Nephy, is, of course, correct. Helms was a man. He did some good things and his family and many conservatives liked, even loved him.

Here are some quotes from him.

"The New York Times and Washington Post are both infested with homosexuals themselves. Just about every person down there is a homosexual or lesbian."

"To rob the Negro of his reputation of thinking through a problem in his own fashion is about the same as trying to pretend that he doesn't have a natural instinct for rhythm and for singing and dancing." (Helms responding in 1956 to criticism that a fictional black character in his newspaper column was offensive.)

"Homosexuals are weak, morally sick wretches."

"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)


"All Latins are volatile people. Hence, I was not surprised at the volatile reaction." (After Mexicans protested his visit in 1986)


Let's not dance on the grave of Jesse Helms. He was, in many ways, a little man. A small man with hateful notions. A teeny tiny insignificant guy, whose loudest voice was reserved for the worst of ideas. And now that sad, little, angry, pathetic, and ignorant voice has been silenced.
Goodnight, dum dum.

*sigh*

Those who are committed to reveling in hatred for him and joy in his death will not be able to see anything but the wrong things he did.

I would love to request that this thread be moved to the Grind or Parking Lot- but as it likely will not be I will simply stay out of the way of the dancers.

"*sigh*"????

*fart*

Famous people leave legacies. Often, upon their death, their legacy is reviewed critically. In the case of Senator Helms most agree that his hateful speech and dangerous "ideas" far outweighed the good he left behind.

The people who are happy that Helms has no more opportunities to spew hate are the same people who saw him as hateful during his life. They're not "grave dancing," they're reminding the current and future generation of politicians what is inappropriate and unacceptable. Helms' type of hate politics should never be tolerated.

It's a matter of degree. If those bad things they do are truly evil, then it might. Helms was a truly evil man - evil in his words and deeds. No amount of incidental good deeds are going to change that.

And if you can not see that what he stood for is wrong, then I feel very sorry for you.

I don't have hatred for him, nor am I grave dancing. I don't see any good that came from his life, except maybe to serve as a warning to others who consider intolerance acceptable.

Why don't you just ignore the thread then.

I've no appreciation for the man, but I'm going to change JW's quote to illustrate the circular logic of finger-pointing about personal moral codes.

We're never going to change anyone's minds with this argument - it's a deadlock where both sides believes the other is wrong. If repeating loudly that Helms was TEH EVIL and you're glad he's dead makes you feel better today, then have at. But I don't think it's going to help the world understand anything differently.

To Nephy's defense, she probably wasn't talking about you... nor me, and I really didn't like the man. Nothing good to say, so I've stayed quiet.

I think that's what she said she would do, you know, stay out of the way of the dancers. I've been wondering why this wasn't in Daily Grind, or Parking LoT in the first place. It matters little to me, so I've done nothing about it.

I suspect your hatred of the man has impaired your ability to read what I said. I said repeatedly he stood for many things I do agree are wrong- but I do not agree that everything he did and believed was evil.

It's a disagreement of degree JW- I have no need of pity.

I just said I would- why the snark? And before you justify the snark by commenting on the fact that I returned to the thread- I will tell you I only came back to see what LSPE had posted- because I find her posts to be excellent and worthy of entering even a thread such as this.

Well stated-

Not that I should need defense ;) but no, my comments were no more pointed than lets say....a soft fluffy tribble.

...and thanks, nonetheless.

So....how many evil things does one have to do to cross the line, then? No one is 100% good or evil. So he did one good thing, great, cross off one of the bad things he said on the list mousepod posted. Is it even worth mentioning when so many bad things remain?