Jesse Helms: 1921 – 2008
Well done, thy good and faithful servant. Enter into thy rest that hast been prepared for thee.
Our old friend Bob was kind enough to notify me of the passing of Jesse Helms. Truly the end of an era
…Wish I’d had the honor of shaking his hand and thanking him for all he’d done on behalf of decent, traditional Americans.
Like Jefferson and Adams, gone on our nation’s birthday.
Indeed, for a patriot, the Fourth of July is a good day to die. The great conservative icons are passing one by one, and “Senator No” is just the latest of them.
Thank you Senator for your service to your country and unyielding dedication to principle no matter what the consequences. You will be missed.
U.S. Senator and Conservative Champion Dies
“Jesse Helms was one of the most consequential figures of the 20th century. Along with Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan, he helped establish the conservative movement and became a powerful voice for free markets and free people. The defeat of Soviet communism and the rise of Ronald Reagan would not have happened without his intrepid leadership at decisive times.
He was the longest serving U.S. senator from North Carolina and a great friend… Although America has lost a great Patriot, his legacy will live on.”
gurusteve
E the Wise
DFV the Scribe
Andre the Defiant
Wes
pg - your humble messenger
hairybeast
Drowning Creek
Sting the Away
For 30 years, Jesse Helms has been the conscious of our party– Trent Lott
I would hope that the statement from Lott was not true, but by that glowing obit from Dave it makes me wonder. I think these quotes accredited to Helms say it all….
“No, I do not. And neither do the people in the armed forces. Mr. Clinton better watch out if he comes down here. He’d better have a bodyguard.”
– When asked in 1994 on CNN if he thought President Clinton was “up to the job” of serving as Commander-in-Chief
“Let me adjust my hearing aid. It could not accommodate the decibels of the Senator from Massachusetts. I can’t match him in decibels or Jezebels.”
– After Ted Kennedy made an emotional speech to let foreigners with HIV become US citizens, 1993.
“The New York Times and Washington Post are both infested with homosexuals themselves. Just about every person down there is a homosexual or lesbian.”
– 1995
“The University of Negroes and Communists”
– Reference to the University of North Carolina devised by Mr. Helms when he worked for Willis Smith’s 1950 U.S. Senate campaign.
“All I know is that D’Aubuisson is a free enterprise man and deeply religious.”
– Responding to evidence that Roberto D’Aubuisson directed Salvadoran death squads that murdered thousands of civilians.
“Your tax dollars are being used to pay for grade-school classes that teach our children that CANNIBALISM, WIFE-SWAPPING and MURDER of infants and the elderly are acceptable behavior.”
– Fund raising mailer, 1996
“All Latins are volatile people. Hence, I was not surprised at the volatile reaction.”
– After Mexicans protested his visit in 1986
“It’s their deliberate, disgusting, revolting conduct that is responsible for the disease.”
– Justifying his refusal to give financial support to families of AIDS victims.
“Homosexuals are weak, morally sick wretches.”
– 1995 radio broadcast
“She’s a damn lesbian. I am not going to put a lesbian in a position like that. If you want to call me a bigot, fine.”
– Explaining why he was opposing the appointment of a woman for a cabinet post.
“They should ask their parents if it would be all right for their son or daughter to marry a Negro.”
– In response to Duke University students holding a vigil after Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, 1968
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“Indeed, for a patriot, the Fourth of July is a good day to die.”
Patriot, my ass. Try Bigot. Nice Christian fellow, that Helms. Jesus would be so proud. He’s got some splainin to do at the pearly gates.
He was a bigot and homophobic ass, Dave, not a patriot. Being a Southerner, He represented everything about the stereotyped Southern redneck that I despise.
Jeff
July 4, 2008 at 12:59 pm
(: FYI – All pre-1972 quotes were made when Jesse Helms was a Democrat. He, like Reagan, was a Democrat who wised up,l saw the light and switched parties.
You and I both know that pulling quotes from the 1950’s is ridiculous, and many democrats in congress including KKK Byrd would be in big trouble if that was the standard used. And not compromising on traditional Judeo-Christian values is hardly bothersome to conservatives. I didn’t agree with everything he said or did, nor do I with most people, but we look at the whole of a man’s life and his was a heck of a life. I salute his staunch opposition to communism and Castro, abortion and homosexuality. The giants of conservativism range from Buckley to Reagan, from Heston to Helmes to Goldwater. They all brought different strengths and weaknesses to the Cause, but they all are indispensible to the movement in many, many ways. Helms was indispensible to the rise of Ronald Reagan and that alone is worthy of praise.
He never compromised, was never apologetic, and was completely unafraid of the media or even his Republican critics. In an era of political whores and sell outs, he rejected their moral relativism and secular humanism. He was hardcore, and for us “children of the eighties” he was that ‘old man’ who stuck to his guns no matter what. And hence, there is always that subtle hint of admiration for a man who always brought a smile to our faces with his rejection of political correctness and squishy Republicanism.
Dave - the Infidel Sage
July 4, 2008 at 3:30 pm
The 1950’s were one thing, 1995 is another. He’s was an unapologetic racist and bigot. Byrd actually admitted he was wrong. Helms went to his grave a racist bigot. If there is a Jesus, I doubt he would have approved of Helms’ intolerant leanings. Love thy neighbor and those lesser than us and all that, right? Jesus supposedly chose to associate with thieves and prostitutes. Jesus supposedly loved those that society shunned because he felt those were the ones that needed him most. Jesse never extended a hand to those he loathed. He hated them, openly and quite verbally. He did everything within his power to make them feel “lesser” than the himself.
Helms, to his grave, embodied hate and intolerance. There is no excuse for his actions beyond ignorance. At least Byrd recognized himself as an idiot in his outdated beliefs. I still don’t care for the man, but he admitted his faults. He asked for forgiveness in a public forum.
The world is a better place without men like Helms spreading their bigotry. Surely you don’t approve of his rants in the 90’s, do you? Do you think gays leads a “wretched” life?
If there is a God of the Bible like Helms believed, I hope he gets the judgment he has coming.
Don’t denigrate the word patriot by associating some one like Helms with the title. His twisted view of America is not what this country stands for and I question those who think it is.
UPDATE: OK I did a little research and read this from the Washington Post: Maybe Jesse changed some of his beliefs
from : http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2008/07/judgment_and_jesse_helms.html?hpid=artslot
So Dave, I was wrong. I think he finally was getting what life is all about. It’s all about freedom to pursue what make us happy in this country within the confines of the Constitution. I hope he was at peace with himself. It seems he was on the right path.
I also hope now that he changed his ways he is the conscious of his party.
Drowning Creek
July 4, 2008 at 6:24 pm
A side of Helms which will probably be missed as this makes the media rounds:
“Helms and his wife, Dorothy, had two daughters and a son. They adopted the boy in 1962 after the child, 9 years old and suffering from cerebral palsy, said in a newspaper article that he wanted parents.”
Dave - the Infidel Sage
July 4, 2008 at 9:56 pm
I can add little to the obit of Helms. The combined thoughts of Dave and Downing Creek summarize well my thoughts. It is certainly fair to hold the man to account for his statements. It is also necessary to give the man his due. The later Helms retreats on AIDS and other issues are revealing, and allow us to give him the benefit of the doubt, on some things.
I would add that he was a stalwart anti-communist and his leadership of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during the Reagan/Bush/Clinton years was mostly stellar and can definitely be described as being instrumental in the US cold war victory and beyond.
DFV the Scribe
July 5, 2008 at 1:17 am