They say a bad man never dies. You hear about someone in the news that has passed away and people interviewed will always say, “He was such a good man, always helping people, always looking out for others.” In the case of Senator Robert Byrd, I would argue that those people are wrong. His casket was carried into the Senate today for the beginning of a 36-hour ceremony bidding him farewell. Well I say good riddance.

For years, the black community has despised the “Rebel Yell” (the Confederate Flag for those not familiar), saying it was the epitome of a slap in the face, reminding them of the racial segregation and horrible treatment of slaves in the south. And if offended by the flag, that community should have been equally outraged by the late Senator Robert Byrd. Robert Byrd not only didn’t care about that segment of our society and their circumstances; he was a card carrying member of the Ku Klux Klan, rising to the position of Exalted Cyclops (I guess that’s the hood with only one hole cut in it). To say that he was an opportunistic racist is an understatement. In a letter to President Truman opposing the racial integration of the Armed Services, he vowed in 1948 that he would "…never submit to fight beneath that banner [the American flag] 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."

Senator Byrd looked at every contact he had within the ruling body of the United States as an opportunity to further himself and any agenda he deemed worthy at the given time. Granted, many early leaders of America were ignorant racists and many were members of the KKK; however, the fact that we allowed someone like Robert Byrd to hang around in power for so long, in my opinion, is either a screaming declaration how ignorant the voting public can be, or evidence of how broken the election system is.

In an interview with Fox News in 2001, Byrd used the term “White Ni---s.” It was later reported that he apologized for the term, however what he said was "In my attempt to articulate strongly held feelings, I may have offended people." That wasn’t an apology; that was an admission that simply states “I know you’re mad at my word choice, but I am an elite white southern senator and you’re not, so get over it.” And nothing more.

Robert Byrd was Old Guard. Dying at 92, wealthy, in America, he represented in my opinion much of what needs changing with regards to political leadership in this country. His "proud and illustrious"

career include filibustering for 14 hours against the Civil Rights Act of 1964; informing the FBI that he feels it's time that Martin Luther King, Jr., "met his Waterloo,"; he was the only senator to have voted against both black Supreme Court nominees. His voting actions on the Senate floor speak louder than his frail words of repentance.

While Mr. Byrd may not have crossed the street to keep the black man down, he didn't try to help him up either. This is not a man that deserves ticker tape parades to celebrate his life, but rather to celebrate the fact that thankfully another icon of that despicable era has died. As each of these "Old School" patrician dies off, the chances of having a truly integrated, strong, and balanced society comes more into focus. Don't confuse those white robes you're speaking to now Senator Byrd, with those you used to keep in your closet. Saint Peter may not be as forgiving as the US voter.