(h/t to S., whose quick wit provided this title)
I love America just a little bit more this Independence Day because I learned today that Jesse Helms has left the proverbial building. Good riddance, I say. That racist, homophobic, contra-supporting, Castro-hating, hawkish bastard was the Senator from my home state for thirty years, nearly my entire life.
He planted the seeds of my lifelong embarrassment of being born a Southerner and my future liberalism. The first vote I ever cast was against him. The thought of that bigot being unseated by a black man (Harvey Gantt, who mounted strong, if ultimately unsuccessful challenges against Helms in 1990 and 1996) was something I knew I wanted to be a part of. By the way, that was the election in which Helms (in)famously ran a campaign ad depicting a white fist crumbling up a job application over the words, ''You needed that job ... but they had to give it to a minority.'' Classy.
So excuse me if I don't shed any tears for the man. So long, "Senator No." See you in hell.
2 comments:
i am glad he's dead.
It's a weird time to be in NC. The flags are at half-staff in his honor, and local media are emphasizing what a "gentleman" he was and touting his record of "delivering for his constituents." Gentleman??? This is the guy who sang "Dixie" to Carol Moseley-Braun on a congressional elevator with the stated goal of "making her cry." What a fucker. This is what he was doing in my name in Washington? No thanks. He was a fucking embarrassment.
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