Posted by Bjnemp (anonymous) on July 7, 2008 at 5:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Was this supposed to be a eulogy, or an eternal damnation? Jesse Helms was an ultra-conservative Republican. I suspect that had he been a liberal democrat, this "eulogy" by the liberal-left Gazette staff would have been far more flattering, perhaps even reverent.

Jesse Helms showed signs of being a racist and homophobe, but he was not a complete degenerate, as the article above seems to suggest. Helms served 30 years in the U.S. Senate, being elected by large majorities in 1972, 1978, 1984, 1990, and 1996. He chaired the Agriculture Committee and served on two others. He may have had beliefs you and I would not agree with, but he was man enough to stand by his strong beliefs and defend them with vigor. As an American, that was not only his right, it was his duty as an elected official.

My point is: Jesse Helms was not perfect, but he was a man of considerable significance. He certainly doesn't deserve to be vilified and kicked while he is down; or, in this case, dead.

Once again, the Emporia Gazette has proven it isn't always right, but it is always left.

Posted by LifeGoesOn (anonymous) on July 7, 2008 at 7:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Senator Jesse Helms served for thirty years in the United States Senate and retired from the Senate at the end of 2002. He is considered one of the most influential individuals in American government and has received scores of awards for his distinguished service to his state, his country and freedom loving peoples around the world.
As a US Senator he was a leader in the rise of the modern conservative movement, a trailblazer for men and women who wanted to see their government return to its proper role and turn away from too many taxes and too many giveaways.

here is a listing of some of the Awards and Special Honors given to Senator Jesse Helms

Honorary Doctor of Law Degrees awarded from Bob Jones University, Greenville, South Carolina and Grove City College, Grove City, Pennsylvania
Honorary Degrees awarded from Campbell University, Buies Creek, North Carolina and Wingate University, Wingate, North Carolina
North Carolina Press Association Award
Freedoms Foundation Award
Golden Gavel
Nominated for Vice President of the United States
Gold Medal of Merit from the Veterans of Foreign Wars
North Carolina American Legionnaire Award
Legislator of the Year Award
National Man of the Year
American Security Council Award
Conservative Caucus 97th Congress Statesman Award
Golden Eagle Award
“Spirit of Enterprise ” Award
Guardian of Small Business Award
Watchdog of the Treasury Award
Taxpayer's Best Friend Award

With these achievements and his job as a Good News editor for the Raleigh Times and his time as executive vice president for Capitol Broadcasting in Raleigh "some people" may be somewhat jealous.

For Mr Kelly to say "Jesse Helms, will not be remembered for accomplishments — he never accomplished very much except to rile the opposition"
Seems to be in poor taste for a local newspaper Shame on you Mr Kelly! You may not agree with what Mr Helms stood for but I doubt He would have, for the lack of a better term, "Bad Mouthed" you after your death.

Posted by open_eyes (anonymous) on July 7, 2008 at 10:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I look at what Ted Kennedy has accomplished in his career and absolutely shudder. I wonder what kind of a "he was an absolute saint" eulogy the Gazette will give him after he passes......

I think as time passes, as it always does, and as has always happened in the past, alot of reporters will be remembered after the fact for their bias and one-sided views. I fondly remember all the reporters that absolutely shredded Reagan for getting us into WW3. At least that was their prediction. Funny how the Iron Curtain came down without a shot..... but its up to those of us with sense to remember and teach the next generation, because I'm sure most of that will be expunged from textbooks in the future....

Posted by Penny (anonymous) on July 8, 2008 at 9:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Helms was indeed always true to his beliefs. That's the best and the worst that can be said for him.

BJ, as for "eternal damnation", I am pretty sure the editors at the Gazette do not have that kind of influence.

Posted by OutsiderJ (anonymous) on July 8, 2008 at 11:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I've never seen so many people so eager to kiss a dead bigot's ass. Hey, at least he wasn't a commie.

Posted by OutsiderJ (anonymous) on July 8, 2008 at 11:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm only sad that Mr. Kelley forgot to mention his opposition to integration of schools. He should have won a Jim Crow supporter of the year award in my opinion. He may have loved democracy, but it seems he loved it alot more when everybody was kept "in there place".

Posted by jayhawker (anonymous) on July 8, 2008 at 4:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)

OutsiderJ, you are well within your rights to have an opinion about Helms or anyone else. Personally, I think that you and Mr. Kelley should use another time to criticize him, though. He's not even buried yet. On a nonpartisan basis, we used to show respect for the dead, especially the recently died.

Posted by OutsiderJ (anonymous) on July 9, 2008 at 10 a.m. (Suggest removal)

jayhawker. I want to thank you for pointing my right of opinion out to me. Without such civil minded folks as yourself I may forget that I am allowed to think what I want about whom I want. As to my comments about Mr. Helms, they were posted to express my deep sadness that anyone could admire or respect what this man stood for in his life. Everyone says that at least he stood by his beliefs. That quality is really not all its cracked up to be. Especially when the ever changing world in which you live demonstrates time and again that you are wrong and your beliefs are archaic and demeaning. So with all of the respect I can muster, I say good riddance to Mr. Helms.

