• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

KKK license plate???

Nazi's are part of Germany's history, but you dont see them putting swastikas everywhere, in fact, that crap is now illegal over there.


Keep in mind that my paternal heritage is 50% russian jew, 50% german jew and 100% annihilated in "the old country".


Because of that revulsion and revisionism, it takes 50 years for the courage and contribution of Oskar Schindler and probably thousands like him STILL unknown to come to light. I believe that to be sad, wrong and a missed opportunity for all.

Seriously, what was done to the native Americans is worse than ANYTHING that ever happened to the jews. Pull down your flag, fold it up and put it away until you resolve that issue. The suffering of that group of individuals continues largly ignored to this very day so, while you're at it don't you dare stand up and beat your holier than thou chest or point your hypocritical finger at anything but a mirror.

Will you next tell Egypt that they have no right to celebrate their heritage because they enslaved the chosen people?

Will you tell me I can do nothing but apologize endlessly for my Jewish heritage because my people killed your Christ?

Where does it end? When does it end?

It ends when people stop trying to mob up and tell another group of people how they should think or live and spend their free time improving their own circumstance.

IMHO YMMV
 
what does a john Deere sticker signify where you live? everywhere I've been it's nothing more than a pretty good indicator the owner of the vehicle also owns or operates a tractor...do you assume people who grow your food or cotton for your textiles are dolts? seems harsh

I just read the post you quoted.
Wow, Curtybob - that was more than a little ignorant IMO. So "John Deere" tractors, camo and deer stickers allow you to completely judge a person? And how does that make you different from someone who judges someone based on skin color let's say?
Not accusing you of racism, just pointing out that your statement should maybe be a little better qualified?

Yeah... maybe too harsh for sarcasm. In defense of my horrible humor, most people here that display "LungBuster" stickers, various tractor insignia, paint their 4 wheel drive vehicles with camo and install super loud glass packs on the exhaust, and make a habit of sprinkling deer piss on their person to attract deer somehow, are mostly redneck wannabes... if that makes sense.

Also, the gyros thing just happened today. I said that I was thinking about going to a little gyros joint here in town, and someone tried to correct me. They were wrong, but it stuck in the front of my brain all damn day.
 
Whats up with peeople in the South not letting go of the war?? For chrissake....

I dont see any Hitler stickers on cars in Germany......in Germany they are quite embarrased of their political past. Maybe some of the US should take note.
 
Well, let me put this scenario forth. What if American Nazi groups wanted to put out a license plate honoring Hitler?

If they made their own Hitler liscense plate... then they constitutionally have the right to use it. Doesnt matter what anyone else thinks.

BUT, if it was a State/Government issued plate..... well there may be quite a problem with that
 
It ends when and where it ceases to become a useful political tool.

For anyone. Including racist whites looking to stir up trouble and racist blacks trying to perpetuate white guilt.

Both are equally wrong.

And to address the original, incorrect post, the proposed license plate is not a KKK plate. It's a plate honoring a confederate general.

From Wikipedia:

In the early 1940s, Byrd recruited 150 of his friends and associates to create a new chapter of the Ku Klux Klan.[9]
According to Byrd, a Klan official told him, "You have a talent for leadership, Bob ... The country needs young men like you in the leadership of the nation." Byrd later recalled, "suddenly lights flashed in my mind! Someone important had recognized my abilities! I was only 23 or 24 years old, and the thought of a political career had never really hit me. But strike me that night, it did."[9] Byrd held the titles Kleagle (recruiter) and Exalted Cyclops.[9] When it came time to elect the "Exalted Cyclops", the top officer in the local Klan unit, Byrd won unanimously.[9]
In 1944, Byrd wrote to segregationist Mississippi Senator Theodore G. Bilbo:[17]
“ I shall never fight in the armed forces with a Negro by my side ... Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds. ”

— Robert C. Byrd, in a letter to Sen. Theodore Bilbo (D-MS), 1944, [9][18]
In 1946 or 1947, Byrd wrote a letter to a Grand Wizard stating, "The Klan is needed today as never before, and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia and in every state in the nation."[19] However, when running for the United States House of Representatives in 1952, he announced "After about a year, I became disinterested, quit paying my dues, and dropped my membership in the organization. During the nine years that have followed, I have never been interested in the Klan." He said he had joined the Klan because he felt it offered excitement and was anti-communist.[9]
In 1997, Byrd told an interviewer he would encourage young people to become involved in politics but also: "Be sure you avoid the Ku Klux Klan. Don't get that albatross around your neck. Once you've made that mistake, you inhibit your operations in the political arena."[20] In his last autobiography, Byrd explained that he was a KKK member because he "was sorely afflicted with tunnel vision —a jejune and immature outlook—seeing only what I wanted to see because I thought the Klan could provide an outlet for my talents and ambitions."[21] Byrd also said, in 2005, "I know now I was wrong. Intolerance had no place in America. I apologized a thousand times ... and I don't mind apologizing over and over again. I can't erase what happened."[9]


Are you going to pitch a fit every time Robert Byrd, the late (and damn near permenant) senator from West Virginia is honored? There is NO DOUBT he was an "Exalted Cyclops" in the Klan. And it's a mighty stretch to try to make the case that he was an "Exalted Cyclops" in the 40's and did not witness, condone, or participate in violence against black Americans. Where's all the indignation and outrage? Y'all who are doing the shouting are mighty selective about who and what you shout about. You might want to do some soul searching there.

I'm not saying I support the license plate idea at all. I'm just amazed how everyone comes out of the woodwork with their favorite, incorrect version of history and attacks the very idea, truth and history be dammed.
 
Smokin' Toaster said:
For anyone. Including racist whites looking to stir up trouble and racist blacks trying to perpetuate white guilt.

Both are equally wrong.

And to address the original, incorrect post, the proposed license plate is not a KKK plate. It's a plate honoring a confederate general.

From Wikipedia:

In the early 1940s, Byrd recruited 150 of his friends and associates to create a new chapter of the Ku Klux Klan.[9]
According to Byrd, a Klan official told him, "You have a talent for leadership, Bob ... The country needs young men like you in the leadership of the nation." Byrd later recalled, "suddenly lights flashed in my mind! Someone important had recognized my abilities! I was only 23 or 24 years old, and the thought of a political career had never really hit me. But strike me that night, it did."[9] Byrd held the titles Kleagle (recruiter) and Exalted Cyclops.[9] When it came time to elect the "Exalted Cyclops", the top officer in the local Klan unit, Byrd won unanimously.[9]
In 1944, Byrd wrote to segregationist Mississippi Senator Theodore G. Bilbo:[17]
" I shall never fight in the armed forces with a Negro by my side ... Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds. "

-- Robert C. Byrd, in a letter to Sen. Theodore Bilbo (D-MS), 1944, [9][18]
In 1946 or 1947, Byrd wrote a letter to a Grand Wizard stating, "The Klan is needed today as never before, and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia and in every state in the nation."[19] However, when running for the United States House of Representatives in 1952, he announced "After about a year, I became disinterested, quit paying my dues, and dropped my membership in the organization. During the nine years that have followed, I have never been interested in the Klan." He said he had joined the Klan because he felt it offered excitement and was anti-communist.[9]
In 1997, Byrd told an interviewer he would encourage young people to become involved in politics but also: "Be sure you avoid the Ku Klux Klan. Don't get that albatross around your neck. Once you've made that mistake, you inhibit your operations in the political arena."[20] In his last autobiography, Byrd explained that he was a KKK member because he "was sorely afflicted with tunnel vision --a jejune and immature outlook--seeing only what I wanted to see because I thought the Klan could provide an outlet for my talents and ambitions."[21] Byrd also said, in 2005, "I know now I was wrong. Intolerance had no place in America. I apologized a thousand times ... and I don't mind apologizing over and over again. I can't erase what happened."[9]

Are you going to pitch a fit every time Robert Byrd, the late (and damn near permenant) senator from West Virginia is honored? There is NO DOUBT he was an "Exalted Cyclops" in the Klan. And it's a mighty stretch to try to make the case that he was an "Exalted Cyclops" in the 40's and did not witness, condone, or participate in violence against black Americans. Where's all the indignation and outrage? Y'all who are doing the shouting are mighty selective about who and what you shout about. You might want to do some soul searching there.

I'm not saying I support the license plate idea at all. I'm just amazed how everyone comes out of the woodwork with their favorite, incorrect version of history and attacks the very idea, truth and history be dammed.

I'd love to see some quotes by black political figures that they were ok with Byrd's past. I've never seen one.

The Democratic establishment ignored Byrd's past, that is different from saying that he was accepted by everyday black folks.
 
I'd love to see some quotes by black political figures that they were ok with Byrd's past. I've never seen one.

The Democratic establishment ignored Byrd's past, that is different from saying that he was accepted by everyday black folks.

Ask and ye shall receive; does the name Benjamin Todd Jealous ring a bell?

On Monday (6/28/2010) the organization released a statement from NAACP President and Chief Executive Benjamin Todd Jealous claiming that Byrd’s life “reflects the transformative power of this nation.”

Jealous goes on to say that Byrd, who once asserted that it was an affront to dignity to ask white men to serve alongside blacks during World War II, “went from being an active member of the KKK to a being a stalwart supporter of the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and many other pieces of seminal legislation that advanced the civil rights and liberties of our country.”

A stalwart supporter of the Civil Rights Act? Not only did Byrd vote against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, he filibustered it for almost three months. He also opposed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In 1999, Byrd voted to increase the penalties for drug-related crimes, even thought statistics reveal that such penalties disproportionately affect African Americans. In 1997, he voted against a voucher program for D.C.; when the program passed almost a decade later despite his objections, it ended up helping African-American students in ways that the District’s failed public schools could not. Byrd also voted against granting D.C. statehood, which many D.C. residents argue would provide the District’s majority African-American population with much-needed congressional representation. And he voted against repealing the death tax, which makes it difficult for inner city residents, among others, to inherit family assets.

So what exactly did the NAACP praise Byrd for?

“He stood with us on many issues of crucial importance to our members from the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, the historic health-care legislation of 2010 and his support for the Hate Crimes Prevention legislation.”

In other words, anathemic entitlement programs and wrong-headed legal theories that weigh identical violent crimes more heavily if a perpetrator happens to have extra hate in his or her heart.

“Senator Byrd was a master of the Senate Rules, and helped strategize passage of legislation that helped millions of Americans,” the NAACP release reads. “He will be sorely missed.”


Then there's this guy named Barack Obama: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/02/obama-biden-clinton-to-pay-tribute-to-sen-byrd/

Did you even look before you posted that Cheese? And I never asserted that Byrd was OK with "everyday black folks". (doesn't that imply a stereotype, or at least some prejudice, or at least promote a concept that black people think monolithically?) I just wanted to ask all the people, white and black, who are so incredibly vocal about this proposed license tag, where are you (and where were you) on Exalted Cyclops Byrd?

Could we have some VERY SELECTIVE outrage here? Can you explain that to me? Or will we have some verbal slight of hand and a quick change of subject?


How many forums have you posted in flaming Byrd, or Jealous, or Obama for their blatant support of this former Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan? Did you react as quickly when you discovered his past as you did to the proposed Mississippi License plate? If not, why not?
 
Smokin' Toaster said:
Ask and ye shall receive; does the name Benjamin Todd Jealous ring a bell?

On Monday (6/28/2010) the organization released a statement from NAACP President and Chief Executive Benjamin Todd Jealous claiming that Byrd’s life “reflects the transformative power of this nation.”

Jealous goes on to say that Byrd, who once asserted that it was an affront to dignity to ask white men to serve alongside blacks during World War II, “went from being an active member of the KKK to a being a stalwart supporter of the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and many other pieces of seminal legislation that advanced the civil rights and liberties of our country.”

A stalwart supporter of the Civil Rights Act? Not only did Byrd vote against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, he filibustered it for almost three months. He also opposed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In 1999, Byrd voted to increase the penalties for drug-related crimes, even thought statistics reveal that such penalties disproportionately affect African Americans. In 1997, he voted against a voucher program for D.C.; when the program passed almost a decade later despite his objections, it ended up helping African-American students in ways that the District’s failed public schools could not. Byrd also voted against granting D.C. statehood, which many D.C. residents argue would provide the District’s majority African-American population with much-needed congressional representation. And he voted against repealing the death tax, which makes it difficult for inner city residents, among others, to inherit family assets.

So what exactly did the NAACP praise Byrd for?

“He stood with us on many issues of crucial importance to our members from the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, the historic health-care legislation of 2010 and his support for the Hate Crimes Prevention legislation.”

In other words, anathemic entitlement programs and wrong-headed legal theories that weigh identical violent crimes more heavily if a perpetrator happens to have extra hate in his or her heart.

“Senator Byrd was a master of the Senate Rules, and helped strategize passage of legislation that helped millions of Americans,” the NAACP release reads. “He will be sorely missed.”

Then there's this guy named Barack Obama: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/02/obama-biden-clinton-to-pay-tribute-to-sen-byrd/

Did you even look before you posted that Cheese?

How many forums have you posted in flaming Byrd, or Jealous, or Obama for their blatant support of this former Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan? Did you react as quickly when you discovered his past as you did to the proposed Mississippi License plate? If not, why not?

I actually said find a post of blacks who were ok with Byrd's past. You showed nothing that showed approval of what he did as a segregationist. What you showed were politicians willing to work with someone who would help them.

I don't write any posts flaming political figures since that is a violation of TB rules.