Jesse Helms' Passing -- the End of an Era? (by Becky Garrison)
As a former North Carolinian, I have very mixed feelings regarding the death of Senator Jesse Helms. When my late grandfather Roy B. Clogston was the athletic director of NC State from 1948-69, he became good friends with Helms. At that time, Helms was the general manager of WRAL-TV in Raleigh, and they worked on the contracts to televise NC State basketball games. So, he remembered Helms fondly and often contributed to his campaign. While I never met Helms, I learned from my grandfather that even Helms possessed a soft side.
I didn't realize the full extent of Helms' impact until I moved to New York City after graduating from college. As soon as people found out I was a North Carolinian, I would brace myself for the inevitable barrage of questions as though I was somehow responsible personally for Helms' hooey. At the time, I was a member of the New York Young Republicans, so everyone thought that meant I supported all Republicans, including Jesse. No way. No how. Even when he would make a valid point, his vitriol and venom made me cringe. No wonder New Yorkers thought we were all hicks and hillbillies. My embarrassment that my home state continued to support Helms culminated in '90 when the Harvey Gantt v. Jesse Helms campaign as managed by Dick Morris set a new low in racist campaign ads. From that moment forward, I vowed never to support any candidate who would hire Morris. Hence, I shook my head in disbelief when those who campaigned against Helms were silent during Morris' management of Bill Clinton's '96 re-election campaign.
My prayers are with those who like my grandfather had fond memories of Helms and are mourning the loss of their loved one. But I pray that his passing marks the end of an era in political history that we choose not to repeat.
Becky Garrison will be featured in the upcoming documentary The Ordinary Radicals, which will be released in September 2008.
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Comments
moderatelad -- Becky rightly describes the legacy of a conservative Republican and alleged Christian who made things worse for a lot of people and contributed mightly to the polarization in this country and you broadside her -- heck, he even opposed the federal holiday in memory of Martin Luther King Jr. on the grounds tha King was a Communist. Is conservative opinion so sacrosanct that it cannot be analyzed without a snide attack from the right?
Posted by: Rick | July 7, 2008 11:49 AM
Let's not forget that, surprisingly, U2's Bono and Helms became good friends and allies in finding practical ways to provide aid to Africa.
Oftentimes "enemies" turns out to be more about stereotypical boogeymen created in the media and our own minds most of all, preventing us from reconciliation and common cause.
Helms genuinely wanted to help people but he was appalled at foreign aid being diverted to despots' private coffers.
Let's remember - we are all Jesse Helms, just as we are all Bono. Especially when we can join together to do good, in most surprising alliances.
Posted by: Sojourner Truth | July 7, 2008 11:53 AM
Posted by: Rick | July 7, 2008 11:49 AM
Is conservative opinion so sacrosanct that it cannot be analyzed without a snide attack from the right?
No it is not. But can we just write about the good that some have done?
I will bet you that when Sen Robert Byrd passes - she will not say anything about his many years in the KKK of that he climb the ranks of that organization.
If I were to write about Teddy Kennedy's passing - I would not write about his inability to cross a bridge. I believe that if Teddy was a Republican - Becky would write about the bridge and that Mary Jo's parents moved from a modest house into one huge home with a few years of her death. That he took a shower before calling the police about the accident and then waited for them to arrive at the house and his lawyer was already there.
Blessings -
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | July 7, 2008 12:27 PM
I do am a native North Carolinian who grew up in the era of Jesse Helms, the Jessiecrats, and sludge political campaigning that left an ugly image of politics in my mind for ever. While his stubborn politics and self-professed bigotry caught world attention, let us not forget a man who's faith led to a transformation.
I would have never thought as a child that someone like Jesse Helms could become friends with Bono (http://tinyurl.com/66saks). Just tells me how awesome God's grace is and how transformation is a lifelong process.
Posted by: Dennis | July 7, 2008 12:33 PM
Becky,
Thanks so much for your thoughtful commentary. Indeed, let's hope and pray that his passing marks an end of race-baiting in the name of bitter partisanship and political smut.
Posted by: Quetzal | July 7, 2008 12:35 PM
Becky is right in saying that Jesse has a mixed legacy...much like many in the South (including Robert Byrd). He said a lot of hateful and hurtful things about blacks and gays. Though he seems to have come around in his thinking in important ways.
It would have been good and appropriate for Becky to focus on Helms's most recent work with Bono on AIDS in Africa. It's unfortunate that she chose to focus only on the bad.
Posted by: jesse | July 7, 2008 12:42 PM
I will bet you that when Sen Robert Byrd passes - she will not say anything about his many years in the KKK of that he climb the ranks of that organization.
Why should she? That was back in the early-to-mid 1960s and he repudiated that long ago, admitting that where he came from joining the Klan was almost necessary for advancement; if she does mention that she will say that as well. Helms, on the other hand, never wavered in his opposition to civil rights, running nakedly racist reelection campaigns (as she pointed out) and never apologizing for them. Apples and oranges.
We're talking legacy here, not foibles or mistakes. Helms has a legacy of racism and division we ought not to forget.
Posted by: Rick | July 7, 2008 12:44 PM
If we persist in seeing each other as intractable enemies, it will be as if Christ never came at all.
It's a safe bet that when we point the finger away from ourselves, regardless of the provocation, that we are missing an essential understanding about ourselves. We like to maximise our own justification and demonise the other, even more than either deserve.
In truth, everyone tends towards selfrighteousness and no one sees themselves as they really are and therefor never sees the other accurately, either.
Posted by: Sojourner Truth | July 7, 2008 12:57 PM
Becky, we will be reading lots of obituaries and retrospectives on Helms over the next few days. But none of the others will touch on your grandfather's admiration for Helms nor on your experiences when you moved from NC to NYC.
Thank you for sharing.
Sojourner Truth, thanks for the reminder of Bono's friendship with Helms. Sometimes, the lion indeed does lay down with the lamb.
Posted by: carl copas | July 7, 2008 1:01 PM
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.
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. 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.
Posted by: ColeWake | July 7, 2008 1:32 PM
In one of his books of cartoons, the disabled, politically-incorrect cartoonist John (his last name I cannot remember) from Seattle has a picture of Helms standing upright in his casket, Bible under his arm, pointing his finger at somebody. One observer says to another, "My, doesn't he look natural!"
