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Why do I always get cut out of this story? *I* did press work on this too! ;-p
Great stunt. Helms was a very bigoted, dangerous man and I had the personal satisfaction of pissing on his grave.
I had forgotten this! Thanks for the reminder and behind the scenes disclosure. His neighbor was right about one thing, it did belong on the Capital! The shape of the dome would have worked well and the exposure on the quad would have been incredible! Can you imagine the view President Lincoln would have had! His marble cheeks would have cracked with the grin. But at $3k for his house, the Capital would have taken some serious bucks! Since I was forced to retire for not lowering our lab flags to honor Helms, I’ve been humbled by many of the stories of the people I’ve heard from. But Peter, I truly can say (as I bow to you with my hands uplifted), I am not worthy!
Peter -- It's great to read the background on this and to see proof that positive action has real results. We are not powerless; activism works. I am sad about Helms, not that he passed, but that he inspired in me such fear, anger, and hatred. I want to be a better person than he seemed to be. I will never know him, but I choose to believe he too was loved by someone (everyone's got a mother, right?). I hope my anger motivates me to take action to fight for my and other people's rights. But I don't want him, even in death, to spoil my day. Let him pass on, and let's make this a world where people like him, with their hate and divisiveness, no longer have such power.
I, for one, am more than happy so see the Old Bastard dead and gone. I hated the man when he was alive, and I see no reason to pretend anything else now that he IS dead. I feel the same way about Ronald Reagan, as a matter of fact. Having said that, I think it's important to remember that there are STILL people out there who feel the same way. Who was it that said that perhaps Heath Ledger deserved to die because he "played gay" in BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN?
I used to think that even the worst among us had some redeeming quality- but over the years I have given up that line of thinking. The truth is, Jesse Helms hated gays and thought they deserved to get AIDS. He thought this, not because he was simply ignorant, but because he was completely devoid of a single ounce of actual humanity. He went out of his way to make a horrible situation even worse. he chose to not only stay ignorant, but used his power and podium to spread his heartless message. Honestly- I'm glad he's dead. I only wish that he had died sooner- of something that would have stigmatized him and caused undue pain and suffering to him and his family. This kind of feeling, is what his real legacy is. It overshadows any percieved good he ever did on any other issue. It makes me want to buy a whole pack of house-sized condoms and go door to door covering houses of the people in this world who still choose to be ignorant and spread hate and indifference.
WHAT A GREAT STORY. I AM PROUD THAT YOU ARE MY SON! LOVE, MOM
John Singleton
Toward the end of his life, Jesse Helms became an advocate for AIDS research and treatment. This came about after Bono befriended him and explained to him that children were dying of AIDS. Just goes to show how, sometimes, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
June 24, 2018 • TN