Conservative icon Jesse Helms dies

[NC_Nurse]

Source: wral.com


RALEIGH, N.C. — Jesse Helms, the firebrand U.S. senator whose outspoken, conservative views polarized North Carolina and U.S. voters for decades, died early Friday, according to John Dodd, president of the Jesse Helms Center.
He was 86.
His cause of death was not released.
Helms served five terms in the U.S. Senate, retiring in 2003 because of his faltering health. During his 30 years in Capitol Hill, the North Carolina Republican became a powerful voice for a conservative movement that was growing both in Congress and across the country, and he used his position to speak out against issues like gay rights, federal funding for the arts and U.S. foreign aid.

Read more: http://www.wral.com/news/local/politics/story/1755723 /

---

Finally.

[Midlodemocrat]

1. Uh, oh. This is gonna get ugly and fast.

[NC_Nurse]

5. Yep. Might as well get it over with...

Let the grave dancing commence...

[ret5hd]

196. Goddamned right...I'm dancing right now (i just heard a few minutes ago)

[Joe Bacon]

259. I love the UK Guardian's obit on this scumbag

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/04/usa

Roast in hell, Jesse!

[Zhade]

263. Fantastic commentary - truthful and brutal.

Fuck Helms - my only regret is he didn't wind up in prison where he belonged.

[Retired AF Dem]

6. I was so happy when the Tim death weekend was over

now have to put up with this. I Think I will get off my behind and get some grass cutting done.

[George II]

172. I doubt there will be nearly as much as when Russert died.

[Gormy Cuss]

14. Wow, I just read something shocking at the link.

He was a state champion tuba player in high school. There's a side of Helms that I didn't know.

[Midlodemocrat]

21. Wow. Who knew they had brass instruments in the Paleolithic era?

Hi, Gormy.

[Gormy Cuss]

39. Do you have any idea

how long it took to make a brass instrument back then?

[Midlodemocrat]

40. Series. I'm guessing a fortnight or two.

[The Doctor.]

86. They didn't have 'fortnights' either...

you don't want to know how long it took to make those.

[George II]

171. Just brass balls, and Helms had a HUGE set.

[Lance_Boyle]

267. unfortunately for the world, they were functional, and the damned thing

reproduced.

[Q3JR4]

237. Yeah I see that happening and I have

yet to read the rest of the thread.

I'm not going to say that I'm glad he's dead, nor am I going to dance on his grave. I am going to quietly think what I think without adding to what's currently flying around.

Q3JR4.

[Voltaire99]

269. Sorry, I was delayed due to 4th of July festivities.

However, below I have attempted to arouse Puritans into tizzies; I know how much you need it.

[tularetom]

2. Oh well

He was a carbon based life form.

[harmonicon]

80. really?!

I honestly would have never suspected. I have a lot of thinking to do now.

[Blaq Dem]

213. I thought he was already dead

The media kept mighty quiet about him.

[tledford]

219. His soul died the day before he was physically born.

As a life-long North Carolinian, I have no qualms whatsoever in stating that he was evil personified and the world would have been better off if he'd never been born.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

3. I thought he'd been dead long ago

Oh, well. More room for us.

[Arugula Latte]

69. I did too. I thought he'd croacked awhile ago, for some reason.

Wishful thinking, maybe ...

[Taverner]

104. That was Strom Thurmond, another racist asshole who died way to painlessly

[eShirl]

4. oh my

[opihimoimoi]

7. I recall that ugly dude.....he was a POS.....nuff said

[Endangered Specie]

8. fireworks anyone?

[Auggie]

79. Excellent idea. We should have them all over the country today.

[YDogg]

150. heh

[Connie_Corleone]

9. I thought he was already dead. Oh well. Good riddance.

The world is a better place without him.

[RedLetterRev]

158. He has been

but nobody's had the nerve to tell him for 40 years.