Posted by: canucklehead | July 7, 2008 1:36 PM
There is no excuse for winking at and politically exploiting Southern racism for decades and decades. Ms. Garrison's editorial was right-on to point out both the good and the bad.
Posted by: I and I | July 7, 2008 2:01 PM
Are we Christians, mostly, on this list?
Those of us who are,let's all remember the 'Mind that was in Christ Jesus', the very Mind and Express Image of God. Remember His love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control.
Some of us– myself included, betimes– forget gentleness,goodness, meekness, self-control when we write these squibs.
Jesus did not go about 'setting his opponents straight' or 'giving them a piece of His mind!'
He 'went about doing good.' He came 'to preach the gospel to the poor… to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.'
Posted by: Ted Voth Jr | July 7, 2008 2:47 PM
"But can we just write about the good that some have done? " Moderatelad
Keep on leading the way in that regard, Moderatelad!
Posted by: JamesM | July 7, 2008 2:47 PM
Posted by: JamesM | July 7, 2008 2:47 PM
I have never said to anyone that I have all the answers or that my way is the only 'correct' way. I have gone out of my way to express that these are my 'opinions' or my 'convictions'.
Some have all the trump cards and believe that they are ordained my God to declair the truth.
I believe that Garrison failed with this article just like she did with Kennedy's. You can just say that we 'disagreed on some topic or issues' you have to make sure that you point out their glaring flaws as you see them. FINE - but then do it for all because all of us are flawed - even me. But I am sure that if she writes for the passing of Byrd and Teddy Kennedy, it will be nice and kind and we will see only the 'good' in all that they did. The KKK or BRIDGE will never enter into the article.
Blessings -
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | July 7, 2008 3:02 PM
I'm a young person and a follower of Christ. I must admit my ignorance here - I had never heard of Jesse Helms before reading this post and don't know much about the history or current status of affirmative action. I see its merits but don't have a strong opinion on it either way. Can somebody explain to me how the campaign ad linked in this article (about racial quotas) is a racist ad? I am not defending one side or another - just being inquisitive. I am not making the connection to why being against racial quotas is considered racist.
Posted by: Charlie | July 7, 2008 3:11 PM
I know that they all belong to the Southern Baptist denomination, which I believe was founded on the right to own slaves, but I have been shocked by the recent remarks of Billy Graham, Franklin Graham and Anne Graham Lotz on Jesse Helms death , praising him as a patriot, Christian and Southern gentleman without any reservations or reference to his darker side. Jesse Helms was probably very nice to his own kind but he was very unchristian in his attitude to Afro-Americans and brought disrepute to the name of Christianity and of the United States by his support of repressive regimes in South Africa and South America.
According to one report I have read Jesse Helms was also a Freemason, which in the UK at least is regarded by most Evangelicals, RCs and Eastern Orthodox as incompatible with true Christianity and in Europe has a history of being anti- semitic, anti-Roman Catholic and very racist.
This is an obituary of Jesse Helms from one of our reputable UK newspapers.
Jesse Helms (1921-2008)
Senator Jesse Helms, member of the US Senate’s foreign relations committee for two decades and its chairman from 1995 to 2001, has died at the age of 86. To echo this newspaper’s memorable comment on the death of William Randolph Hearst, it is hard even now to think of him with charity. From his earliest years, Helms’s attitudes recalled those of an earlier southern bigot, Theodore Bilbo of Mississippi, who so outraged his Senate colleagues, that they eventually refused even to let him take his seat.
There was never a comparable risk for Helms, who maintained an old-world courtesy in his personal contacts. But that was only on the surface. He became one of the most powerful and baleful influences on American foreign policy, repeatedly preventing his country paying its UN contributions, voting against virtually all arms control measures, opposing international aid programmes as “pouring money down foreign rat holes”, and avidly supporting military juntas in Latin America and minority white regimes in Southern Africa.
In domestic politics he denounced the 1964 Civil Rights Act as “the single most dangerous piece of legislation ever introduced in the Congress”, voted against a supreme court justice because she was “likely to uphold the homosexual agenda”, acted for years as spokesman for the large tobacco companies, was reprimanded by the justice department and the federal election commission for electoral malpractice, and compiled a dismal personal record as a slum landlord.
There is much detail about his rise to power and his retrograde obstructionist record in the Senate that can be read in the original obituary. However the concluding paragraph about his retirement is worth including here:
The New York Times observed: “Few senators in the modern era have done more to resist the tide of progress,” and Robert Pastor, whose ambassadorship to Panama was scuppered by Helms in 1995, commented that, “nothing Jesse Helms did in his entire career will enhance America’s national security more than his retirement.”
Posted by: Annie (UK) | July 7, 2008 3:15 PM
Posted by: Annie (UK) | July 7, 2008 3:15 PM
Ms Annie - which reputable UK newspapers are you quoting here as I have relatives in the UK and there are so few of them.
Blessings -
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | July 7, 2008 3:23 PM
"Can somebody explain to me how the campaign ad linked in this article (about racial quotas) is a racist ad?"
Watch the video of the ad at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIyewCdXMzk and pause it at exactly 0:13. Tell me what you see.
I well remember when this ad ran. Harvey Gantt, the former black mayor of Charlotte, actually stood a decent chance of defeating Helms. The ad that assured his defeat was virtually guaranteed to stir up subliminal anger against minorities in general and Gantt in particular. Watch Harvey Gantt's head materialize as the hands are still crushing the rejection letter.
Posted by: Another nonymous | July 7, 2008 3:37 PM
The "hands ad" was only racist by the standards of early 90s PC hysteria in which we weren't even allowed to talk about race in any realistic terms. The argument now boils down to banal discussions about camera washes and the like.
But yes, this was a fair-minded post. Certainly beats the (Sojo recommended) Think Progress blog's nasty response.
