Jesse Helms, U.S. Senator and Conservative Champion, Dies
Conservative Sen. Jesse Helms, 86, a truly great American and champion of freedom, died at 1:15 a.m. today. Helms, who gave our country three decades of service as a U.S. senator from North Carolina, was ill in recent years.
How fitting that he passed on the Fourth of July, one of the great patriots of the 20th century!
He was an enemy of Communism when other Senators embraced their leaders. He was a friend of Tibet when Richard Gere and other lefties were still in diapers. He fought the Panama Canal give away and now we see the Chinese controlling the ports.
During World War II, Helms served stateside as a recruiter in the United States Navy.
Address by Jesse Helms Chairman, U.S. Senate Committe on Foreign Relations before the United Nations Security Council January 20, 2000
AWESOME SPEECH JUST CLICK HERE
Jesse was originally scheduled to fly on the South Korean flight that the Russians shot down (because the atheists’ motherland was “sacred”). If he had we’d have lost him much sooner and while he was still serving in the Senate.
Here’s a few of those firebrand comments from Senator Helms:
“The destruction of this country can be pinpointed in terms of its beginnings to the time that our political leadership turned to socialism. They didn’t call it socialism, of course. It was given deceptive names and adorned with fancy slogans. We heard about New Deals, and Fair Deals and New Frontiers and the Great Society.”
“Compromise, hell! That’s what has happened to us all down the line — and that’s the very cause of our woes. If freedom is right and tyranny is wrong, why should those who believe in freedom treat it as if it were a roll of bologna to be bartered a slice at a time?”
”Conservatism is a hard choice for a society that has become accustomed to big government and big entitlements promoted by liberals….I became a Republican when a very wise young lady asked me how I could remain a Democrat when I didn’t agree with what they stood for and did agree with what the Republicans supported.”
On a personal note, back when Bill Clinton was president I wrote a letter to Jesse Helms. Not an email but a hand written letter. It was about our country and when did it stop being important for character to matter.
Jesse Helms wrote me back, the most wonderful note. It was not a form letter, it was written by him with many little stories in it of his experiences and how I should hang in there and keep strong for America.
What a special man he was to take the time to answer me like that, after all I am only one of the ” we the people” and I will cherish what he did always.
God bless you, Jesse. You touched my heart and I’ll never forget you.
Rest in peace Senator Helms. Say hello to the Gipper for all of us. We are eternally grateful to both of you.
It truly is a tragedy. I remember him from when I was a younger girl. I remember finding out how my great aunt Rosemarie married a distant cousin of Jesse’s in Illinois. Jim was two years older than Jesse.
Jesse was one of the good guys in white. Strong, capable and ready for a fight.
He’ll be missed.
Yes he was a Patriot- we need more like him!! That was neat about the letter he sent you– !
“why should those who believe in freedom treat it as if it were a roll of bologna to be bartered a slice at a time?”
Right there says it all- that is why we have all this BS lunacy with pc – America needs to take at least a 90 degree right turn and hold steady until we return to what we once were! Screw Liberals – and PC!!
Wow! Am I ever proud to be Tar Heel Born and Tar Heel Bred. Spent last week in Asheville and Black Mountain and hope to get back this year. Never got to vote for Jesse Helms and never met him but he takes the bitter taste of John Edwards out of my mouth. Thank you for this great tribute to a real Republican.
Lynn, wow that is so cool. Thank you so much for sharing about that. Yes he sure will be missed.
Cheryl, huge Amen to what you said……
“America needs to take at least a 90 degree right turn and hold steady until we return to what we once were! Screw Liberals – and PC!!”
Horace, oh wow what beautiful areas those are. My Dad took us to the Black Mountain area long ago when I was a kid.
Thank you so much Horace for sharing about that.
Looks like Colorado and New Mexico and Virginia will become BLUE STATES of SOCIALISM in less than four months, and NC is 50-50? God help US…
Darthcrusader,
I’ve adopted an Alec Baldwin-like stance and am telling people I’m not going to stay or live in a state that switches from Red to Blue. I’m too old to fight every day. Will somebody give me a heads up and tell me which state will be the most Red on election day? I’ll start looking for a house there. Probably require me to move back to Utah which I should not have left in 1991.