Senator Robert Byrd passed away this weekend and the passage merits acknowledgment. At the age of 92, Byrd was the longest serving senator in Congress. As such he has both seen and experienced the changes in US society and values that have transpired during his long years of service.
It is not without irony that Senator Byrd has been one of the strongest defenders of civil rights in the last decade. Yet it is Senator Byrd who teamed with Senator Strom Thurmond in 1964 to insert an amendment to cover discrimination against females into the 1964 Civil Rights Act because they believed that the amendment would kill the Civil Rights legislation completely. Now more than 35 years later, Senator Byrd would argue that some aspects of the legislation have not been forceful enough to remove vestiges of slavery based discrimination in US society, culture and business.
Racist tinged GOP strategies cloaked in pseudo-patriotic jargon, with the support and proxy help of extremist Tea Party zealots would roll the clock back and reduce or eliminate egalitarian and remedial measures that the government tries to impose to create a more participatory democracy and to encourage the growth of social justice. Sadly, as was recognized when the Civil rights Acts were passed, the protections provided by such legislation goes beyond race gender and religion to protect fundamental freedoms purportedly guaranteed by the Constitution. These freedoms have been seriously eroded in recent decades by a craven and fearful mentality that makes every neighbor a potential threat and every person who is not "alike" a potential enemy. Intolerance among cultures and ethnicities is rising to levels not seen since the days when the civil rights Acts were first passed. Psychological and political warfare between social classes is increasing and threatens to erupt into physical warfare if not checked.
The growth and evolution of Senator Byrd from a champion of racist and exclusionary policies into a true statesman who championed a pluralistic and participatory society in which every American citizen had at least the opportunity to participate according to his or her talents and willingness to work and sacrifice is a lesson to us all. People can change, and in the process of that change they can influence change toward a better society and a better tomorrow. In contrast to the current conventional wisdom that even the most honorable of men will fall to corruption and venal servitude to their own egos and powerful corporate lobbyists, Senator Byrd's example suggests that a man may indeed grow in character and respect for the true duties of his position while in the service of country in the US senate.
In addition, Senator Byrd's long years of service made him a procedural expert and strategist. Thus, he was able to give wise counsel not only on what should be done, but on how to steer legislation through Congress even against determined obstructionist
Yet for every transformation toward social justice, there arise multiple objectors and obstructionists who would revert to a discriminatory and exclusionary alternative in the name of "Conservatism." These defenders of privilege, including privileges that they themselves may not enjoy [yes, they are employed as proxies and stooges], in order to maintain an imbalance between the rich and the poor, the haves and the have nots. They would defend the right of capitalist enterprises to destroy the environment in pursuit of profit without regard to the consequences for "we the people."
We can only hope, with bated breath, that some few members of Congress will recognize the true loss that the people and the country have sustained in the death of Senator Byrd. And with that realization, that a few will put aside their pettiness and egos in favor of a bona fide effort to be the public servants that the country and the people deserve.
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