Posted by: kevin s. | July 7, 2008 3:47 PM
The "hands ad" was only racist by the standards of early 90s PC hysteria in which we weren't even allowed to talk about race in any realistic terms. The argument now boils down to banal discussions about camera washes and the like.
kevin -- please. Anyone who understands the politics of the South, even today, knew full well the intent of that ad. (Think the "Harold, call me!" ad of two years ago in Tennessee -- same thing.)
Posted by: Rick | July 7, 2008 3:52 PM
"if she writes for the passing of Byrd and Teddy Kennedy, it will be nice and kind and we will see only the 'good' in all that they did. The KKK or BRIDGE will never enter into the article." Moderatelad
That's what we have you for, Moderatelad. Thank you for sharing.
Posted by: JamesM | July 7, 2008 4:02 PM
Posted by: Annie (UK) | July 7, 2008 3:15 PM
Ms Annie - which reputable UK newspapers are you quoting here as I have relatives in the UK and there are so few of them.
Blessings -
Moderatelad
"Ms" is a horrible PC title. I happen to be a 60 year old white, fairly conservative moderate evangelical "Mrs", holding traditional family values. I have non-white relatives who sadly wouldn't have been actively welcomed in Jesse Helms Southern Baptist Church in Raleigh NC.
I have met Southern Baptists from Dallas Texas visiting here in the UK who still believed in seperate Churches for seperate races!! Hopefully Heaven will be a bit of a culture shock and steep learning curve for them.
The obituary is from the Guardian which, over here, is regarded as a socially reputable, independant left of centre newspaper with a high standard of journalism. I can post a similar article from the Telegraph which is probably our most right wing non-tabloid daily paper.
Posted by: Annie (UK) | July 7, 2008 4:11 PM
Posted by: JamesM | July 7, 2008 4:02 PM
That's what we have you for, Moderatelad. Thank you for sharing.
No you don't. I could write an obit for Pres Clinton and never mention Monica. I MIGHT mention as a course of history that he was the only Pres. Impeached in the 20th Century - but would temper it with the connotation that many believed that it was wrong. I would talk about his long marriage with Hillary and their daughter. I would share quotes from his speaches about caring and wanting to make the US a better place for all. His dealings with world leaders. Why talk about the chorus of women that accused him of sexual misconduct? Who does it serve now that he is dead and a family mourns his passing.
He was elected by the citizens of the US twice. The only 2 term Dem. Pres. since FDR.
Praise in Public - Correct in Private.
Remember the good time and things that people have done when they have passed and can no longer defend themselves.
Blessings -
Posted by: Moderatelad | July 7, 2008 4:16 PM
Posted by: Annie (UK) | July 7, 2008 4:11 PM
I'm sorry. As a 50+ year old white male in the US - Ms is the safest label when you don't know the person. I have great respect for those who perfer the Mrs label and will try to remember that in the future.
'...Southern Baptists...still believed in seperate Churches for seperate races...'
To quote that wonderful philosopher Ron White. 'You Can't Fix Stupid'. I believe Heaven will reveil many things to all of us.
'...horrible PC...'
Two words that do belong in the same sentence.
Blessings Mrs. Annie!
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | July 7, 2008 4:26 PM
Remember the good time and things that people have done when they have passed and can no longer defend themselves.
This is not one of those times, however, where we can simply do that because Helms' antics are part of the public record. They cannot and will not be whitewashed by a "few nice words."
Posted by: Rick | July 7, 2008 4:49 PM
Posted by: canucklehead | July 7, 2008 5:05 PM
1st of all it is 'Moderatelad' - period. Not Immoderate Lad or Lad.
2nd - I do not write for any newspaper nor do I have any desire to write for one. I read a few and if I have a paper that I would spend time reading it would USA Today. I do quote newspapers once in awhile - they can be comnical at times. But the way I spell - no paper would hire me. (lol)
Blessings -
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | July 7, 2008 5:12 PM
Posted by: | July 7, 2008 5:26 PM
Interesting post - whoever you are.
Blessings -
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | July 7, 2008 5:29 PM
Show a little charity for heaven's sake , the man did the best he could in the time and culture he was exposed to .
Posted by: | July 7, 2008 5:26 PM
If that's the best he could do,it's a sad reflection on the state of American political thinking, democracy and Christianity.
Posted by: Annie (UK) | July 7, 2008 5:42 PM
"No you don't. I could write an obit for Pres Clinton and never mention Monica. I MIGHT mention as a course of history that he was the only Pres. Impeached in the 20th Century - but would temper it with the connotation that many believed that it was wrong. I would talk about his long marriage with Hillary and their daughter. I would share quotes from his speaches about caring and wanting to make the US a better place for all. His dealings with world leaders. Why talk about the chorus of women that accused him of sexual misconduct? Who does it serve now that he is dead and a family mourns his passing." Moderatelad
Yes, we know that you would take the high ground as you so consistently do here on the blog. Again, thanks for those great points.
Posted by: JamesM | July 7, 2008 6:19 PM
"But the way I spell - no paper would hire me. (lol)" Moderatelad
Don't be so modest! Fox would hire you. They would just run the spell check function before publishing your fascinating work.
Posted by: JamesM | July 7, 2008 6:23 PM
A public figure leaves behind a record that should never be whitewashed (no pun intended)or denied scrutiny. Their actions or non actions are viewed by others oftentimes as role models. It is entirely appropriate to point out those aspects of Jesse Helm's life that do not bear repeating.
As a North Carolinian, I can still remember the day I walked out to the mail box and took out the campaign flyer against Gantt that Helms sent across NC. I can still remember the disgust and rage that welled in me as I viewed the black hand over the white hand and the message it was implying. Helms won that election, but at what cost?
Jesus never held back from telling the Pharisees and others where they had failed and minimized the laws of the Creator. Neither should we. Grace without truth and Truth without Grace doesn't originate with Christ. I think the writer appropriately combined both.
Posted by: plain jane | July 7, 2008 6:33 PM
Becky Garrison prays that the era of abject bigotry in politics has passed and I agree with her there. We may soon find out in this election season. However, I have the feeling the current age of polarization and isolation, community dissolution and fear mongering may create an age of equal or greater horrors if we are not careful. It will be a better world if we all strive toward the prayer Jesus had for us all in John 17:20-23 which includes the hope "...that they may all be one."
Posted by: J.S. Brooks | July 7, 2008 6:44 PM
Posted by: J.S. Brooks | July 7, 2008 6:44 PM
'...abject bigotry...'
You may have to define what you mean.
Politics by it's very nature is adversarial but should not be mean spirited. We lost that decades ago and I don't think that it will ever come back to that because negative ads sell well. When the race is neck and neck - the canidates go negative. It's is getting to the point where it is not worth listening to their speaches - you might as well wait till 3 days later when they take time to define what they wanted to say. I have friends that are on the oppsite side of any number of issues or situations at the local level. We have a great time with the 'point - counter point' as we work toward a solution to a situation. We come to the table with different agendas, come to an understanding as to what the desired goal needs to be. We work out a plan of attack to achieve that goal and compromise along the way. Sometimes we work divergant plans to achieve the desired goal. But we never try to make the other side or person fail. We celebrate our achievements and learn from our losses.
One can not do that at this time at the national, state or even at the county level as maintaining power is always the desired goal no matter what the costs is at the state and national level.
I have learned from the best in the DFL party here in MN but have refused to put it into parctice. I am not against putting it into practice as I have been the victim of it several times. I just keep my sight on the desired outcome and do not want to hamper the people that need the help that we are striving to acomplish.
Someday I will see where I need to make a move so the we can achieve the outcome. My friends on the otherside of the political fence will be upset with me. I will just pull out my list of when they did the same to people like me and tell them they just got a 'bit of their own'.
I am a person that can work with any number of people but will not be the doormatte all the time. I have learned to pick my battles.
Blessings -
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | July 7, 2008 7:22 PM
I knew it would happen, that I, as a Christian republican, would get a good talking to by fellow believers, but I never thought I would be called a Marxist for supporting Barack Obama because he thinks our country should feed the poor and heal the sick. I knew I had heard it all when one Sister said that the lame beggar from Bethesda was like all the rest, excuses, excuses, excuses. This lady was a lawyer and said that countries that do not follow capitalism have low Christian populations. Too sad to make up, huh? I guess Japan, the second largest capitalist country in the world must have a glitch since their population is only 0.08% I suggested to her that maybe the reason Marxist countries do not have many Christians is because the Gospel has not been preached there, but hey, lets blame communists for not fulfilling the great commission or living our faith through the prism of Mathew 25. It is said that folks like Helms infiltrated the party of Lincoln to such a manner that you are more likely to hear him quoted than Jesus from a Christian pulpit.
Posted by: Laura Barto | July 7, 2008 7:42 PM
I'm glad you asked. Abject bigotry in politics: a definition: abject: contemptible; bigotry: the actions of one who is strongly partial to one's own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ. The actions of abject bigotry in politics: the denial of peoples of a particular group to the rights granted others in this nation: the right to vote, to free speech, to freedom of assembly. The gerimandering of political districts to keep peoples of a particular group from having a voice in politics. Ignoring the voices of citizens of a particular group in a poor neighborhood when they cry out against violence, denial of services, poor schools, etc. Raising irrational fears about persons of a particular group to deny them political power, access to power, or access to the freedoms enjoyed by the majority. It is so easily defined and the examples are sadly numerous. It has less to do with ideologies and party affiliations than it has to do with base hatred of those considered "other." May it be buried and may we work to become one!
Posted by: J.S. Brooks | July 7, 2008 8:01 PM
"...the man did the best he could in the time and culture he was exposed to..."
and by what/whose standard is this all that matters for a professing Christian when it's all said and done?
And ModLad, doth not the Scripture say "I would rather be a doormat in the house of the Lord...?"
Posted by: canucklehead | July 7, 2008 8:44 PM
If that's the best he could do,it's a sad reflection on the state of American political thinking, democracy and Christianity.
Posted by: Annie (UK
From Taxation without representation to ridicule without understanding .
If there's one man who's remembered as a British hero par-excellence, surely it's Winston Churchill. He has been promoted not only in Britain but also throughout much of the world as the symbol of resistance against the most hideous war criminals in history, the Nazis. This reputation may be deserved. However there was another side to the man, less pleasant and therefore kept out of public view, namely racism. In fact, many of the views he held were virtually Nazi. For example, as Home Minister he had advocated euthanasia and sterilisation of the handicapped. In his own racial hierarchy, blacks were down below all others, Indians too were markedly inferior to Europeans. Even Italians did not have the character to rule themselves, which was why Churchill believed they needed a dictator, and therefore applauded Mussolini.
The extent of Churchill's racism can be gleaned by many extracts from his speeches. For example, in 1937 he said "I do not admit...that a great wrong has been done to the Red Indians of America, or the black people of Australia...by the fact that a stronger race, a higher grade race... has come in and taken its place." Thus justifying one of the most brutal genocides and mass displacement of people in history. He also had hatred for Indians "I hate Indians. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion." By `beastly religion' he was of course talking about Hinduism.
Even at that this time, when racism was far more ingrained into society, Churchill's views were worse than the norm.
Posted by: | July 7, 2008 8:56 PM
Posted by: J.S. Brooks | July 7, 2008 8:01 PM
Good Info - but not sure who you are talking about? In MN this could discribe all the Limo Libs in EDINA and I will throw in Maple Grove for that matter. It does not discribe the community that I live in or my family and friends. It does not discribe the way I was raised or the education that I rec'd. Just for the record - it was a K-12 public education. Yes - there are people out there that do fit you accessment - and they are on both side of the isle.
Blessings -
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | July 7, 2008 10:13 PM
Posted by: canucklehead | July 7, 2008 8:44 PM
'And ModLad, doth not the Scripture say "I would rather be a doormat in the house of the Lord...?"'
I don't recall anywhere in scripture where we are called to be a doormatte. Servant, helper, to give a good defence - yes. Carry your coat, not a problem. But I will not be a doormatte and will not make others be one either.
And it is Moderatelad - period, thank you.
Blessings -
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | July 7, 2008 10:18 PM
Posted by: | July 7, 2008 8:56 PM
One thing that you need to remember is that eugenics was the norm from the early 1900 into the 1950's. It was accepted by most of the scientific community of the time and those who opposed it where thought of as mindless, brainless boobs. Kinda like global warming - sorry - climate change is today. (sorry - lol)
Knowing what we know today about the human beings and the human condition. I don't think that Churchill would say the same thing.
