I should have spelled it correctly. J-e-s-s-e. So bye, Jesse, you son of a bitch.

To celebrate a person's death, except perhaps the most evil among us, and who are they? ...is wrong somehow. But bye, Jessie Helms, you son of a bitch.

Up here in Canuckistan, Sen. Helm's deeds did not go unnoticed. Our own fake news show, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, gave an apt description of him in a report on his advocacy of sanctions against us for trading with Cuba: "evil, geriatric hillbilly." The world is a slightly better place without him.

I grew up in the 60s and have lived all of my life in northwest Louisiana. Believe it or not major progress has occurred in the South over the last 48 years that I was old enough to have witnessed and remember. Unfortunately there are still too many white citizens my age and older who still live by the old ways.

I am encouraged by the young adults I know who grew up in the 80s and beyond who have African-American friends. There are even a few white folks my age and older I know who have African-American friends. Some of the formerly all-white local churches are beginning to have a significant number of black members. Here in Shreveport we elected our first African-American mayor in 2006.

Improvement will continue as the older generation dies off. Jesse Helms won his elections by close margins. It's sad how a few thousand narrow-minded voters can impede progress.

And to all you white folks that live outside the south: get off your high-horse! There have been ample racial incidents and atrocities committed by whitey against African-Americans and other ethnicities in every other region of the country over the course of our nation's history. How many times was the Oriental population on the west coast abused? I could go on!

Have a Happy 4th of July everyone!

Espousing hate and prejudice is never called for, regardless of the vote.

Helms may have believed in god, but not the Christian god.

"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. He was once asked if he had any ambitions beyond the United States Senate. He replied: 'The only thing I am running for is the Kingdom of Heaven.' Today, Jesse Helms has finished the race, and we pray he finds comfort in the arms of the loving God he strove to serve throughout his life."

— President Bush.

Helms may have been trying to "serve" his god as atonement for his service in the Senate.

"If you're saying that agents of violence, like the KKK, are spurred by mouthpieces of violence, like Helms, I agree."

Yes, absolutely. I am reminded of the central role the short-wave radio broadcasters in Rwanda played in coordinating and motivating the violence of the '94 Genocide.

"First, I'd just like to say I have admired you by way of your posts since I first found you here. I contiue to do so. Thanks for the intelligent and well-reasoned response. This is precisely what I was hoping for."

Wow. I am flattered, but if you have read my letters, then you know that praise of me isn't warranted... I am neither well-behaved or entirely reasonable. Thanks nonetheless.

As for your comments about use of the term "tolerance," I use it because conservatives do, usually accompanied by a smirk. It's standard practice on their part when they are faced with a liberal angry about some obscenity or another... they cock their heads and say "So much for being tolerant, huh?" It's how they try to defang us of of any justifiable rage we feel. Because, of course, rage is reserved for them only.

"When blacks develop a Super Ego then they can talk. When liberals mature a bit then they can talk. When women stop thinking through their vagina then they can talk. Until then, leave Jesse Helms alone." -turnip

So, AJCalhoun, the central question remains: How do you tolerate someone, like turnip here, who not only disparages and dismisses your beliefs, but disparages or dismisses YOU YOURSELF?

Truthfully, I don't know the answer to that question. But I do hold firm to one principle; reciprocity. Regardless of beliefs, I do try to hear out anyone who addresses me as a person and tries to listen to me, if not accommodate me.

I don't believe that Jesse Helms cared for reciprocity. I think he was one of many unreconstructed folks who was courteous and kind to those who looked like him, talked like him, and thought like him.

To anyone reading this, let me emphasize: civility is not about being kind to those who are like you... that's just tribalism. It's about being decent to those who are different than you.

I won't go into who or what I am, but I know if I was one of Jesse's constituents, those anecdotes about his approachability and courtesy wouldn't apply to me.

So I won't be extended any sympathy for him this evening. My regards to his family, however.

Sincerely,

Diomedes

I'm not going to whip myself into a frenzy trying to be civil about his death.

He was good ol' southern boy who hated blacks, whites, gays,women and anyone who didn't vote for him.

He was a bigot. He was a racist. He was a hateful man, who deserved to die earlier than this.

He dragged himself to his job (he wouldn't retire) because he felt God told him to.

The world is better off without him or his ilk. Unfortunately, there's millions more where he came from-and they still vote.

That's why we have Bush in the White House with all his buddies.

Thanks to all the Southern rednecks, we have suffered for 8 years under this regime, and I'm glad one of the prime architects of it is gone.

No, I'm not going to apologize at all for this letter. To hell with civility. It's my opinion, and it stands.

Good riddance.