Moses Kagan's Aurora Borealis

Further to the Jesse Helms post:

Here is a partial list of Mr. Helm's "achievements" as adapted from Marc Thiessen in the Post:

1. Helms led the successful effort to bring Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic into NATO
2. He won overwhelming approval for his legislation to support the Cuban people in their struggle against a tyrant. - [Helms-Burton strengthened the embargo, which has been an embarrassing policy failure since JFK's Administration.]
   
3. He secured passage of bipartisan legislation to protect our men and women in uniform from the International Criminal Court. [We, alone in the West, have refused to acknowledge the legitimacy and jurisdiction of a court designed to bring war criminals to justice. Thanks, Jesse.]
   
4. He won majority support in the Senate for his opposition to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. [In insisting upon our right to test nuclear weapons, we incentivize other countries, like Iran, to pursue their own.]
   
5. He helped secure passage of the Iraq Liberation Act, which expressed strong bipartisan support for regime change in Baghdad. [We all know how this story unfolded.]
   

If these "achievements" are among the best arguments in favor of Helm's career that Thiessen can muster, I think he's proven my point for me.

Labels: Jesse Helms

Of all the things Jesse Helms did in his long career, waging a long, bitter rear-guard action to block funding for AIDS prevention and treatment was the worst. Here is the relevant part of the Times obituary:

"He fought bitterly against federal financing for AIDS research and treatment, saying the disease resulted from 'unnatural' and 'disgusting' homosexual behavior. "Nothing positive happened to Sodom and Gomorrah," he said, "and nothing positive is likely to happen to America if our people succumb to the drumbeats of support for the homosexual lifestyle."

Helm's personal crusade against funding for AIDS meant that thousands, possibly millions, of people here and around the world died needlessly from a disease which (with a bit more research) eventually proved manageable, if not yet curable.

There's a tendency in life to smooth over awkward moments and misbehavior in people's lives after they're gone. In this instance, the impulse ought to be avoided. Jesse Helms was a cruel, mean, selfish, bigoted man whose legacy ought to serve as a warning to others who hold similar views now.

The long arc of American history bends toward freedom and compassion and equality. Stand in its way and you will be remembered harshly. Good riddance, Jesse.

Labels: Jesse Helms