When I worked in D.C. I had occasion to meet Helms several times and he was always a polite even courtly man, with that in mind, my condolences to his family.

That said, the man was a monster who stands out as one of the worst political leaders of the last quarter of the 20th century. Helms did enormous damage to the tenor of public debate and he gave comfort and aid to some of the most reprehensible elements of our society.

While I ascribe no real significances to it, I am struck by the fact that two of the GOP's strongest advocates for ignorance and anti-intellectualism (Ronald Reagan of course being the other), passed the final years of their lives in states of full-blown dementia, literally without a thought in their heads. Rough justice indeed.

Perhaps some dancing in the street accompanied by firing guns into the air would accessorize the occasion nicely.

Other than that, for black folks, gay folks (and you assume I am neither?), or just plain people who deplored most of Mr. Helms' political career, perhaps some civil discourse about the remarkably awful effect of his behavior as a politician and how it reflected the pervasive ignorance of the people who repeatedly elected him -- and why this should have even been so -- might be a more constructive use of bandwith than simply behaving like the savage that Helms, himself, often was.

No one owes anyone a eulogy here; but we do owe each other at least the illusion of being better than the man we're discussing.

Rolling in our own waste hardly accomplishes that simple aim.

What would you have folks do?

Black folks?

Gay folks?

Teachers who didn't teach kids to eat their grandparents, but were accused of teaching cannibalism by Helms?

He basically started the practice in 1984. Look, I'm not going to revel in the mans death, but anybody who takes money from the tobacco lobby while condemning the "evils" of homosexuality speaks for themselves in the hypocrite department. If any right wingers try and honor him as some kind of "patriot", I will kindly point this out. I think that's really all anyone needs to do.

I will not miss Jesse Helms one bit.

Jesse Helms is dead; that's nice.

He sang 'Dixie' to Senator Carol Moseley-Braun in an elevator in one of the Senate office buildings, specifically, he said, to taunt her, to "make her cry".

"Your tax dollars are being used to pay for grade-school classes that teach our children that CANNIBALISM, WIFE-SWAPPING and MURDER of infants and the elderly are acceptable behavior."

-- Fund raising mailer, 1996

"Homosexuals are weak, morally sick wretches."

-- 1995 radio broadcast

"They should ask their parents if it would be all right for their son or daughter to marry a Negro."

-- In response to Duke University students holding a vigil after Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, 1968

"All Latins are volatile people. Hence, I was not surprised at the volatile reaction."

-- After Mexicans protested his visit in 1986

...as we can tell by the (sometimes hypocritical) posts left here by the kinder, gentler (and generally superior in all ways) left.

Jesse Helms is gone. The thing should speak for itself. Oddly, the invective so far is less than showed up at the sudden, untimely passing of Tim Russert, who apparently was an atheist, leftist version of the Antichrist.

No, the world is a more fucked-up place and every time someone dies the proof becomes more clear, at least here at Salon.

Me, I was raised on that silly-ass "If you can't say something nice..."etc., and of course, also on John Donne's tolling bell.

Civility: the right has trampled on it; the left has proven it can do a better job of trampling, just as with everything else.

Stooping to conquer: a really attractive way to go.

I never think ill of anybody, but the passing of this hateful bigot swells my heart with glee. He has been a lightening rod of intolerance for far too long and his passing is greeted here, at least, with a sigh of satisfaction. Finally, this bastard will shut the fck up!

the funny thing is that my opinion of jefferson has fallen since i was in my twenties (read about his trampling of civil liberties, abuse of martial law and disdain for the judicial process while president) while my opinion of helms actually rose somewhat over that same period. no mortal is that good or that bad. rest in peace.

Happy Birthday, USA!!!

Rot in Hell, Jesse Helms!!!