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Jesse Helms Is Dead

By TChris, Section Other Politics
Posted on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 11:05:45 AM EST
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The AP reports:

Former Sen. Jesse Helms, who built a career along the fault lines of racial politics and battled liberals, Communists and the occasional fellow Republican during 30 conservative years in Congress, died on the Fourth of July. He was 86.

We do not speak ill of the dead at TalkLeft, at least on the day of the death. Keep that in mind if you feel a need to comment.

RIP, Jesse Helms.

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    Jesse Helms Is Dead | 40 comments (40 topical)

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    Let my silence speak (5.00 / 7) (#1)
    by andgarden on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 11:12:48 AM EST


    Then I eagerly... (5.00 / 5) (#2)
    by Marco21 on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 11:28:30 AM EST
    await tomorrow.

    Jesse Helm is dead (5.00 / 5) (#3)
    by GOPmurderedconscience on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 11:38:02 AM EST
    Alright I'll be back tomorrow.

    Larry Harmon (5.00 / 7) (#4)
    by Lahdee on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 11:38:58 AM EST
    has also died.
    Larry Harmon, who bought the rights to the character Bozo the Clown and turned him into a show business staple that delighted children for more than a half-century, died Thursday at his home...

    I can't say what good effect Senator Helms had on children.

    We will never forget Bozo The Clown!! (5.00 / 3) (#12)
    by PssttCmere08 on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 12:03:30 PM EST
    He was an integral part of my childhood...R.I.P.

    Parent
    Nothing to say (5.00 / 5) (#5)
    by Cassius Chaerea on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 11:40:03 AM EST


    {{crickets}} (5.00 / 3) (#6)
    by byteb on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 11:43:46 AM EST


    We now have the title of his biography (5.00 / 5) (#7)
    by Pol C on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 11:44:06 AM EST
    Died on the Fourth of July

    You can take that any way you like.

    heh (none / 0) (#9)
    by andgarden on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 11:56:35 AM EST


    Parent
    Well, my son (5.00 / 3) (#8)
    by Molly Pitcher on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 11:50:40 AM EST
    found it wise to move from North Carolina to Massachusetts.

    I don't know, bluer every day (5.00 / 1) (#18)
    by DandyTIger on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 01:12:06 PM EST
    just like here in VA. I recommend all blue people to move down instead to change things for the better.

    Parent
    OK, (5.00 / 5) (#10)
    by samanthasmom on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 11:56:39 AM EST
    here is my favorite Jesse Helms story. Back in the early nineties I spent a few years teaching high school.  Senator Helms was a strong proponent of abstinence only sex education. As part of his commitment to that cause, he had a series of posters created and sent out to some high schools as a pilot project.  IIRC, he did it at his own expense. Our high school received some of them. A couple of the kids were helping us unpack the box they were in.  One of the poster's slogan was, "Pet your dog not your date". The kids wanted to know what "Pet your date" meant. He must have hired someone as old as he was to design the posters. I think "petting" went out of style in the 50's. It gave the faculty who were over 40 a great laugh. RIP, Jesse.

    Jesse Helms....his job was to derail the (5.00 / 2) (#11)
    by PssttCmere08 on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 12:01:56 PM EST
    freight train of liberalism....gone now, but it will be a long time until he is forgotten; and not by choice.

    holding my tongue (5.00 / 2) (#13)
    by candideinnc on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 12:04:28 PM EST
    I won't say anything naughty, but North Carolina is a much nicer place to live today.

    I had a friend from NC (5.00 / 2) (#14)
    by Steve M on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 12:33:46 PM EST
    back in college who was a big Jesse Helms supporter, although he didn't seem particularly enamored with Helms', er, ideology.

    What motivated him most to support "Jesse" was that every six years, people from all around the country would try and tell North Carolina what to do, and he saw re-electing Helms as a way to tell them all to go shove it.

