| Former US Sen. Jesse Helms Dies |
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| by Tom McGregor | Fri, Jul 4, 2008, 12:31 PM |
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Former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, a North Carolina Republican, who became a champion for conservatives, died Friday at 86-years-old, the According to CNN, “Helms once said his job was to derail the freight train of liberalism. Conservatives admired him for his opposition to abortion and what he called, ‘indecent art’ …” In Helms served five terms in the Senate, but retired in 2003 after choosing not to seek a sixth term. At the time, President Bush said the Senate “was losing an institution.” He added, “Sen. Helms has been a tireless defender of our nation’s freedom and a champion of democracy abroad.” The Charlotte News & Observer, Helms’ hometown newspaper, lionized him in 2001 as one of the founders of the modern Republican Party. CNN quotes the newspaper as saying, “Helms helped broaden the party to include religious conservatives and people who drank not just Chablis but sweet tea, and who drove not just BMWs, but pick up trucks … In doing so, Helms played a pivotal role in moving the Republican Party – changing the GOP from the party of Gerald Ford and Nelson Rockefeller to the party of Ronald Reagan …” To read the entire article from CNN, link here:
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Comments (13)
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written by byx , July 05, 2008 Must've heard about the Satanic Ritual about two stories below.... Seriously - WHAT does this have to do with the City of Dallas???
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written by ElHombre , July 05, 2008 There is one, and only one, pity about his death. It came too soon. If he had stuck around just a few months longer, he would have been able to witness the swearing in of the nation's first African-American President. That would have been an appropriate sendoff for him. A reminder that the US is slowly moving beyond all the hatred and misery he caused for far too many folks for no other reason than the color of their skin.
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written by Byron George , July 05, 2008 ElHombre, I didn't know BHO was from Africa! I thought he was an American. I find it funny that you mention "for no other reason than the color of their skin." I agree that the color of one's skin has nothing to do with the type person he/she is. So why the African-American label?
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written by lkesnh , July 05, 2008 Of course liberals couldn't let this post go by without a negative comment about Helms. Liberal blogs like Huffington Post and Daily Kos won't even allow comments on posts about a Republican dying because all the comments from those "tolerant progressives" are disgusting insults towards the deceased.
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written by Paul Perry , July 05, 2008 North Carolina graced this country with a man who was a Senator, a man of character,and a patriot-- something that the State of Illinois is currently unfamiliar with.
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written by an average joe , July 05, 2008 Jessie Helms... I am sure few know and fewer remember that when he originally ran, he ran on a platform to fight career politicians. He said and I quote "If you can`t get it done the first time, then you don`t deserve a second chance". How long was he a career politician?
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written by Shamgar , July 05, 2008 It is amazing to me the complete inability some people have to maintain any kind of historical perspective. He was not a perfect man, but who is? You'll be hard pressed to find men who lived during the same time period he did who weren't impacted by racial issues. It's easy to sit here in 2008 and judge people for being "unenlightened" in 1950 - but you have no idea what it's like to grow up in a culture like that. Consider for a moment what our grandchildren will think of us when they are grown? What will we have learned by then which will cause us to be denigrated by their lack of historical perspective?
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written by jjc , July 06, 2008 Shamgar - My grandchildren are not going to comapre me to Jesse Helms. Not sure why enyone feeld the need to defend this person. He was not a good guy. In this world it is pretty clear who is part of the problem and who is part of the solution. Helms was clearly in the problem camp. There is your historical perspective.
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written by Shamgar , July 06, 2008 No, they won't. I never suggested they would. However, are you confident that you are absolutely correct in every position you hold? That nothing you believe is culturally influenced and prone to be seen as horrible and backwards 60 years from now? If you really believe you are, then I have a bridge for sale, and we should get in touch. As for why we feel the need to defend him it's because everyone deserves to get a fair shake. His errors do not outweigh the good he has done, and these should be kept in perspective. I do not advocate we ignore the errors, but I don't think we need to trumpet them and trample on the man's grave as some seem to be only too willing to do.
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written by Bob , July 06, 2008 I will allow Jesse Helms the same amount of charity and graciousness that he would allow to me, a gay, non-Christian man--which is to say, ABSOLUTELY NONE. His life was lived perpetrating his virulent brand of hatred, sometimes hidden behind a thin mask of courtliness, but make no mistake, he hated, and he acted on that hate to the detriment of many of his fellow human beings.
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written by Steve Heath , July 06, 2008 I met Senator Helms once - when I was in D.C. clerking for Congressman Bartlett when I was in law school. I was in an elevator with another person when Helms walked up to the elevator as the elevator operator called for him to come in. We were going up and Senator Helms was going down. Helms quickly ascertained this fact and apoligized and started to walk out. The elevator operator (who seemed to be somewhat mentally challenged)insisted that Helms come inside and that he would take him direcly to his destination. Helms meekly told him "No, I don't want to burden these folks. I'll take the next one." Helms walked away insisting that he would catch the next elevator, as the operator kept insisting that he he come inside. It was all quite humorous, but it was just one insignificant event which I will never forget, as it showed something admirable about his character that you don't always see with poiticians on the beltway. I never agreed with all of jesse's principles and beliefs, but like Ron Paul, you have to admire a man who has steadfast principles and sticks with them.
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written by An Average Joe , July 06, 2008 ummmmm.... Yeah..... My grandparents would have been totally offended by being compared to the likes of Jesse Helms. It´s one thing to be a biggot in 1950, it is entirely another to have sexual affair and try to cover them up. By all accounts he actually loved his mistress, but the fact he tried to deny the child is proof that he had priorities and was not a man on entegrity. I don´t knock Jesse Helms for being a repulican, I have quite a few R´s after my name as well, but as a man he was wanting... He should never have been allowed to represent the people for as long as he did... However, he was voted in, so I guess it really isn´t his fault was it? Write comment
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