to raise money for the democrat.

an even scarier thing about david duke is where he raises most of his money. People assume that he would make his dough in the south, but he gets most of his cash from expensive speeches in Ohio and Long Island, NY.

[Young Drachma]

yeah, the Klan seems to love going to South Jersey to see if it can get a major foothold. Seems weird, with Jersey being the mix that it is.

[timmynausea]

His name is Robert Byrd.

[Tekneek]

His name is Robert Byrd.

Doh... I knew that, which is how I confirmed the quote... but then I, apparently, decided to talk about a polar expedition... :rolleyes: