Robert C Byrd: "We Stand Passively Mute."

five_horizons

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Mon Jun-28-10 08:53 AM
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Robert C Byrd: "We Stand Passively Mute."

IMO, Senator Byrd's finest moment. One of the most important speeches in the history of the US Senate.

And he was ignored.

Robert C Byrd: "We Stand Passively Mute."

To contemplate war is to think about the most horrible of human experiences. On this February day, as this nation stands at the brink of battle, every American on some level must be contemplating the horrors of war.

Yet, this Chamber is, for the most part, silent -- ominously, dreadfully silent. There is no debate, no discussion, no attempt to lay out for the nation the pros and cons of this particular war. There is nothing.

We stand passively mute in the United States Senate, paralyzed by our own uncertainty, seemingly stunned by the sheer turmoil of events. Only on the editorial pages of our newspapers is there much substantive discussion of the prudence or imprudence of engaging in this particular war.

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eowyn_of_rohan

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Mon Jun-28-10 08:57 AM
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1. Delivered on February 12, 2003.

"To engage in war is always to pick a wild card. And war must always be a last resort, not a first choice. I truly must question the judgment of any President who can say that a massive unprovoked military attack on a nation which is over 50% children is "in the highest moral traditions of our country"."

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LaydeeBug

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Mon Jun-28-10 09:05 AM
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2. welcome to du five_horizons, I was happy to give this its fifth_rec. nt

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rainy

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Mon Jun-28-10 09:05 AM
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3. He made the most passionate speeches against that war. I used to cry

every time he got up to speak. I recorded some of them and I'll always remember how he stood on the floor for over 10 hours trying to "fight the good fight." He was so elegant in his words.
Here is how one speech started:

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it

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Hubert Flottz

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Mon Jun-28-10 09:14 AM
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4. Robert Byrd was not fooled like most of America by the neocon

Edited on Mon Jun-28-10 09:15 AM by Hubert Flottz

lies. He did his best to shine a light into the fog in Washington, after 9-11-2001. I wish the country would have listened to Senator Byrd instead of the right wing's lap dog barkers selling of the war in the MSM.

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RufusTFirefly

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Mon Jun-28-10 09:37 AM
Response to Reply #4

6. He long regretted his vote on the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution...

... and vowed not to be fooled again.

"This is the Tonkin Gulf resolution all over again. Let us stop, look and listen. Let us not give this president or any president unchecked power. Remember the Constitution." -- Sen. Robert Byrd, Oct. 2002

Let's go back to the war in Vietnam. I was here. I was one of the Senators who voted for the Gulf of Tonkin resolution. Yes, I voted for the Gulf of Tonkin resolution. I am sorry for that. I am guilty of doing that. I should have been one of the two, or at least I should have made it three, Senators who voted against that Gulf of Tonkin resolution. But I am not wanting to commit that sin twice, and that is exactly what we are doing here. This is another Gulf of Tonkin resolution. I am not going to vote for that this time. No. Don't count me in on that.

This is another Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

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chrstianmaldor

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Mon Jun-28-10 09:18 AM
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5. Byrd will be missed

He stood up against the Iraq War and sided with Democratic causes almost always. He was a lion that will be difficult to replace.

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Duppers

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Mon Jun-28-10 10:01 AM
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7. That's the Speech!

Heard it on C-span. I screamed, I applauded, I cried.

:thumbsup:

The old coot had brass cajones. He told truth to the powers that day.

RIP.

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Individualist

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Mon Jun-28-10 10:21 AM
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8. That was when I started referring to Sen. Byrd as The Senator.

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Catherina

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Mon Jun-28-10 08:30 PM
Response to Original message

9. Rec'd. That was one of the party's best moments. RIP dear Senator n/t

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