Late Senator Robert Byrd Will Be Deeply Missed.
Late senator Byrd will be deeply missed
By the Daily News
The late U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., was a legend in his own right, from humble beginnings growing up during the Depression to becoming the longest serving senator in our history.
Sadly, he passed away Monday at age 92.
His life was remarkable and a wonderful example of public service and a tribute to longevity.
Byrd rose through the ranks quickly and was first elected to Congress in 1952, where he served three terms before winning his Senate seat in 1958, when Dwight D. Eisenshower was president.
Using his powerful chairman’s position on the Senate Appropriations Committee, the senator brought home billions of dollars to his home state during his career. The extent to which he was able to help his state was a point of contention with many Americans who decry pork spending as frivolous, but undoubtedly, he was always there for the people of West Virginia, who elected him nine times, the last time in 2006.
Byrd, who was Senate majority leader for six years, was sometimes at odds with those in his own party. He led the longest filibuster in history against the 1964 Civil Rights Act, he opposed busing to integrate schools and clashed with presidents of both parties against proposed balanced budget amendments to the Constitution and his opposition to the war in Iraq.
Byrd was also a member of the Ku Klux Klan in his earlier years, but later backed away from the Klan. Although Byrd was involved in this group and wasn’t sensitive at the time on issues of race, he admitted later that his votes were wrong on those issues and later apologized. It should also be remembered that Byrd supported later civil rights bills.
This says a lot about the late senator.
Byrd will be remembered for a lot of things: his stands on principles he firmly believed in, his defending the Senate in its age-old rivalry with the executive branch, no matter which party held the White House; knowing how the Senate operated and most of all, his vast respect of the Constitution, of which he was a fierce and adamant defender.
Those who followed Byrd know he always carried a dog-eared copy of the Constitution in a pocket of his trademark three-piece suits.
He was interesting to listen to. On any given day, one could turn on C-SPAN to watch as the ailing senator quoted from the Constitution, recited poetry, quoted from the Bible and in some cases, discussed the Peloponnesian Wars.
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., summed up Byrd’s career very appropriately by saying Byrd “combined a devotion to the U.S. Constitution with a deep learning of history to defend the interests of his state and the traditions of the Senate.”
While this newspaper didn’t always agree with Byrd on certain issues, we respected him for his commitment to the Senate and our country.
The people of West Virginia have not only suffered a huge loss with the passing of Sen. Robert Byrd, but America has as well.
By the Daily News
The late U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., was a legend in his own right, from humble beginnings growing up during the Depression to becoming the longest serving senator in our history.
Sadly, he passed away Monday at age 92.
His life was remarkable and a wonderful example of public service and a tribute to longevity.
Byrd rose through the ranks quickly and was first elected to Congress in 1952, where he served three terms before winning his Senate seat in 1958, when Dwight D. Eisenshower was president.
Using his powerful chairman’s position on the Senate Appropriations Committee, the senator brought home billions of dollars to his home state during his career. The extent to which he was able to help his state was a point of contention with many Americans who decry pork spending as frivolous, but undoubtedly, he was always there for the people of West Virginia, who elected him nine times, the last time in 2006.
Byrd, who was Senate majority leader for six years, was sometimes at odds with those in his own party. He led the longest filibuster in history against the 1964 Civil Rights Act, he opposed busing to integrate schools and clashed with presidents of both parties against proposed balanced budget amendments to the Constitution and his opposition to the war in Iraq.
Byrd was also a member of the Ku Klux Klan in his earlier years, but later backed away from the Klan. Although Byrd was involved in this group and wasn’t sensitive at the time on issues of race, he admitted later that his votes were wrong on those issues and later apologized. It should also be remembered that Byrd supported later civil rights bills.
This says a lot about the late senator.
Byrd will be remembered for a lot of things: his stands on principles he firmly believed in, his defending the Senate in its age-old rivalry with the executive branch, no matter which party held the White House; knowing how the Senate operated and most of all, his vast respect of the Constitution, of which he was a fierce and adamant defender.
Those who followed Byrd know he always carried a dog-eared copy of the Constitution in a pocket of his trademark three-piece suits.
He was interesting to listen to. On any given day, one could turn on C-SPAN to watch as the ailing senator quoted from the Constitution, recited poetry, quoted from the Bible and in some cases, discussed the Peloponnesian Wars.
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., summed up Byrd’s career very appropriately by saying Byrd “combined a devotion to the U.S. Constitution with a deep learning of history to defend the interests of his state and the traditions of the Senate.”
While this newspaper didn’t always agree with Byrd on certain issues, we respected him for his commitment to the Senate and our country.
The people of West Virginia have not only suffered a huge loss with the passing of Sen. Robert Byrd, but America has as well.
Labels: Fitting tribute, News reporting
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 12:38 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home