Jesse Helms, back in his throwing-the-book at Mapplethorpe and the NEA days.

I’m really not a fan of grave pissing, but for most of his life, Jesse Helms was pretty mean. The five-term senator from North Carolina and standard bearer for the right-wing revolution has died at the age of 86. Repubs are having a field day with the fact he died on the 4th of July. (He died, people, he wasn’t born on it…)

Helms really wasn’t a big fan of teh gay. He did, however eventually soften towards the AIDS issue and became quite active in providing funding for the crisis overseas, especially in Africa.

This article appears in July 11 • 2008.

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