Posted by emporialifer (anonymous) on July 9, 2008 at 10:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I think this goes back to the Golden Rule - treat others as you would like to be treated. So for people who feel the need to insult someone upon their death, I hope you don't mind when one of your close relatives or friends that might have a belief that does not follow the norm (even if he/she is a good person at heart) dies and people choose to insult them. Just curious how that would make you feel. I don't think anyone is saying that you don't have a right to your opinion, but everyone does have a right to be quiet when it might be considered respectful - some people unfortunately just refuse to do it.

Posted by open_eyes (anonymous) on July 9, 2008 at 10:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)

jayhawker, nowadays they don't even wait for them to die. Remember when John Edwards' wife announced her cancer had recurred? She got nothing but well wishes from the conservative blogosphere. Contrast that with the rude hate spewed out on places like MoveOn & the Huffington Post when Tony Snow announced that he had cancer.

I'm not defending Mr Helms. I certainly did not agree with much of his views. Just making a statement about the current state of the world, and the interesting ways in which both sides react to something such as cancer on the other side. At some point, I don't even care what each side stood for, I just don't want to be associated with the side that is spewing all the hate and hoping a person's cancer makes them suffer and kills them.
There is a time and a place for everything. In the past, we usually at least waited till the person was buried, after all, regardless of what you thought about him, he had a wife, children, etc, that were grieving, and for all I know he was a wonderful husband & father. I'm in no position to judge that, but the decency in me will give him the benefit of the doubt. Decency gets trampled by free speech.
Unless, of course, its YOUR free speech, then we need to push some Fairness Doctrine type thing thru to shut you up......

Posted by open_eyes (anonymous) on July 9, 2008 at 11:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Kindof like looney Phelps - he & his band of idiots have every right to express their opinion about our fallen soldiers - but at the funeral is not the time or place, out of respect & decency.

Posted by jayhawker (anonymous) on July 9, 2008 at 3:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I have long opposed Ted Kennedy and his policies. I admit that I enjoyed watching his presidential bid completely fail in 1980 to, of all people, Jimmy Carter. However, when his brain tumor was recently discovered, I would not have dreamed of using that occasion to criticize him for his liberalism. It seems that we get constant homilies from the left about what monsters we on the right are, but the evidence may be quite to the contrary.

Posted by jayhawker (anonymous) on July 9, 2008 at 3:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

We on the right are regularly accused of personally attacking those on the left for their political beliefs. I admit that there is some of that, and I admit that I have done so myself in the past, a fact that I am not proud of and have resolved to not do again. However, it is the left that has made this a regular practice. Examples include moveon.org and other leftwing groups and individuals. Did you notice OutsiderJ's comment above in writing about the death of Jesse Helms when he called him a bigot and that his passing was "good riddance"? How he said that being true to your convictions is not enough to be a good person (paraphrase)? There is nothing wrong with disagreeing with each other, but how about a little less intolerance of those who see the world differently than we? How I pine for the time when we return to a society of decency and respect for one another.

Posted by jayhawker (anonymous) on July 9, 2008 at 4:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)

OutsiderJ, I truly feel sorry for you and Mr. Kelley knowing that you carry so much hate that when someone from a party other than yours dies is an occasion to rejoice.

Posted by OutsiderJ (anonymous) on July 9, 2008 at 4:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I am neither a democrat or a republican. I'm not talking about parties. I am talking about bigotry, racism, and ethnocentrism from a college dropout.
What do you call someone who believes in civil rights only for those that already have them. Someone who voted against sactions on South Africa to end apartheid. Someone who spews forth ignorant viewpoints like, "There is not one single case of AIDS in this country that cannot be traced in origin to sodomy." or in his 1990 campaign, "Just think of it; homosexuals, lesbians, disgusting people marching in our streets demanding all sorts of things, including the right to marry each other and the right to adopt children." Someone who once called Martin Luther King, Jr. and his supporters "negro hoodlums". Someone who once referred to the developing third world, in an attempt to block aid, as "foreign ratholes". This is a man that was know for whistling dixie while around his black colleges in congress.

He was the definition of a bigoted "old south" racist politician. I could find a hundred more of his small minded racist statements, but I digress.

The best present America could receive on its 232nd birthday is that Jesse Helms can no longer poison the well with his "beliefs". It might also surprise you that he started his career as a democrat, and probably only then because the democrats of North Carolina supported segregation.

I couldn't care less about what party he stood for, if he was conservative or liberal, or what he had for breakfast each morning. None of those things have anything to do with the fact that the man was a racist. Thats what I'm getting at. In my eyes any achievements he may have accumulated in his life will always be overshadowed by the hate and intolerance that he used to attain them. And to celebrate him, is to celebrate hate, and the politics of division.

So it is I that feel truly sorry for you; for being willing to embrace such a man simply because he agreed with your political stance. Are you that insecure that you will side with anyone who agrees with you, even if they are otherwise small minded bigots.