[Demonaut]

10. R.I.P Jesse

Condolences to his family

[santamargarita]

11. His damage is done!

-

[newmajority]

12. Goodbye Jesse

Tell Satan I said HELLo!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd62dptmpBk

[mac56]

13. My condolences to his family.

Before this gets too..well..you know.

[Crunchy Frog]

15. I'm just heartbroken...

over George Carlin's passing. I don't think I'll get over that one for a long time.

[NC_Nurse]

17. Me too. My husband was playing "Back in Town" last night...

made me wanna cry.

[Cassandra]

22. Perhaps Jesse was overcome by Carlin's death, as well....

but I seriously doubt it.
Helms is one person I won't miss at all. He caused a lot of hurt in his lifetime; that's nothing to celebrate, although I'm sure the media will try real hard.

[Sivafae]

134. It's just nice to know that the good ones, like Carlin, get to live long lives too. eom

[hlthe2b]

16. As they say in the South, if you have nothing nice to say.....

....crickets.....

[NC_Nurse]

19. Come sit by me.

[hlthe2b]

25. Ah, NC_Nurse

You must be just overwhelmed with grief.....


We feel your pain...(where are those dancing penguins when ya need em)

[NC_Nurse]

33. You can't imagine how frustrating it was that he ALWAYS won. We tried to

take him down SO many times. It was heartbreaking when he beat Gantt back in the 90's
after his racist campaigning...so yes, I'm glad he's gone.

[evilkumquat]

81. Mad Magazine Once Said it Best About Helms:

"What's more frightening than a powerful, racist, homophobic madman in the Senate?

The 250,000 people who voted for him."


I am paraphrasing, not knowing where to begin finding the exact issue and the exact quote, but the gist is the same.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: as an atheist, I'm almost disappointed that I can't believe in hell.

[defendandprotect]

115. I was also wondering about the area that kept him in office . . .

and who they'd be sending now . . .

On the other hand, since the death of Bill Buckley some interesting documents came tumbling

out which suggest that things are not always the way we imagine them ---

Evidently, the CIA was funneling money to Republicans in office thru Howard Hughes company

which provided front companies for them -- two of the Senators named were Sen. Strom

Thurmond and Sen. Gerald Ford.


The destroyers are always way ahead of us, aren't they?

[Athletic Grrl]

182. LOL NC Nurse!

I was just quoting Steel Magnolias earlier today.

As for Jesse, I'll see him in Hell.

[Sugar Smack]

246. I adore NC_Nurse!

[Thor_MN]

62. „

[yardwork]

98. That's why I'm reading this thread but not posting.

Wait, I just posted. Oh well. Crickets.

[Taverner]

106. Well, I for one am happy I'm not in the south

Enjoy feeding the worms and blowflies, Jesse!

[kentauros]

244. Or, say that not-so-nice character assassination

but just add "Bless her/his heart" onto the end of it and you really aren't saying anything "bad" about that person

[laststeamtrain]

18. First Bozo, now Jesse. Who's next?

I have my preferences.

[DissedByBush]

148. Jesse was a bozo

Or do you mean Bozo the Clown died? Now that would be sad.

[laststeamtrain]

200. I guess there's some clown controversy.

This guy died:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Harmon

[DissedByBush]

253. Now *that* death makes me sad. n/t

[Buns_of_Fire]

242. Now THAT'S sad. As Chuckles the Clown once said...

A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants.

Oh, yeah. Jesse. So long, dude.

[ensho]

20. good, hope he suffered a long and painful death

nt

[Retired AF Dem]

26. I just dont understand why some people

think we are such assholes.

[closeupready]

45. Don't know, don't give a shit.

n/t

[ensho]

84. what do you mean? please explain

nt

[Retired AF Dem]

105. Just be careful on what you wish on others

Karma can be a bitch.

[Zhade]

264. Yeah, because we should give a fuck about a racist like Helms.

I think the assholes are the ones who don't tell the truth about what a scumbag he was, thus giving him a pass just because he died.