Blessings-
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | July 7, 2008 10:30 PM
Knowing what we know today about the human beings and the human condition. I don't think that Churchill would say the same thing.
Blessings
Yes , and thank you for making the point .We should all Pray for the family of Mr. Helms . Even the enlightened of the culture in the time of Churchill spoke to his support of his nation at his death . Senator Helms actually softened in his older years , obviously people were praying . instead of that were involved in his life .
Posted by: | July 7, 2008 11:15 PM
"Ask not for whom the bell tolls - it tolls, for thee."
Posted by: Sojourner Truth | July 7, 2008 11:44 PM
Jesse Helms was not, as some of you dreadful apologists would have us think, a product of his time. He was a cheerleader for a time long past. He was a reactionary racist, someone who appealed to the lowest instincts in humanity. So what if the awful idiot aligned with Bono, another silly narcissist, in his dotage? Jesse Helms legacy is one of racism, homophobia and hatred. Stop sugarcoating this monster just because he is -- finally -- dead and in Hell, a place he richly deserves.
Posted by: Reality Check | July 8, 2008 12:19 AM
Churchill was all those things the anonymous commentator claims and msny more beside. His reputation as Home Secretary (not Home Minister) in the early 1900s is that of being oppossed to the growing aspirations of the British working class and against women's suffrage. His own family life was very privileged but very dysfunctional, he lost his nominal christian faith as a young man and was an alcoholic and depressive. While his qualities as an inspirational war leader and writer are generally recognized in Britain so are his limitations as a human being. His racism and anti-Jewishness are well documented. My grandparents,who were devout Christians born in the early 1880s, had little respect for his views.
Posted by: Annie (UK) | July 8, 2008 3:25 AM
From the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/06/AR2008070602321.html
Posted by: Rick | July 8, 2008 6:42 AM
WOW - from Helms to Churchill and we are tearing them apart and they are not here to defend themselves. I wonder if this empowers some of you?
I wonder what some will write about Clinton when he passes.
Go ahead people - shread away.
Blessings -
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | July 8, 2008 7:52 AM
To those of you who are happily reporting your belief that Jesse Helms is "burning in Hell," I would just like to remind you that even people like Helms were humans made in God's image. What gives you the right to determine his eternal destiny?
I'm certainly no fan of Helms. But Martin Luther King showed more respect for Bull Conner as a fellow human being than some of you are showing for Helms.
Instead of gloating over his death, maybe you should be praying for his soul.
Peace,
Posted by: Don | July 8, 2008 8:21 AM
Posted by: Don | July 8, 2008 8:21 AM
In PC World or Wallisland you don't have to be tollerant. You can shread anyone that is conservative and be praised for doing so.
I like what you have to say but know where you are and who controls the chatt on this site.
Blessings -
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | July 8, 2008 8:40 AM
I'm certainly no fan of Helms. But Martin Luther King showed more respect for Bull Conner as a fellow human being than some of you are showing for Helms.
You can bet that if the tables were turned (say that Wallis died and Jerry Falwell and D. James Kennedy were still around), they would have slammed him as an infidel with far, far more vitriol than has been seen on this blog -- if they bothered to write about him at all. At least Sojourners had the decency to recognize them as brothers in the LORD even if it felt they were absolutely wrong in their theology, attitudes and approach.
And BTW, it was never really ideology that was the problem (if that were the case Billy Graham would also be skewered, but because he has generally been gracious toward folks who disagree with him he never has been and never will be. They thought they were the God that everyone had to answer to or, at the very least, His exclusive spokesmen, no dissenting voices allowed, and for that reason for the sake of the Gospel they did need to be confronted. Even Graham told Falwell to "shut up" some years ago.
But as has been said, a person's death is a time to examine the legacy he or she has left so Garrison's piece was timely. And, on balance, Helms' is chock full of division, racial hatred, obstructionism and flat-out injustice by Biblical standards. The lesson should be: "Wanna know how NOT to follow God? Give ya a hint: Consider Jesse Helms." I myself criticized his shenanigans when he was in office because I just wasn't going to be silent in the face of evil at a time when relatively few were speaking up.
Posted by: Rick | July 8, 2008 10:36 AM
But as has been said, a person's death is a time to examine the legacy he or she has left so Garrison's piece was timely. And, on balance, Helms' is chock full of division, racial hatred, obstructionism and flat-out injustice by Biblical standards. The lesson should be: "Wanna know how NOT to follow God? Give ya a hint: Consider Jesse Helms."
Rick, I certainly have no argument with your comments here. They are most definitely true. And my concern is not at all with Becky Garrison, who as usual has described the dark side of Helms with eyes full of grace.
It was comments like the following that made me think their authors had forgotten the image of God that resides in all of us and, yes, even resided in Jesse Helms:
I'm glad the horrid old bigot is dead. Hope he drops us a line from Hell and tells us how it is . . . Posted by: June Gordon | July 7, 2008 11:19 PM
Stop sugarcoating this monster just because he is -- finally -- dead and in Hell, a place he richly deserves. Posted by: Reality Check | July 8, 2008 12:19 AM
Peace,
Posted by: Don | July 8, 2008 12:05 PM
Don -- I get your drift.
Posted by: Rick | July 8, 2008 12:11 PM
"the man did the best he could in the time and culture he was exposed to."
So did Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Mother Teresa, Hunter Thompson, Paul Wellstone, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy, and Bull Connor. Oh, plus Junior Samples and Sonia Heinie.
kevin s: "The 'hands ad' was only racist by the standards of early 90s PC hysteria in which we weren't even allowed to talk about race in any realistic terms."
"PC" functions for some on the Right like "fascist" and "Hitler" function for many on the Left. Invoke the incantation, and all serious analysis and discussion come to a screeching halt.
Posted by: | July 8, 2008 12:29 PM
The above anonymous ravings were written by me. Mea culpa.
Posted by: carl copas | July 8, 2008 12:34 PM
"kevin -- please. Anyone who understands the politics of the South, even today, knew full well the intent of that ad. (Think the "Harold, call me!" ad of two years ago in Tennessee -- same thing.)"