Posted by Bjnemp (anonymous) on July 9, 2008 at 5:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I agree with you, Jayhawker: OutsidersJ harbors an abnormal amount of hatred and anger. I would recommend Prozac or therapy.

Posted by bdprotheroe (anonymous) on July 9, 2008 at 5:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm on the fence on this issue. Was I a fan of Senator Helms or his viewpoints? Noooooooooooooooooooooo. That being said...

Personally, I do believe Mr. Kelley's intent with this editorial was nothing more than to open our eyes to a "life lesson" in retrospect.

But, I do have to agree with many of the other bloggers; personal criticism has not any value or decency after he/she has "bought the farm."

An anecdote... My favorite television program to watch is any rerun of the Golden Girls. Elderly Sophia never fails to make me laugh and teach a valid lesson. In one particular episode, the mean and nasty neighbor lady dies. Sophia's roommates are shocked to learn that she intends upon attending the woman's funeral. (Sophia's response is appropriate at this moment.) She explained that no matter how much we do not care for someone or their viewpoints while they are living, when they die it is important to show to "the man upstairs" that you have respect for human life. And thus, all four women attend the neighbor's funeral.

It's kind of like George W. Bush. As much as I despise the man, I certainly will not bad mouth him when he leaves this planet.

Brian Protheroe
San Francisco, CA

Posted by open_eyes (anonymous) on July 9, 2008 at 6:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I don't think too many here are embracing Helms or applauding him. We're just showing some common decency when one passes. None of us are perfect (not even OutsiderJ) - I probably disagree with OutsiderJ on many issues, but if/when he/she passes on, if the funeral procession passes me by, instead of giving the finger like MoveOn.org preaches, I will bow my head in respect. I despise Kennedy & his policies - but when he announced he had a brain tumor, I sincerely wished him & his family the best. I didn't rejoice and say "Thank God, now we can get him out of there"..... that kind of lobbying I reserverd for when he was healthy. And thru the vote, not thru being a MoveOn/HuffingtonPost hatemonger...

Posted by LifeGoesOn (anonymous) on July 9, 2008 at 7:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I often hear one person say something along the lines of, "He (or she) hasn't earned my respect." Most of us slip into this way of thinking when we talk about politicians.

It's normal to feel this way, yet it isn't the attitude God wants us to have. We can be aware of others' faults, and there may be times when we need to confront sin, yet the Bible tells us that we need to maintain an attitude of respect for everybody.

Posted by OutsiderJ (anonymous) on July 10, 2008 at 8:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I find it a little amusing that nobody agrees with my viewpoint of the man, but not one of you has denied that he was a racist. I thought he was a piece of slime when he was alive (for aforementioned reasons); simply dying does nothing to change my opinion. Maybe I get can that prozac cheap from Helms' family since it seems that he and I have the same "abnormal amount of hatred and anger."

Posted by under_score (anonymous) on July 10, 2008 at 1:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)

http://www.anncoulter.com/

Posted by under_score (anonymous) on July 10, 2008 at 2:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/uc/20080709/cm_u...

Posted by jayhawker (anonymous) on July 12, 2008 at 4:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)

A few minutes ago I heard that Tony Snow, 53, died of cancer earlier today. Snow was a former Bush White House Press Secretary (replacing Scott McClelland) and a former Fox News anchor. As a Washington Times editorial writer, he was very conservative. By all accounts from friend and foe, he was a very nice person to all. I dread reading the terrible things that Pat Kelley and others will undoubtedly write about him, again finding the death of someone with whom they disagree to be an occasion to rejoice. Pat, et. al, if you have any decency left, maybe you could refrain from that this time?

Posted by jayhawker (anonymous) on July 12, 2008 at 8:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

In anticipation that Pat Kelley will write a vitriol editorial against Tony Snow, I want to point out in advance that even though Tony was very conservative, I understand that Helen Thomas (now of the Associated Press, but long of United Press International), perhaps the most liberal of the Washington press corps, said that Tony was a very good person. Bob Beckel, a liberal Democratic operative and former manager of Walter Mondale's presidential campaign, described Tony as one of the most likable, honest and fair minded journalist in Washington. Beckel also described him as a family man and friend to everyone. His death is nothing to rejoice about.

Posted by create (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 6:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Jayhawker, you say, "How I pine for the time when we return to a society of decency and respect for one another." I wonder, was there ever really such a time?

We seem to see more abuse, villification and tongue lashing today because with anonymous blogging, people are more inclined to rattle their sabres. In earlier times, people talked in private rather than make overt attacks, but attack they did nonetheless.

I only say this because I can remember how it was in the 50's when I was just a kid. My parents and friends, older family members, and even our parish priest would discuss local and national affairs at their gatherings, and many opinions were driven home with a fist pounding the table for emphasis. It was my first taste of politics -- loud, sometimes raucous, and not always respectful.

In later years, I also remember my mother-in-law using racial slurs in her home, yet out of doors and in public, and in people's faces, butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. I believe that is far more dangerous.

Just a thought.

Posted by jayhawker (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 11:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)

You certainly have a point, create. We need to do better.