    I guess I can understand that point of view to an extent.  Anyway, may he rest in peace.

    thanks for the reminder (5.00 / 2) (#15)
    by thereyougo on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 12:35:29 PM EST
    Jesse Helms, Strom Thumond, Robert Byrd, Ted Stevens,I'm sure there are more, are good reasons for term limits in the Congress.

    Robert Byrd (5.00 / 3) (#32)
    by lentinel on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 06:00:06 PM EST
    I don't feel that Byrd belongs in that group.

    He actively and passionately tried to prevent the war in Iraq with an energy that was virtually unmatched in the Senate.

    He wrote a book, published before the war, detailing all the misinformation that was being meted out by the government and the media.

    He went on Larry King. He spoke truth to power at a time that was an important crossroads for us. On King's program, he outlined the lies that were being told to us. He spoke of the reality of Iraq.

    After he was finished, Larry's response was, "Weren't you in the KKK in the '20s?".

    Parent

    So the correct position on Iraq vindicates one (none / 0) (#40)
    by knowshon on Sat Jul 05, 2008 at 12:35:53 AM EST
    from being the Exalted Cyclops of the KKK.  Please expand on your thoughts and let us know what position(s) absolve one of lynching and the like.

    And to say that Robert Byrd had an 'energy' might be the funniest description of all-time.  The dopey racist falls asleep mid-sentence.

    Parent

    As if that will work (5.00 / 1) (#41)
    by BernieO on Sat Jul 05, 2008 at 06:32:45 AM EST
    If we have term limits I guarantee that corporations and groups like the oil industry will get their people to run, making sure they have the all the money they need to win and guaranteeing them that they will have an even better job when their term expires and their new guy is safely ensconced in the office. Term limits will only guarantee that moneyed interests will have an even greater stranglehold on government than they now do.

    As for Helms I predict all kinds of sickening blather about what a gentleman he was as if good manners made up for his hate-filled bigotry. We should not tolerate this out of respect for the dead.

    Parent

    Just saw this on Google News (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by deathofrock on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 12:49:12 PM EST
    Sen. Jesse Helms Dead at 86
    ABC News - 1 hour ago
    Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina, an ideological firebrand with a reputation as one of the Senate's most conservative lawmakers, died early this morning in Raleigh.
    Former Sen. Jesse Helms dies CNN
    Former Republican NC Sen. Jesse Helms dies at 86 The Associated Press
    International Herald Tribune - Winston-Salem Journal - New York Daily News - WRAL.com
    all 666 news articles »

    I think the bottom number is fitting for Jesse.  May he find as much peace where he is now as he's created for minorities and those seeking to have equal rights.

    WSWS on Jesse Helms (5.00 / 2) (#17)
    by Andreas on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 12:56:25 PM EST
    In 2001 the WSWS published this article:

    Jesse Helms to retire from US Senate:
    a career based on racism, bigotry and contempt for democratic rights
    By Patrick Martin, 31 August 2001

    Indeed! (5.00 / 1) (#29)
    by DeborahNC on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 04:20:20 PM EST


    Parent
    trying to stay positive (5.00 / 3) (#19)
    by DandyTIger on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 01:19:24 PM EST
    is very hard with JH. Let's see, well, he was a person. He occupied some space on this planet and in this country. He didn't personally assault me with a blunt instrument. Probably only because we never met. Ah, that's positive, we never met. He was never president. That's about all the positive things I can say.

    Jesse Helms (5.00 / 5) (#20)
    by bobbski on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 01:25:10 PM EST
    May he find the compassion in the afterlife that he denied to many in this life.

    An interesting aside to Jesse Helms' (5.00 / 1) (#35)
    by hairspray on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 07:10:14 PM EST
    story is the one about AIDS and Bono.  Bono took Helms to Africa to see the effects of that disease on so many unfortunate people, particularly the children.  After what must have been a painful experience, Helms admitted to his feelings of sorrow over the fate of these people and his misunderstanding of this issue for many years.  Good for him.  What I find so troubling is how many privileged people have so little understanding of what so many of the less fortunate go through day after day.