The Harold Ford ad was an appeal to Ford's playboy image. If anything, his confrontation with Bob Corker prior to a press event reinforced stereotypes of an aggressive black man, but that was his own doing (the confrontation, not the stereotypes).
If the "politics of the south" are sufficient to deem the "hands" ad racist, then any ad contending with race quotas would have necessarily been racist, and any ad targetting Harold Ford would have been the same. But then we are left with a neutered definition of racism.
""PC" functions for some on the Right like "fascist" and "Hitler" function for many on the Left. Invoke the incantation, and all serious analysis and discussion come to a screeching halt."
Do you mean "for some" or "for me"? Actually, the term politically correct was a term evoked by the left. It eventually became a bludgeon to end all serious analysis and discussion of race and gender issues. People got tired of it, and eventually embraced non-PC behavior (South Park is a shining example).
So yes, simply labelling something as PC can short circuit conversation. But unless someone deemed the ad to be racist in a time when everything was considered racist, nobody would consider it racist in today's context.
Posted by: kevin s. | July 8, 2008 1:24 PM
Kevin:
Whether racist or not, the best that can be said is that it is negative and mean-spirited. So why are you taking the time to defend such a campaign ad with so much conviction?
Just wondering.
D
Posted by: Don | July 8, 2008 1:32 PM
I just hope that when Sen Byrd passes, Ms Garrison will make sure to air all of his dirty laundry. Helms was not one that I would have supported but remember Byrd was a card carrying member of the KKK. That has to count for something.
Blessings -
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | July 8, 2008 1:49 PM
The Harold Ford ad was an appeal to Ford's playboy image. If anything, his confrontation with Bob Corker prior to a press event reinforced stereotypes of an aggressive black man, but that was his own doing (the confrontation, not the stereotypes).
No, kevin -- the "playboy image" is only an excuse. Truth be told, the ad played to an old stereotype of black men trying to "do what they will" to white women. Don't you think it mattered that the actress in the ad was white (blonde, if I remember correctly)? If she were black there wouldn't have been any controversy.
If the "politics of the south" are sufficient to deem the "hands" ad racist, then any ad contending with race quotas would have necessarily been racist, and any ad targetting Harold Ford would have been the same.
Now you're getting warm! Because Helms was capitalizing on white conservatives' feeling of entitlement, even though "affirmative action" is not really as big of an issue in the South because you have more economic equality between black and white there than elsewhere in the nation.
Posted by: Rick | July 8, 2008 1:52 PM
Helms was not one that I would have supported but remember Byrd was a card carrying member of the KKK. That has to count for something.
That was over 40 years ago, and he has consistently and publicly repudiated the Klan ever since. Does that count for something?
Posted by: Rick | July 8, 2008 1:56 PM
"Moderatelad" (surely a name that proves some of you Yanks do understand irony after all) writes:
I do not write for any newspaper nor do I have any desire to write for one.
That is a great disappointment, Mr Lad. I was hoping I could find your obit for Saddam Hussein and have a good laugh. Maybe you could still be tempted to get into the business before bin Laden pops his clogs. (But do watch the spelling of his first name...)
meurig
Posted by: meurig | July 8, 2008 2:06 PM
"I just hope that when Sen Byrd passes, Ms Garrison will make sure to air all of his dirty laundry" Moderatelad
She probably won't. She doesn't want to put you out of a job, "Modlad".
Posted by: JamesM | July 8, 2008 2:11 PM
Posted by: JamesM | July 8, 2008 2:11 PM
I am no threat to her nor she to me.
Posted by: M | July 8, 2008 2:32 PM
kevin s: "So yes, simply labelling something as PC can short circuit conversation. But unless someone deemed the ad to be racist in a time when everything was considered racist, nobody would consider it racist in today's context."
Huh?
Thank you, Miss Minnesota. The next question is for Miss California . . .
Posted by: carl copas | July 8, 2008 2:49 PM
"Thank you, Miss Minnesota."
LOL
Posted by: JamesM | July 8, 2008 3:34 PM
Maybe you could still be tempted to get into the business before bin Laden pops his clogs.
Pops his clogs? That's a new on for me! Where did it come from, Meurig?
D
Posted by: Don | July 8, 2008 3:56 PM
OK, I paused the video at 13 seconds but I still don't see what the big deal is. I see a man crumpling a paper. Am I just completely ignorant here - why is this video considered racist?
Posted by: Charlie | July 8, 2008 4:45 PM
Charlie -
You have to catch it at exactly the right point to see the hands crumpling Harvey Gantt's head - with Ted Kennedy's off to the right for good measure. It's called a subliminal message, and it's a well known technique in advertising.
But several posters here are completely missing the bigger issue. The ad shows an obviously white job applicant who was rejected in favor of a less qualified minority. It seeks to stir up white resentment against minorities, in a context where this was definitely *not* the norm.
People who don't live in the South may not be aware that rural Georgians call Atlanta "Yankeetown" because of the large numbers of immigrants from other parts of the country who have settled there. Charlotte, which is the largest city around, is similarly perceived in North Carolina. There can be little doubt that the Helms ad was designed to stir up the resentment of righteous, hard-working North Carolina natives against this foreign incursion - not to mention sticking it to the residents of the People's Republic of Chapel Hill, many of whom regarded voting against Helms as a point of honor.
So whether or not the word "racist" resonates with you, the ad was designed to play to the lowest human instincts in a way its viewers weren't even aware of. In a word - despicable.
Posted by: Another nonymous | July 8, 2008 4:58 PM
People who don't live in the South may not be aware that rural Georgians call Atlanta "Yankeetown" because of the large numbers of immigrants from other parts of the country who have settled there. Charlotte, which is the largest city around, is similarly perceived in North Carolina.
I briefly went to college in Atlanta and my mother hails from North Carolina and still has immediate family in that state, and I didn't even know that. But the context you brought up makes perfect sense.
Posted by: Rick | July 8, 2008 5:30 PM
Moderatelad: "...mindless, brainless boobs."
