Senator Byrd was one of my heroes. Read obituaries here and here. Addendum from Freemasons for Dummies
Byrd was a member of Mountain Lodge No. 156 in Coal City, West Virginia, as well as the West Virginia Valley of the Scottish Rite (SJ), and the Beni Kedem Shrine in Charleston.
On March 19, 2003, Mr. Byrd delivered the first of what became regular attacks on the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq. "Today I weep for my country," he said in a speech on the Senate floor. "I have watched the events of recent months with a heavy, heavy heart. No more is the image of America one of strong yet benevolent peacekeeper. The image of America has changed.
"Some senators, in the course of their careers, make their reputations as authorities on the armed service, on taxation, on foreign relations, on housing, on science and technology, on medical care," journalist and author Milton Viorst wrote in 1967 in Washingtonian magazine. "Sen. Robert C. Byrd has made his reputation as an authority on the mating habits of Washington's underprivileged."
Mr. Byrd drastically cut the welfare rolls, even as he supported a higher federal contribution to the city and championed public schools, playgrounds, swimming pools and libraries.
R.I.P. Senator, you will be missed.
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