[amb123]

23. Watch Fox, MSNBC, CNN show give 2 WEEKS coverage

"celebrating" the life of Jesse Helms! It'll all be about what a "great patriot" he was and how the "stinking Liberals were always out to get him!" Just you wait.

They'll make the coverage of Tim Russert look like a wet firecracker.

[Tutonic]

147. Maybe Alex Castellanos can run that "Hands" ad that he

cooked up against ole Harvey Gant. That showed that "boy" his place in North Carolina. Sort of like what Alex is busy preparing for the O man. Nobody should even care about the death of this racist "cracker".

[bean fidhleir]

24. And not beforetime, either. He disgraced North Carolina. (nt)

[Endangered Specie]

34. no kidding, we are much better off without him

[stillcool]

27. Oh boy...I wonder how..

long the lollapalooza of eulogies will go on? I hope it's another Reaganesque event, just to give people's minds a rest from the regular report to distort musings of the day.

[BunkerHill24]

28. I recall a gaffe he made when he was the Chairman of the

Senate Foreign Affairs Committee...he introduced Benazir Bhutto to the senate as the distinguished prime minister of India. That's his legacy, imo.

[Newsjock]

29. Old bastard probably couldn't bear living under a Negro president

Rot in hell, you anti-American piece o' crap.

(First time I've ever posted such a sentiment about such a marginally sentient being.)

[Ishoutandscream2]

42. Didn't think of that. Boy, that would have been rich

Can you imagine? He and ol Strom would have never known what to do with themselves. Now I wish both of them were here so they could see it.

[Judi Lynn]

53. Probably more than he could bear. It would have broken his heart, after a lifetime

of shrieking bigotry. He truly left no stone unturned. He blazed trails in incorporating seething hatred in his campaign commercials, and character.

Here's a last look at his beloved "racial quota" campaign ad which was written by the same genius who created the "DemocRATS" masterpiece, Alex Castellanos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIyewCdXMzk

Alex Castellanos' remarks on his Helms commercial:
http://www.pbs.org/30secondcandidate/timeline/years/199...



Alex Castellanos



From the Onion....

[yardwork]

101. Helms created the filthy campaigning that bushco uses so well.

Helms and his team pioneered the use of sleaze as an election tool. bushco just took it nationwide.

Oops. I wasn't going to post in this thread. Oh well. Bygones.

[Riddler]

30. Good riddance to another racist homophobe

As a native and life-long resident of North Carolina, I viewed this man as an embarrassment to the state that I love, and someone who pandered to the most disgusting, vile, hate-filled elements of our society. I'm glad to see our state now rid of this pox.

Now as soon as the entire Bush, Cheney and Rove clans are eradicated from this earth, it will be a much gentler planet.

[LTR]

31. I thought he died a few years ago

Hmmf.

[MaineDem]

32. Condolences to his family

And that's all I have to say about him.

[phrigndumass]

35. As a gay American, I must say I won't miss him. Condolences to his family.

And to the only way that could possibly silence his brand of bigotry, with apologies to his family.

[heliarc]

142. Yaaay... Bubs!!!!

Where's the poopsmith? He probably dug the whole and filled it with something smelly!

[Bombero1956]

36. Oh I can see it now

The GOP and McCain will make a big deal out of the fact that Helms passed on the 4th of July just like real patriots Jefferson and Adams did. Helms was no real patriot. While I take no pleasure at his passing I can't get all worked up about it either. Best thing to do is acknowledge his death and move on with life.

[Wilber_Stool]

37. May I have this dance?.............n/t

[JBear]

188. I would love to...

Meet you at Oakwood Cemetery just after the burial. I am seriously thinking of having a square dance on his grave.

It is interesting that in general I have compassion for the family when the have such a loss. It is only considerate. For Jessie I have no such feelings at all. His legacy speaks for itself. I have no doubt his soul will experience no peace wherever it ends up (and listening to his beliefs, it is surely being tormented).

J.

[RC]

38. "He was 86. His cause of death was not released."

