Jesse Helms Dies
What do you do when a bigot dies? Jesse Helms, the former Senator from North Carolina died on July 4th, 2008. During his five terms in office, he was one of the most out-spoken opponents to gay and lesbian rights, civil rights and liberal politics. Yet, he was elected to his seat five times, so you know he wasn't alone in this beliefs. What were some of his thoughts?
When Roberta Achtenberg was appointed Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in 1993 by President Bill Clinton, Jesse Helms attempted to block her nomination because, in his words, she was a "damn lesbian." He elaborated,
"She's not your garden-variety lesbian. She's a militant-activist-mean lesbian, working her whole career to advance the homosexual agenda. . . . Now you think I'm going to sit still and let her be confirmed by the Senate? . . .If you want to call me a bigot, go ahead."
Jesse Helms didn't hold back his opinion about gays and lesbians. "Think about it," he said. "Homosexuals and lesbians, disgusting people marching in our streets demanding all sorts of things, including the right to marry each other. How do you like them apples?" -- Campaign speech, quoted in The Los Angeles Times, October 28, 1990.
During the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 90s, Jesse Helms opposed funding treatment and prevention programs. "If homosexuals would only stop doing what they're doing, there wouldn't be any more AIDS," he said. The government shouldn't fund treatment for people with AIDS because they became ill by "deliberate, disgusting, revolting conduct."
Jesse Helms died this weekend. May the legacy of intolerance die with him.
© Photo by Susana Gonzalez/Getty Images, quotes from the NY Times, November 27, 1994
NO BIG LOSS!
The late senator deserves a fitting memorial. See http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2008/07/05/jesse-helms/
Helms was a pretty crappy person and deserves to be remembered as such. Death does not wash away the sins or pain inflicted by the dead. Helms might have been a nice old man to those who hung out with him and his family but what matters is how he used the power he acquired. Helms purposefully and willfully used that power to harm those he perceived to be different. He celebrated the death of our brothers by AIDS and did whatever he could to increase the number of casualties.
The harm the Jesse Helms inflicted upon this Nation and our world will take decades to heal. His legacy of ignorance, hate, and selfishness will live on. His death is regrettable in only that it came so late. I have no guilt saying that. This man did more than just disagree with me on some issues. He worked his butt off to make my life (and that of millions of others) a living hell.
I feel in reading his comments that, this people have their hidden feelings to deal with. In my life experience I have notice that most people that are such bigots, have homosexual desires of their owned. To be so closed minded.One can only hope that our children can grow up with a open mined to life and the diversytie of people.
I find it pretty hippocritical that when straight people speak out against the homosexual lifestyle, homosexuals blow it out of proportion and create unnecessary drama. But when homosexuals speak out, they expect straight people to sit by and not react. Why does the right of free speech in this country,on this subject only seem to be able to apply when homosexuals are speaking out than when both are speaking out. I say who cares what the homosexuals say, because I am entitled to the same right of free speech. Also, I go to the foremost knowledgable proponent of what is right and wrong in this world, God, to prove that not only is the homosexual lifestlye wrong and not deserving of marriage and recognition, but that public approval and tolerance of it will bring down the fall of great nations such as our own. Just because nations were destroyed many years ago with the help of this lifestyle, does not mean it will not happen again. If any openly gay individual would like to contest these facts, then I ask you to reference the bible for yourselves. You owe it to yourselves to do it. You owe it to your country.
One wonders what Sam is doing, surfing gay and lesbian boards in the dead of night if he’s so against gays. Kind of gives Elba’s comments some reinforcement, does it not?
As for free speech, I am a Christian and a lesbian, but I’m also a lover of the Constitution, and I will never, ever oppose another citizen’s right to hate me. I will, however, challenge that same citizen’s notion that he can pass laws that restrict my rights. “Free speech” does not extend that far.
I agree with Janeway — Sam, what are you doing surfing this site at 2:00 a.m.? I suggest you search yourself for that answer.
As for referring to the Christian bible as “the” source of right and wrong (I know you said God, but since I doubt you have a direct line we’ll go with bible), what about those of us who are not Christian? This is not the source of our truth about right and wrong? However, since we don’t live in a theocracy, perhaps we can stick with the Constitution which all Americans should consider the source of right and wrong for our country. According to that document we are all equal and entitled to equal treatment no matter what Helms or you or anyone else thinks. Since there is no logical reason to restrict marriage to heterosexual couples that restriction will eventually be struck down – much like those that prevented interracial marriage. If your church doesn’t want to marry my partner and I, then I couldn’t care less. The state, however, shouldn’t be making that decision based on YOUR religious beliefs.
Oh yea — As a historian (my real profession) I’ll take serious issue with your desire to blame homosexuals for the fall of “great” nations, such as Rome. You’ll find many more historians who will place that blame in a lot of places, such as the accumulation of power in a small group of individuals (a lot like the power Bush has tried to accumulate for the presidential office), as well as many other factors. Helms isn’t mourned by many and there is little you can do to try to change that with your own bigoted words.
So says Sam, the one that is on Lesbian Life in the first place.
Hmm. Makes you wonder, really.
Quite frankly, I’m happy the bastard is dead. Waste of a human being, really.
Now, I am a homosexual. … Quite obviously.
I do not expect everyone to agree with me or accept it. And they do not have to. That is their right.
However I never chose to be the way I am; But alas, This is me.
I am a very open-minded and tolerant person, because I believe in the end and disregarding everything… We’re still PEOPLE.
Originating back to my other point, I don’t hate people who disagree with homosexuality; They have every right to their opinion as I do mine.
owe it to my country thats a hoot.
I looked up the ten commandments… nothing in there about same sex marriages…
As for the bible… it an accumulation of short stories embelished to the nines…very unbelievable .Most sects of christiandom take what they want from the bible and spin it into their religious beliefs.
yah I know I am going to hell…wait I don’t believe in hell that’s a christian thing lol. sucks to be a sinner lol
all hail the guy witch is dead
I forgot who said this but I believe in it: “Those who have a cross to bear are only the ones who believe in the cross in the first place.” So live and let live and don’t ever step on other people’s rights.
Sam why dont you take your closed mine and fine another site to surf. Is pretty sad that you have to go on a gay paged to reinforce your believe in god. Why dont you fine the porn sights were they exploit children and molest kids then you can quote the bible to those people.
“Jesse Helms was a kind, decent and humble man and a passionate defender of what he called ‘the Miracle of America.’ So it is fitting that this great patriot left us on the Fourth of July.” — George W. Bush, President of the United States of America.
Those 2 deserve each other in my book. Bush would say something like that, it was him that tried to push his personal beliefs on the whole United States. I can only pray for people like these 2 men, when Bush goes, it will be no great loss as well.
How ironic one is from the state in which I currently live and one is from the state I am moving to next week.
You don’t…as a lesbian and gay, mourn his death, despite his track record and deal with those who choose to carry on his lifetime of bigotry.
I don’t care how high a profile politician he was….bigotry is still…bigotry and one less bigot to spew his outrageous hatred. People on t.v. journalists, reporters, anchors, can all discuss him without singing his praises (which just isn’t necessary but he came from an era where nothing mainstream was socially acceptable. That just doesn’t sit well with me, period!!
America lost a great man when senator Helms passed away. For all you liberal freaks who speak of bigotry, let me ask you this: If a person chooses which laws to obey, is that person a law abiding citizen? Is GOD a bigot too? You can’t have it both ways people! If you want to practice homosexuality, fine! But don’t call yourself a christian.
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