    Parent
    Hmmm (5.00 / 1) (#22)
    by Kitt on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 02:12:22 PM EST
    Wellll...it is a good thing to not speak ill of the dead on the day of their death. I'll saunter on by tomorrow then.

    Let Sen. Helms speak for himself. (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by wurman on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 02:27:00 PM EST
    "Democracy used to be a good thing, but now it has gotten into the wrong hands."

    In deference to the site rules, there is no other notable quote by Sen. Helms that could be posted here.

    Requiescat in pace.

    my sympathy to his family! (5.00 / 1) (#24)
    by hellothere on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 02:32:09 PM EST
    i didn't agree with his policies but i am sure his family feels the loss.

    He used to be my neighbor (5.00 / 2) (#25)
    by Burned on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 02:34:41 PM EST
    Two doors down on Caswell Street in Raleigh.
    I don't recall him giving us any personal trouble even though my mom was a single parent with a kelly green Mustang, two preteen girls, two cats, a barking dog and assorted gentlemen callers renting a house in a pretty nice neighborhood.
    Today, I'll give him that.

    Well there ya go! (none / 0) (#37)
    by talesoftwokitties on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 10:15:49 PM EST
    Some good in every one.  RIP, old scoundrel.

    Parent
    He was an interesting character (5.00 / 1) (#26)
    by kredwyn on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 02:51:55 PM EST
    with a flair for the dramatic...

    I think we must wait (5.00 / 1) (#27)
    by frankly0 on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 03:07:51 PM EST
    for Senator Helm's family and friends to praise his virtues.

    They alone might know what they might be.

    It's (5.00 / 1) (#28)
    by tek on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 03:21:34 PM EST
    so sad that he died on the fourth like Jefferson and John Adams.  My husband thinks he planned it!

    I won't speak ill of him... (5.00 / 1) (#30)
    by cag1970 on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 04:54:19 PM EST
    But I also won't speak kindly of him either.  And I'm not waiting until tomorrow to share my thoughts, for I may not be here tomorrow myself.

    The day Jesse Helms left the US Senate was the single most progressive day in the history of North Carolina.  He didn't represent me, didn't want to represent me, and I'm willing to bet the only black folks in this state to vote for that sorry so-and-so were outside the I-85 Crescent.  God help them, they don't know no better.

    Helms should be sentenced to spend Eternity with the very people he wouldn't give a flip about while he was here.  Until then, may he continue to roll in his grave while America continues to evolve--and the Republican regime that has ruined our country gets overthrown in November.

    So That's Why.... (5.00 / 2) (#31)
    by DoggieDaddy on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 04:58:43 PM EST
    There was a parade today!!!

    He had it coming... (5.00 / 1) (#33)
    by Grayheck on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 06:25:56 PM EST
    It's not suprising.  In 1981, Doctor Jones warned of the dangers that the Ark imposed...it is Helms fault for not heeding that warning...and that's what happens.  You die:

    http://www.socoolaz.com/article.cfm?articleID=30223

    Helms dead... (5.00 / 1) (#34)
    by desertswine on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 06:38:38 PM EST
    Well there's another good reason to wave the flag around today!

    I passed thru NC a few times, it was green and I liked it.

    That's all.

    In keeping with the restriction (5.00 / 1) (#36)
    by tree on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 09:19:07 PM EST
    on speaking ill of the dead, let me share my favorite blog comment (by "Little Brother") from a post at Greenwald's site.

    I'll limit myself to finding something good to say about Helms' demise. OK, here goes: at least he's off Obama's short list of post-partisan veep choices.


    No, it isn't fitting to speak (none / 0) (#38)
    by Radiowalla on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 10:20:14 PM EST
    ill of the dead.  If you are thinking of doing so, please just go here and let someone else do the work for you.

    drinking my tea... (none / 0) (#39)
    by weltec2 on Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 10:32:47 PM EST
    watching the screen...
    waiting...

    He once suggested that they build a wall around UNC so that their liberal views wouldn't infect the rest of the state. Hmm... I wonder if he realized that that also works the other way around.

    Jesse Helms Is Dead | 40 comments (40 topical)

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