Here's a clue for the youngster who wrote the article, He was old!

Anyway I hope the dirt on his grave gets packed down tight.

[RedLetterRev]

162. And put a holly stake in the middle of it

just to make sure he stays there. Just sayin'.

[ekwhite]

195. They should bury him face down just to make sure

I certainly don't want that evil bastard rising from the grave.

[kvetch]

41. Jesse Helms Dead

In the words of Michelle Malkin, "Boo Frickin' Hoo!"

[GreenTea]

43. About fucking time, these old republican racist, fascist fucks live way too long...

Fascist like George Schultz is still fucking alive, David Rockefeller, Henry Kissinger, George HW Bush, will these lying, hateful, greedy fucks die already!

[abelenkpe]

47. evil lives long lives in comfort

while those who speak for the downtrodden are assasinated: think Jesus, Ghandi, Martin Luther King jr, RFK. But you know that....

Happy fourth everybody!

[newmajority]

109. Pray that Poppy Bush dies in the middle of the summer, and not in an election year.

That way everyone can safely avoid their TV for an entire month of mourning.

[llmart]

164. As Billy Joel would say...

"only the good die young."

[closeupready]

44. Shit happens.

So what?

[LeftyMom]

46. Good. nt

[Name removed]

48. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[tpsbmam]

77. OMG, that's priceless!!! n/t

[rateyes]

83. Love that webmaster!!

[WRALeditor]

85. Incorrect link

The part with the question mark is NOT a part of the official URL and NOT generated by WRAL.com.
The official URL is here: http://www.wral.com/news/local/politics/story/1755723 /

Anyone can tack on a question mark and some words to a URL, and the link will appear to load.

It seems someone is looking to stir up trouble.

[supernova]

95. You'd better fix it.

as of 1:10 pm on Friday, "good riddance" is still there.

:rolf:

Hello from Orange County.

[newmajority]

112. Yes it would seem so indeed.

[SaveAmerica]

127. The person who did that is now my hero, that's excellent!!! I'm patiently waiting for the end of

this era of hate and racism.

Out with Thurmond and Helms and in with

BARACK AND MICHELLE!!

[varun]

49. He did enough damage to my family

my partner and I can never forgive him.

Good riddance

[paparush]

50. Fucking Slum Lord ! On top of being a conservative biggot, Helms owned

really, really, really crappy rental houses in Raleigh. A whole row of them that were decrepit.

[pokercat999]

51. Good news only 80 years late. nt

[dipsydoodle]

52. Maybe he was shot by Robert Ford too

[nashville_brook]

54. has anyone found his "collection of little shoes" yet?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igvJ1Mew6Go

[Judi Lynn]

59. Omigosh! I thought there might be an interesting story behind your post, so I googled

"little shoes" and "Jesse Helms" and found the following:

Hah, hoping for child sex scandals for these douchebags always reminds me of Bill Hicks on Jessie Helms:

"You know that when Jesse Helms finally dies, he's gonna commit suicide out back in a washtub underneath a pecan tree. He's gonna slash his wrists and he's gonna write in blood, "I've been a bad boy." And you know they're gonna find the skins of young kids drying in his attic, swarms of horseflies going in and out of the eaves, and on CNN over and over, his wife going, 'I always wondered about Jesse's collection of little shoes …'"

