Goodbye Jesse Helms : Dispatches from the Culture Wars

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Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of Michigan Citizens for Science and co-founder of The Panda's Thumb. He has written for such publications as The Bard, Skeptic and Reports of the National Center for Science Education, spoken in front of many organizations and conferences, and appeared on nationally syndicated radio shows and on C-SPAN. Ed is also a Fellow with the Center for Independent Media and the host of Declaring Independence, a one hour weekly political talk show on WPRR in Grand Rapids, Michigan.(static)

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Goodbye Jesse Helms

Posted on: July 5, 2008 9:09 AM, by Ed Brayton

Jesse Helms died on the 4th of July and the nation celebrated with fireworks, BBQs and a day off for everyone. I can't think of a single nice to thing to say about him so I'll say accurate things instead. It is a matter of some dispute whether Helms' most obvious and prominent attribute was his ignorance or his bigotry. He was a malevolent voice for obscurantism and anti-modernism in every conceivable way. This was a man who, as late as 1995, was declaring that the Washington Post and the New York Times were "infested with homosexuals" and called gays "morally sick wretches." This is also the man who called the University of North Carolina the "university of negroes and communists" and who said, in response to vigils on college campuses by students in the wake of Martin Luther King's death, "They should ask their parents if it would be all right for their son or daughter to marry a Negro." No, I won't miss him, nor will the world. Rot in peace.

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George W. Bush said in a statement yesterday that Helms was "a kind, decent, and humble man," "a passionate defender of what he called 'the Miracle of America'," a "great patriot," and prayed "he finds comfort in the arms of the loving God he strove to serve throughout his life."

Which I found more telling of the speaker than his subject.

Posted by: Simon | July 5, 2008 9:27 AM

and prayed "he finds comfort in the arms of the loving God...

That sounds so gay.

Posted by: Herod the Freemason | July 5, 2008 9:31 AM

You know what disturbs me more then Helms?

The people who kept voting his ignorant, hateful ass into office.

Posted by: Athe the False | July 5, 2008 10:07 AM

Herod: God is the Butchest of all Bears.

Simon: Yep. So far Bush has had kind words for Putin (one of the most terrible dictators of the modern age and murder of Russian democracy, who continues to use the Russian mob to arrange hits against his political enemies throughout the world), Strom Thurmond (a man who's political philosophy came right out of the 1820's), and Jesse Helms, probably the last, after Dick Armey, KKK member to hold office. I don't think those words mean what he thinks they mean.

Posted by: Julian | July 5, 2008 10:09 AM

oops, that should read "murderer".

Posted by: Julian | July 5, 2008 10:11 AM

Actually, neither Helms nor Armey were members of the KKK (though Helms, at least, would not feel out of place there). The last KKK member to hold office is still in office, Sen. Byrd of West Virginia.

Posted by: Ed Brayton | July 5, 2008 10:35 AM

I blame him for, in part, allowing HIV/AIDS to go from a relatively contained disease to explode to a massive worldwide scourge. The Helms/Reagan "no homo-promo" policy of the 1980s was the absolute worst policy possible in keeping the disease under wraps.

Result of Helms' ideology - millions today infected.

Posted by: Royale | July 5, 2008 10:39 AM

really? Hmm, my sources are now questionable. To google!

Posted by: Julian | July 5, 2008 10:43 AM

As always, this is an opportunity to see a glass half full in a fucked up world...the older generation of irrational bigots dies off and the newer, progressive generation (the one that sees ever human being as an equal) takes its place. I rejoice today, and echo your "blessing"...may he rot (and I don't give a fuck whether it's in peace or not).

Posted by: paul | July 5, 2008 10:55 AM

Yep, you're right; a quick 10 min google search doesn't turn up anything binding either of them clearly to the KKK. Given his opinions, its clear where such a rumor would have started with Helms, but Armey seems to have been actively opposed to the KKK. Now I'm curious as to how and why word that he was a member got spread around east and central Texas. Looks like I've got a new research project!

Posted by: Julian | July 5, 2008 11:02 AM

My thoughts exactly. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Posted by: Sadie Morrison | July 5, 2008 11:13 AM

It's a shame Hunter S Thompson isn't still around to give Jesse Helms the send off he deserves. But you did the evil old *!* justice, Ed.