Oh, great, now we're using vulgar and sexist language. Moderator, why didn't you pull that offensive post out a long time ago?
Posted by: I and I | July 8, 2008 5:58 PM
Don - re "pops his clogs" - it's just one of those euphemisms that I grew up with (in the west of England). Not sure if it's regional. (I note that John Cleese, who comes from the next county, didn't use it in the parrot sketch...) The Shorter Oxford Dictionary doesn't mention it.
meurig
Posted by: meurig | July 8, 2008 6:12 PM
And then there's the old Houyhnhnms
doozy: "the clog pops his mindless brainless boobs"
or is that from a poem by Robert Burns?
Posted by: carl hussein copas | July 8, 2008 6:48 PM
"Moderate"lad:
One thing that you need to remember is that eugenics was the norm from the early 1900 into the 1950's. It was accepted by most of the scientific community of the time and those who opposed it where thought of as mindless, brainless boobs. Kinda like global warming - sorry - climate change is today.
There's a difference.
To believe that eugenics is good for society requires rather odious value judgements about the value of human life, irrespective of your level of scientific understanding.
To believe that anthropogenic emissions are adding to net radiative forcing, resulting in global warming and hence climate change merely requires you to either (i) understand some atmospheric physics so you can follow the arguments, or else (ii) trust the scientific consensus on the subject. Or, depending on our level of specialist scientific literacy, somewhere in between the two. But not value judgements. They come later, in our unspoken assumption that leaving behind for future generations a world in which human beings can thrive is generally a good thing. Or in our spoken assertion that this world is God's so we'd better start looking after it properly
meurig
Posted by: meurig | July 8, 2008 6:48 PM
"I note that John Cleese, who comes from the next county, didn't use it in the parrot sketch..."
I could have sworn he said "He's popped his clogs and joined the bleeding choir invisible..." Now I'll just have to rent that movie again to check.
Posted by: Another nonymous | July 8, 2008 6:52 PM
Meurig:
So you grew up in the West Country? Were you close to the Welsh frontier? I remembered your telling us that you are using a Welsh form of your name here.
BTW, the Compact Oxford English Dictionary (online) contains this entry under "pop (1)":
pop off (or Brit. pop one’s clogs) informal die.
D
Posted by: Don | July 8, 2008 7:29 PM
Posted by: meurig | July 8, 2008 6:48 PM
There is a difference and there is a simularity
Both issues are being pushed by an agenda. They both fail because you can not validate them in the lab. They are popular and meet the need for people to have or gain control. The solution for both is/was gov't regulation and if needed increased taxation for the latter. In the 70's we were being taught about the coming 'ice age' and it was our fault. Now it is warming - and it is our fault. The only answer is taxing people and limiting they lifestyle.
I believe that the earth is warming and will continue over the next century. I also have found more evidence that it is more than likely cyclical. It happens about every 1500 years. I think that the Enviromentalist Evangelist need to fine tune his weathology a little more.
Blessings -
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | July 8, 2008 7:37 PM
Posted by: Don | July 8, 2008 7:29 PM
pop one’s clogs
E-mail my sistere who lives in England and she told me that for England to 'pop ones clogs' is like in the US to 'kick the bucket'.
Blessings -
.
Posted by: Moderatlelad | July 8, 2008 7:41 PM
Mod-lad:
The only "agenda" driving global warming is the scientific evidence, which is close to overwhelming. That's what Meurig was trying to say. But I know you haven't looked at the evidence, and I doubt you ever will, so I'm not going to waste time debating the topic with you again.
There was no such scientific evidence driving the eugenics movement, which is why Meurig drew the appropriate distinction.
Peace,
Posted by: Don | July 9, 2008 7:57 AM
Posted by: Don | July 9, 2008 7:57 AM
Out of respect it is Moderatelad - thanks.
I have looked at the 'evidence' and know what is going on and know in many cases who is behind it.
Doesn't it tweek your interest in that the major answer for 'climate change' is more taxes and gov't programs?
There was 'scientific evidence' for the eugenics movement back in the day. There are several very informative documentaires on the topic that I have seen. Change some of the retoric and you could have the same 16MM film talk about 'climate change'.
I understand that we need to take care of the planet and I have supported several organizations over the years that have made it a better place. It is just that when Gore the Enviormentalist Evangelist starts to talk - my 'weird-o-meter' goes into the crazy zone and I am suspect of anything that he might have to say or any organization or cause he promotes. I have read sections of his books and they were not convincing to me.
Creation Care - my Dad the hunter taught me about that when I was a child. I believe that we can keep God's Creation in good condition and still drill for oil.
Blessings -
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | July 9, 2008 8:26 AM
on the topic -
My prayers go out to the family as the mourn the passing of a husband - father - uncle - brother and friend.
For those who have found it necessary to pass judgement and condem him to hell. I know how you feel as I have felt the same for people like Hitler - Stalin - J. Smith of the Mormons - etc. I am sure in your book you would have rather delt with them rather than Helms. I pray that my accessment of you is wrong and that people will be more tollerant with you and your family when you pass than you have been with Helms.
Blessings -
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | July 9, 2008 9:36 AM
Much as I detest the racist philosophy of Jesse Helms and his kind, I think condemning anyone to Hell is a judgement for God to make, not us. Maybe Helms is being purified in some sort of C.S Lewis style Purgatory. God sees the heart and knows the reasons why Helms held such unbiblical views and yet claimed to be a Christian and was allowed to continue as a deacon and Sunday School teacher in the Southern Baptist denomination. My concern now is with US evangelical leaders, the Graham family in particular, who seem to hold him in such high regard. Mr Cheney's attendance at the funeral is interesting given his and Helms shared political values but differences on aspects of human sexuality and family values.
Posted by: Annie (UK) | July 9, 2008 3:03 PM
In response to Don: I grew up in Bristol; my mother is from Plymouth, my father's family are Welsh (though he grew up in England)
So I'm more English than Welsh. But if I ever move back it will probably be to Wales for reasons of cultural affinity
meurig
(PS - I didn't look under "pop" in the SOD - assumed it would be under "clog" if it was anywhere)
m
Posted by: meurig | July 9, 2008 5:05 PM
YES!
