I wanted him to live to see a black President. crap!

like the final scene from Braveheart, except it's Obama putting his hand on the bible to take the oath instead of Mel Gibson shouting 'Freedom!'

I have a government professor at William & Mary with whom I've taken two courses.  He's taught there for over 20 years, and one of his favorite stories is about a trip he took with some students to Washington in the early 90's.

One of the stops was to Senator Helms' office.  When an African-American girl in the group heard this she flipped out saying she would not talk to him, would not see him, and couldn't stand to be in his presense.  My professor thought it a natural reaction but just told the girl "give the Senator a chance."

When they got to the office out comes Senator Helms, wearing a cardigan vest, slapping backs, and acting generally friendly and grand-fatherly.

On the way back to Williamsburg the same girl said "You know Professor, Senator Helms wasn't nearly as bad as I thought he would be."

At this my professor nearly slams the breaks on his car to yell at the girl:

"Are you out of your mind?

"Are you that easily deceived?

"You judged him as people should judge politicians - on their actions and policies, you can't give him a free pass because he looks like Santa Claus!  Learn your lesson now and learn it well - no politician is mean in person, or they'd never get to be Senator!"

It was my professor's anecdotal reminder that politics and politicians are, while inseparable, two distinct beings, and we must never forget that.

Thanks for sharing.

AP has decided the most important thing is that he "died on the Fourth of July."  Gag me.

We still love you, Harvey Gantt.

strikes again.  Average IQ of corporate media: <80

another one bites the dust, and the unapologetic racists  keep on  going bye bye.

Its like moses leading the people  40 years, just so the old generation dies off.

The fact that  helms gets such a viceral reaction upon dying is good news in my opinion

I never knew you.

When I was going to school in North Carolina, a fellow student of mine once got a call out of the blue from...Jesse himself!  He thought it was a joke at first, but figured out that it really was him.  Helms politely asked him his viewpoints on a few issues of the day and then thanked him for his time.

Like legacyofmarshall's story above, this one shows how a politician stays in office -- by staying close to the people and demonstrating that common touch, even if he represents the worst rather than the best of popular opinion.

Helms leaves us at a time when it is the Democrats who are reconnecting with the grassroots and the Republicans who are looking severely out of touch with the common man and woman.  He may represent the passing of a whole political era.  

Rest in peace, Jesse Helms and all that you ever stood for.

The Roanoke Times ran this as the main story today, just under the masthead.  I have noted here previously how derelict the same RT has refused to put Obama's big wins on the front page.  

But a demonstrably hateful and evil man like Jesse Helms, who did unbelievable harm, gets top bill.  Really disgusting.  And it shows what the RT has become under its new publisher.  At least the previous publishers Wendy Zampareli and George Rugaeber (spelling?) tried to run a real paper.