Posted by: Child of the 60s | July 5, 2008 11:39 AM

Helms was not directly involved with the KKK, but during the late 1950s the Citizen's Council printed articles by Helms in their publication. Helms usually resorted to redbaiting when discussing the civil rights movement. The only "positive" thing you could say about him was that maybe he actually believed his own rhetoric, which would make him an insensitive buffoon instead of a racist.

Posted by: Bill in NC | July 5, 2008 11:47 AM

I read the newspaper article about this in the presence of my mother and my 7 year old niece. Upon seeing the headline, I let out an unconscious "Hooray!", and got castigated by my mother. Then I had to explain to my niece how a man had just died who didn't want black people or gay people to have any rights. Then I had to explain what being gay means. Maybe next time I should read the newspaper for the first time in private.

Posted by: Gretchen | July 5, 2008 12:31 PM

Unlike various sub-human, right-wing bloggers who all but cheered the news of Ted Kennedy's recent brain diagnosis, all I can truly say on the event of Jesse Helms' death is nothing at all.

Posted by: CHV | July 5, 2008 1:05 PM

Reading the New York Times's rather studiedly anodyne obituary, I was reminded of the line from Chinatown about

"Politicians, ugly buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough."

For a more forthright view of Helms from a European newspaper, see here. A sample:

"Senator Jesse Helms, member of the US Senate's foreign relations committee for two decades and its chairman from 1995 to 2001, has died at the age of 86. To echo this newspaper's memorable comment on the death of William Randolph Hearst, it is hard even now to think of him with charity. From his earliest years, Helms's attitudes recalled those of an earlier southern bigot, Theodore Bilbo of Mississippi, who so outraged his Senate colleagues, that they eventually refused even to let him take his seat..."

Posted by: Child of the 60s | July 5, 2008 1:06 PM

As I said over at No Blood For Hubris' place:

I wish I could say something nice about racist, misogynistic hypocrite. No, I don't. Fuck Jesse Helms, he didn't die anything like soon enough.

I hope that isn't too harsh.

Posted by: democommie | July 5, 2008 2:02 PM

My only hope was that his death was slow and extremely painful.
Fuck off Jesse Helms, hope you burn in the hell of your own making. -DJ

Posted by: DingoJack | July 5, 2008 2:20 PM

"Why...won't...Jesse...Helms...just...hurry up and die?" --M.C. Hawking

Posted by: AL | July 5, 2008 2:27 PM

As one who lived as his constituent for eight years, I can only say that it is situations like these that make me entertain the notion of Hell long enough to enjoy the thought of him rotting there for eternity.

Posted by: Mr. Upright | July 5, 2008 3:10 PM

Its somehow fitting that though he died on July 4, the fireworks display at the NC State Fairgrounds was canceled due to rain. Almost as if Ma Nature didn't want anything to occur that could be construed as a salute to him.

Posted by: savagemutt | July 5, 2008 3:30 PM

What can I say about Jesse Helms that hasn't already been said, and better, most likely, than I could say it? Even after having lived in Texas for two years(where people with very similar attitudes exist, even today), I found it hard to believe that the people of North Carolina would keep reelecting this character. Yet they did. All I can say now is, I hope such a person will never serve in public office again.
Anne G

Posted by: Anne Gilbert | July 5, 2008 3:39 PM

What is amazing about this dickheads death is the way the rightwing blogs are propping him up as the epitome of conservatism.

Posted by: mgordon | July 5, 2008 4:02 PM

Anne: Cult of personality.

mgordon: Not amazing, there is no political consequence for praising bigots.

Posted by: Matthew | July 5, 2008 8:00 PM

Even when I was a conservative 20 years ago, I had no love nor respect for Jesse Helms. It's difficult for me to feel any Christian charity for such a bigot.

When I heard he'd died on the 4th of July, my first thought was: "Gee, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams have to be rolling over in their graves." (Two great who died exactly 50 years to the day after signing the Declaration of Independence.)

But to tell you of one good thing I always remember about that day, my mom's Uncle Sam was born on the 4th of July. In the 1920's, his parents were missionaries in Japan. Because he learned the language so well, he was an interpreter for the US during WWII. He served as an interpretrt on the USS Missouri when the peace treaty was being signed. So I had a beer last night and thought of this great-uncle I never had a chance to meet.