Now are holding people accountable for the company they keep - what a concept. The 'Graham Family and American Evangelists' in general are suspect of 'whatever'.
Oh - that Christ would be friends and seen with sinners - that must be a liberal thing. But conservatives are bad if there are in the company of questionable people.
GOOSE AND GANDER folks!
But the same people that would hold the Graham family and Helms up to public mockery - would they do the same with the Clintons and all the people who paid for a night in the Lincoln bedroom - NOT!
It at times is just too much fun on this site.
Fair game Ms Garrison - I can not wait to read what you would write about Billy Graham. Hopefully for you his passing with coinside with the publishment of you next book so that can be part of the whole article.
This one calls for a beer- which might make my kidney less desireable for some but hey - what the heck!
Blessings-
.
Posted by: Moderatelad | July 9, 2008 5:45 PM
"Huh?
Thank you, Miss Minnesota. The next question is for Miss California . . ."
Failure to understand a complicated sentence structure is not grounds for condescencion. I'll put it in bullet points for you.
-The ad was released in 1990.
-In 1990, a certain hysteria took hold, such that almost anything dealing with the race or gender issues was considered racist.
-There is nothing explicity racist about the ad.
-It was, nonetheless, determined to be racist at the time.
-One can attribute this conclusion to the zeitgeist of the time.
-It was during this time that opinions were formed about the ad.
-Said conclusions do not gel with reality.
Posted by: kevin s. | July 9, 2008 5:58 PM
"Whether racist or not, the best that can be said is that it is negative and mean-spirited. So why are you taking the time to defend such a campaign ad with so much conviction?"
The best that can be said of the ad is that it is accurate. Helms' opponent supported quotas. Most people don't. It is more than reasonable to introduce this point.
Given that virtually (if not literally) every criticism of Obama to date has been attributed by his supporters to racial prejudice, I think it is very relevant.
"You have to catch it at exactly the right point to see the hands crumpling Harvey Gantt's head - with Ted Kennedy's off to the right for good measure. "
Of course, mentioning Ted Kennedy is also racist.
Posted by: kevin s. | July 9, 2008 6:05 PM
Failure to understand a complicated sentence structure is not grounds for condescencion. I'll put it in bullet points for you.
His point was that your answer was nonsense.
The best that can be said of the ad is that it is accurate. Helms' opponent supported quotas. Most people don't. It is more than reasonable to introduce this point.
Prove that -- "quotas" were always beside the point.
Of course, mentioning Ted Kennedy is also racist.
In practice, it was in this case -- there's always been resentment toward "Northern interlopers" for corrupting Southern society and culture. Martin Luther King Jr., though himself a Southerner, got his graduate degrees in Philadelphia and Boston -- you'd be surprised to learn how much he was hated just on those grounds.
Posted by: Rick | July 10, 2008 8:43 AM
"Failure to understand a complicated sentence structure is not grounds for condescencion. I'll put it in bullet points for you."
kevin, i've read and understood complicated sentence structures; i've written complicated sentence structures (in French as well as English); i've edited complicated sentence structures. And the problem in your post, my Christian brother, was not a complicated sentence structure.
But the bullet points helped, even tho I remain unpersuaded.
Posted by: carl copas | July 10, 2008 11:19 AM
"Now are holding people accountable for the company they keep - what a concept. The 'Graham Family and American Evangelists' in general are suspect of 'whatever'.
Oh - that Christ would be friends and seen with sinners - that must be a liberal thing. But conservatives are bad if there are in the company of questionable people."
Nobody is critisising the Grahams for keeping company with sinners, that is what Christians are supposed to do. We are simply questionaing The Graham family (and others) promotion of Jesse Helms as a fine Christian southern gentleman and patriot when in reality he was a nasty racist who supported very repressive regimes in Southern Africa and South America.
Even Richard Land,who is hardly a liberal either politically or sociallly, concedes that Helms was deeply flawed in his views on race and in his support of the tobacco industry.
Posted by: Annie (UK) | July 10, 2008 6:22 PM
What I can appreciate here is someone honestly being A-political. I don't believe in either party, I'm for someone with a brain & genuine concern for helping our dysfunctional country. Yes, I too, cringed at thinking about Jesse Helms, especially in regards to his blatent biase against the art world but the presidential election has put me in the most un-comfortable place as an A-political person. I don't really like any of the candidates currently... Thank God Hillary is out of the race, I didn't trust her from the beginning, period. I really don't have an opinion to form on either McCain or Obama... All we are bombarded with in the media is trivial, and truly un-intelligent: From picking on a pastor to picking on a priest to playing over an over video tapes of McCain singing "Bomb, bomb Iran"... We all have a fine line of opinion about someone, whether it is wrong or foolish, who are we truly to judge? My fiance is Republican, he knows, appreciates & respects I am A-political. Aside from that, what he believes in is not typical, he is his own person. Maybe he should run on his own( he is interested in politics)? One of the greatest lines coming from the fire of the Reformation was: We are both Saint & Sinner! Who are we to draw the final line? Who are we to place the final label on someone's head?
Thank You for your time--
Posted by: Nicole Macaluso | July 10, 2008 10:03 PM
As a true saint It is not to wish any harm upon others. Mr Helms who did mention christian virtue; his philosophy of life does not line up in the word of God. Acts 10:34 the lord is no respecter of persons, He has no favorites excep those that obey his commandments and statues. The old man promogated hate. God is Love (I john 4:8 )in him there NO guile. To walk the straight and narrow in Matt 7:13&14. We must be completely sold out to Christ. The old man must go completely; Behold all things become new. Ex. Masterbation, homosexuality, fornicators, oral sodomy this is unclean,adulterers, all sin of the flesh must be eradicated. flity commincation cursing and swearing these thing are of satan. Of course Backbiting, hatred, love of money. These are only a few, however Jesus want to save you from hell and wash you completely clean. Be warned you cannot serve two masters. You cannot curse.drink strong drinks,hate etc and say you love and follow Jesus; you're a fool. When you pass you will go down one of those Dark & tarnished Gateways to Hell or tunnels. Christian? you better be sure!
Posted by: Bishop F. Travis | August 27, 2008 12:03 AM
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