Jesse Helms Dies

[Bangkoktraveler]

Jesse Helmes did have some good ideas. It is men like him and men like Ted Kennedey that provide diverse ideas for Congress to ponder upon. With Jess Helmes gone, a vacuum will be left, very similar to what will happen when Ted Kennedy goes.

[Old Hippie]

In fairness, when Teddy K goes, I will say the same thing I said about Jessie...

[Torneyboy]

Yes ..only 41

[Bangkoktraveler]

Old Hippie said [color:red]"In fairness, when Teddy K goes, I will say the same thing I said about Jessie... "[/color]

 

I got to agree with you, [color:red]"It's about time!"[/color] LOL

 

Tell me, of all days, why would he die on the Fourth of July?

[Flashermac]

I wasn't particularly an admirer of Jesse Helms, but I was fascinated by him. He was one of the few senators who would stand up for what he really believed, no matter what it cost him.

 

<< "I had sought election in 1972 to try to derail the freight train of liberalism that was gaining speed toward its destination of government-run everything, paid for with big tax bills and record debt," Helms wrote in his 2005 memoir, "Here's Where I Stand."

 

"My goal, when my wife, Dot, and I decided I would run, was to stick to my principles and stand up for conservative ideals." >>

 

<< "It has always been my contention," he wrote in his memoir, "that there is no sense in being in office if you don't have the courage to do what is right, even if it is the most unpopular position in the world." >>

 

 

Unfortunately ...

 

<< David Broder, a widely respected political columnist for The Washington Post, called Helms "the last prominent unabashed white racist politician in this country."

 

"What is unique about Helms â?? and from my viewpoint, unforgivable â?? is his willingness to pick at the scab of the great wound of American history, the legacy of slavery and segregation, and to inflame racial resentment against African Americans," Broder wrote shortly after Helms announced that he wouldn't seek re-election in 2002. >>

 

Sounds a bit like Bill Clinton campaigning for Hillsie.

 

 

 

[rogueyam]

No, I don't think the word "bigot" is justified either.

 

Here's what the leader of the free world said today about Senator Helms:

 

Laura and I are deeply saddened by the passing of our good friend and a great American: Senator Jesse Helms. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Dot, and all the members of the Helms family.

 

Throughout his long public career, Senator Jesse Helms was a tireless advocate for the people of North Carolina, a stalwart defender of limited government and free enterprise, a fearless defender of a culture of life, and an unwavering champion of those struggling for liberty. Under his leadership, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was a powerful force for freedom. And today, from Central America to Central Europe and beyond, people remember: in the dark days when the forces of tyranny seemed on the rise, Jesse Helms took their side.

 

Jesse Helms was a kind, decent, and humble man and a passionate defender of what he called â??the Miracle of America.â? So it is fitting that this great patriot left us on the Fourth of July. He was once asked if he had any ambitions beyond the United States Senate. He replied: â??The only thing I am running for is the Kingdom of Heaven.â? Today, Jesse Helms has finished the race, and we pray he finds comfort in the arms of the loving God he strove to serve throughout his life.

 

A nice tribute to a good man.

 

And here is Senator Helms himself on the subject of leftist charges of bigotry directed at him:

 

In some quarters, you are considered anti-black. What do you say?

 

Of course I am not anti-black, and any number of African-American friends and Capitol Hill staffers who have known me over the years would be happy to set that record straight. I have always been opposed to violence from any quarter; to unconstitutional quotas; and to politicians who try to rob people of their ability to dream their own dreams and reach their own goals through their own efforts by selling them the lie that they canâ??t succeed without the government running their lives. I have always believed that the American Dream is the birthright of every American and that the free-enterprise system is the route to secure that dream.

 

Leftists charged Senator Helms with racism not because he was anti-black but rather because he was pro-capitalism. Leftists have concluded that the most effective way to promote socialism is to try to discredit capitalists on other grounds. That is all that is behind your hatred for and slander of the great patriot and good man, Sen. Jesse Helms. May God bless and keep him.

[Julian2]

Old Hippie said [color:red]"In fairness, when Teddy K goes, I will say the same thing I said about Jessie... "[/color]

 

I got to agree with you, [color:red]"It's about time!"[/color] LOL

 

Tell me, of all days, why would he die on the Fourth of July?

Maybe his wife cut a movie deal for his memoirs, renamed "Died on the Fourth of July"

[Flashermac]

I hardly think Jesse Helms would have chosen to die on the anniversary of the day Vicksburg surrendered.

 

 

 

[Steve]

All long time politicians are remembered fondly. Their colleagues do not 'kick the dead'. No one discusses Nixon's issues, but his triumphs. Johnson is remembered kindly despite escalating the Vietnam war. Same with senators and congressmen who served a long time. Heck, even J. Edgar Hoover, as unabased racist, homophobe (even though some say he was actually gay) has the FBI building named after him and is remembered as the one who built the FBI moreso than the individual who almost singlehandedly help weaken and almost destroy civil liberties and privacy of Americans.

 

Helms is no different. As is the tradition, someone with his length of service will be remembered fondly. Strom Thurmond, Ted Kennedy, Newt Gingrich and others who have their many detractors will be remembered by the same fondly. Frankly, I didn't find anything profound about his views on the middle east in that link. In fact, I'd disagree with some of it. We shouldn't be such a strong ally of Saudi Arabia I think. We're too close. Do business with them, seek their help or advice on issues in the region but we've overlooked a lot of their faults to our detriment that resulted in a small part for 911.

 

Helms is seen by some as one of those southern conservatives whose conservatism, professions of patriotism, etc. is used as an excuse for intolerance.

 

He was polariziing. He gave no indication from what I can tell that he refuted the views he held pre '60s. Senator Byrd of West Virginia did. Strom Thurmond, Jesse Helms, Jerry Falwell (who preached segregationist christianity pre Civil Rights) and others did nothing to show they were about inclusion. Helms and I opposed some of the same things but I think for vastly different reasons.

 

Clinton cut welfare but no one would accuse him of doing it because he held old school southern views on those it would affect.

 

Extremists like Helms and Kennedy do have a place. You need them (but not too many of them) on both sides of an issue at times to ask the tough questions that seems to be left out of the debate but you don't hand them the keys to the car.

 

An America modeled after Helms views on things would be a scary place.

 

 

[Al]

at least there was one part of Strom Thurman's body that wasn't prejudiced.