Posted by: Rev. AJB | July 5, 2008 11:15 PM

"He's gone where the goblins go..."

Posted by: khan | July 6, 2008 10:19 AM

CHV:

Unlike various sub-human, right-wing bloggers who all but cheered the news of Ted Kennedy's recent brain diagnosis, all I can truly say on the event of Jesse Helms' death is nothing at all.

Any links?

Posted by: Azkyroth | July 6, 2008 11:33 PM

I hope the news cameras manage to catch John McCain squirming with embarrassment when the Republicans pay tribute to Helms at their convention.

Posted by: Raging Bee | July 7, 2008 8:48 AM

Rot in peace.

Because the only thing worse that Jessie Helms is...ZOMBIE Jessie Helms!

Posted by: Shygetz | July 7, 2008 9:17 AM

As someone who grew up in NC in the 70's and 80's and worked for Harvey Gantt's campaigns against Helms, worked at the museum that showed Serrano's Piss Christ and suffered through too many of his years as my Senator I can say that I'm not necessarily glad he died, but I sure as hell am glad he's not alive any longer.

Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | July 7, 2008 9:19 AM

I would hope that Jesse Helms is buried in a way that reflects his value to mankind; but I doubt that they make a toilet that large.

Posted by: democommie | July 7, 2008 12:40 PM

Andrew Sullivan had an excellent suggestion: Write to your senators to support the legislation to remove the restrictions for non-US-citizen HIV patients to travel to and live in the US. It's a fittingly ironic legacy.

Details here

Posted by: Paul Lundgren | July 7, 2008 5:29 PM

I am reminded of Hitchen's epitaph for Jerry Falwell and feel it appropriate for the most recent late, "great" USian asshole:

If they had given him an enema before he died they could have buried him in a matchbox.

Posted by: MartinDH | July 7, 2008 8:12 PM

mgordon:

What is amazing about this dickheads death is the way the rightwing blogs are propping him up as the epitome of conservatism.

Speaking of dickheads, some mope of a reporter* from the Wall Street Journal appeared on NPR's Talk of the Nation to yammer about some puff-piece he wrote about how Helms was this epitome of "principled conservatism" and whatnot.

It's so nice to know of how principled his opposition to AIDS research funding was in hindsight, wasn't it? After all, "There is not one single case of AIDS in this country that cannot be traced in origin to sodomy", right?

*And knowing how the Journal has operated over the last few years, "reporter" in this case is probably equivalent to "editorial board hack".

(Many thanks to Wikipedia for refreshing my memory on how much of a complete asshole Helms was.)

Posted by: Chris Krolczyk | July 8, 2008 8:21 PM

A bit of an update:

The mope from the Wall Street Journal I mentioned in my previous comment is columnist John Fund, who - although the name doesn't ring a bell - seems to be very, very bereft of a clue. To wit:

"If Ronald Reagan was the sunny and optimistic face of modern conservatism, the uncompromisingly defiant exemplar of it was Jesse Helms," writes John Fund, a columnist for The Wall Street Journal, in his op-ed, How Jesse Helms Made a Difference."

Fund remembers the legacy and politics of the late former senator who died Friday, and how Helms' "career provides a blueprint for anyone who represents an embattled minority viewpoint.'

The only problem is that the recently deceased ass-chancre in question was especially "defiant" of anything resembling normal compassion, especially where african americans and victims of AIDS were concerned. And the reason he represented an "embattled minority viewpoint" is that there just aren't those many fans of the Inquisition around anymore.

More fun stuff on Helms from Wikipedia:

When Ryan White died in 1990, his mother went to Congress to speak to politicians on behalf of people with AIDS. She spoke to 23 representatives: Helms refused to speak to her even when she was alone with him in an elevator. Despite opposition by Helms, the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Care (CARE) Act passed in 1990.

Fun guy, eh?

And people like Fund get paid for this swill.

Posted by: Chris Krolczyk | July 8, 2008 8:56 PM

There is no value in being hateful to a dead person. I'm just glad that he's gone and he will no longer (directly) influence the politics of this country.

rest in oblivion Jesse (ok, just a little jab there at the end)

blurdo

Posted by: blurdo | July 11, 2008 12:33 AM