http://www.strangefamousrecords.com/forum/viewtopic.php...

~~~~~~~~~
Priceless! Thanks.

[mike_c]

55. well-- maybe there's something to celebrate this Fourth after all....

Good riddance.

[Captain Hilts]

56. Don't insult 'conservatives' by using that term on him. He was a racist shit. nt

[Faygo Kid]

57. Jefferson, Adams, Monroe, Helms all die on Fourth. Name the odd one here.

Jefferson and Adams, July 4, 1826.

James Monroe, July 4, 1836.

Jesse Helms, July 4, 2008.

Do I really hafta tell you who doesn't "fit" here?

[TedsGarage]

58. The Last Confederate

The Confederate flag is flying at half-mast today...

[JBear]

190. Maybe they can finally take it down for good...(n/t)

[SunDrop23]

225. Last Confederate my arse...

The South still has plenty. As long as there are babies being born in the South, there will be an ample supply of dilweeds who think the CSA was a noble thing.

[kestrel91316]

60. Ding, dong, the witch is dead! He was an EVIL man. I shed no tears.

[bluesmail]

61. If I lived in North Carolina I'd probably be 'celebrating'

The Fourth of July. wink wink

[Name removed]

63. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JBear]

191. We are...

Ding dong, the witch is dead

was the song that came up on the psychobabble shuffle of 4th of July music this afternoon!

[alterfurz]

64. my favorite Helms photo...

...knock on wood!

[tledford]

221. In the early '70s, my older brother and his suitemates in school in Chapel Hill...

...watched Helms' editorials on WRAL out of Raleigh because they were completely hilarious, almost as if they were *intended* to be satiric. My brother has stated more than once that it wouldn't have been *nearly* as funny if they'd known he'd end up a Senator, and a powerful one that did serious, long-lasting damage to our country at that.

Thank God he's gone, a shame it didn't happen 86 years earlier.

[iamahaingttta]

65. My condolences to his family.

That is all...

[provis99]

217. Careful. His family might be glad he's dead, too.

Time for me to crank up Motorheads "Dancing on your Grave", dedicated to the Dishonorable Jesse Helms.

[MnFats]

66. Remember when Helms said Clinton couldn't come to North Carolina...

without a phalanx of armed bodyguards?
maybe not verbatim but....
no one investigated possible terrorist threat law violations..

[defendandprotect]

116. Yes . .

[tledford]

220. And when he said it, Clinton's approval rating in NC was twice what W's is right now.

Or 56%.

Not one word ever came out of Helm's mouth that wasn't total bullshit.

[King Bacon Fat]

67. My favorite quote of Jesse's...

"Mr. Clinton better watch out if he comes down here. He'd better have a bodyguard."

Truly classy all of the way.

Rot in hell, you old bastard!

[LostinVA]

68. I'm not commenting

Except to say: I lived in NC from 1982-1998, and I hope he likes roasting marshmallows.

[annarbor]

102. I lived in NC from 1983-1986

I was originally from Detroit but I was stationed in Camp Lejeune. During that time period there was a senatorial race and Jesse Helms was running against a guy named "Jim" I believe it was the then governor of NC. Jesse Helms ran a commercial where he actually said, "I opposed making Martin Luther King's Birthday a holiday. Where did you stand Jim?"

The backdrop of the commercial was a photo of MLK. I, along with my friends from Chicago and New York were stunned....Sadly, once my tour was over, I couldn't wait to get back north. He left an impression of that south on me that took years to shake....

Ann Arbor

[SunDrop23]

224. That was Jim Hunt, former Gov...nt

[ekwhite]

201. I lived in NC from 1952 - 1978

I hope the bastard is turning a nice crispy brown.

[Jack Rabbit]

70. A moment of silence

Please click here.

[ronnykmarshall]

71. Oh my goodness.

[Downtown Hound]

72. Hey, thanks Jesse

You actually gave me something to be thankful about this Fourth of July by dying. America is a much better, more free, and all around nicer place with your vile, corroded soul infesting it no longer. Happy Fourth of July everybody!

[Zachstar]

94. Nice!

[lolly]

73. Well, I for one wish to express my deepest sympathy

To his eulogist.

Can you imagine having the job of trying to say something good about this man?

I gotta feel terrible for whoever gets stuck with that onerous task.

[backscatter712]

180. It's too bad Hunter S. Thompson didn't get to write the eulogy.

He did such a good job eulogizing Nixon when he died.

[Joe Bacon]

74. Burn in hell, Helms!

That evil man is finally sowing what he reaped!

[bread_and_roses]

75. Did someone finally drive a state through his heart?

If not, I hope someone does before they bury him.