Free Republic

Newcomers to political activism may be surprised to learn that this summer was not the first time the Left had used lies and distortions to smear its opponents as racist. As David Horowitz pointed out Monday, this is the Left's defining modus operandi and has been for a generation: as he writes, "the left’s chief political contribution to American politics is witch-hunts." Another chief contribution would be the myths that undergird those witch-hunts. On the health-care front, we've seen MSNBC talker Ed Schultz lie to transform protest signs into death threats (even though the correct wording was on the...

It has been 25 years since Korean Airlines Flight 007, carrying 269 passengers and crew, including Congressman Larry McDonald of Georgia, was fired on by a Soviet fighter jet off the coast of Siberia. At the time, McDonald was chairman of the John Birch Society (a subsidiary of which publishes THE NEW AMERICAN). Although several speakers eulogized McDonald at a Washington, D.C., memorial service 10 days following the September 1, 1983 attack, the words most remembered by both this magazine’s editor, Gary Benoit, and this writer were delivered by the late Senator Jesse Helms, who passed away on July 4....

Jesse Helms and Me By Burt Prelutsky Although I very much regret that I never had the chance to meet Jesse Helms, we did have what you might call a peripheral connection. The first took place nearly 20 years ago, when I was serving the second of my two terms on the Board of the Writers Guild of America. Because the Board had the authority to mete out any sum less than $5,000 without putting it to a vote of the membership, groups and individuals were constantly showing up at our meetings and requesting $4,999. Often, they wanted it to...

In death, Sen. Jesse Helms is being honored as a conservative hero. My question is why? Yes, the six-term senator defined right-wing political stands against communists in Cuba, Nicaragua and the former Soviet Union. Yes, he blocked international treaties that limited U.S. sovereignty. And, yes, he was masterful in his use of direct mail to stir contributions to conservative causes. But "Senator No" also created an angry, scolding, close-minded face for the modern GOP, exactly opposite to the sunny optimism of Ronald Reagan. Helms did not invite people into the party; to the contrary, he seemed to delight in excluding...

When the newborn is shown to a bunch of women, you always hear the same lies: “what a beautiful baby.” The fact is that the parents are grateful that it has ten toes and fingers. And the wrinkled little tyke is anything but beautiful; we’re just glad that it’s finally out and alive. The same with that “dialog on race” that the MSM is always wishing for. It’s a lie. Here is what the MSM looks for in a dialog on race.

The propaganda sheet of Cuba's Stalinist regime has almost outdone the mainstream international media in vilifying Jesse Helms. It's a close-run thing. You be the judge: “To many around the world,” recently wrote London's Financial Times,“he was little less than a monster.” "Few senators in the modern era have done more to resist the tide of progress," concluded the New York Times when Helms retired in 2003. "He fought for the values of the old confederacy. He resisted the new South. He resisted the opportunity to fight for a more perfect union," said Rev. Jesse Jackson (who bellowed “Viva Fidel!-Viva...

In 1985, his dear friend Ronald Reagan was preparing for his first summit with Mikhail Gorbachev when a Ukrainian sailor named Miroslav Medvid twice jumped off a Soviet ship into the Mississippi River seeking political asylum. The Soviets insisted that Medvid had accidentally fallen off -- twice. The State Department did not want an international incident on the eve of the summit. But Helms believed it was wrong to send a man back behind the Iron Curtain -- no matter the cost to superpower diplomacy. He tried to block the ship's departure by requiring the sailor to appear before the...

THE NEW YORK TIMES VS. HELMS, PART 529,876July 9, 2008 Last Friday, on the Fourth of July, the great American patriot Jesse Helms passed away. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson also went to their great reward on Independence Day, so this is further proof of God. Helms is now the second great American patriot I've always wanted to meet and never will, at least in this lifetime. The only other one is the magnificent Reagan aide Lyn Nofziger. (Wikipedia quote: "I sometimes lie awake at night trying to think of something funny that Richard Nixon said.") After a week of...

RALEIGH, N.C. — L.F. Eason III gave up the only job he'd ever had rather than lower a flag to honor former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms. Eason, a 29-year veteran of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, instructed his staff at a small Raleigh lab not to fly the U.S. or North Carolina flags at half mast Monday as called for in a directive to all state agencies by Gov. Mike Easley. When a superior ordered the lab to follow the order, Eason decided to retire rather than pay tribute to Helms. After several hours' delay, one of Eason's employees...

He quit rather than lower flag Ryan Teague Beckwith, Staff Writer Eason, head of a state lab, retired at 51. RALEIGH - L.F. Eason III gave up the only job he'd ever had rather than lower a flag to honor former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms. Eason, a 29-year veteran of the state Department of Agriculture, instructed his staff at a small Raleigh lab not to fly the U.S. or North Carolina flags at half-staff Monday, as called for in a directive to all state agencies by Gov. Mike Easley. When a superior ordered the lab to follow the directive, Eason...

Jesse Helms, the North Carolina Republican senator whose uncompromising conservatism made him one of America's leading crusaders against communism, liberalism, tax increases, abortion, homosexuality, affirmative action and court-ordered busing to integrate schools, died yesterday at Mayview Convalescent Center in Raleigh, N.C. He was 86. snip "Next to Ronald Reagan," Fred Barnes wrote in the Weekly Standard in 1997, "Jesse Helms is the most important conservative of the last 25 years."

If Ronald Reagan was the sunny and optimistic face of modern conservatism, the uncompromisingly defiant exemplar of it was Jesse Helms, who died yesterday at age 86. While Reagan has undergone a revisionist makeover by many historians who now recognize his accomplishments, Helms is still the conservative liberals most love to hate. But while they still disdain his views, many liberal groups are now using their own forms of the rhetorical and campaign techniques that Helms honed to perfection. Jesse Helms was an influential television commentator in North Carolina when he decided to leave the Democratic Party, winning a U.S....

The tolerant left speaks their mind

Ah yes, the compassionate agents of Hope and Change. "The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday. And today is my favorite Fourth of July ever, because the United States got an AWESOME [emphasis in original] birthday present: Jesse Helms finally died." More . . .

Jesse Helms died today at age 86. In his day, he gave the liberals fits of rage. And he gave back as good as he got.

jesse helms has passed away

On Election Night 1990, after the news broke that Sen. Jesse Helms had beaten black Democrat Harvey Gantt, NBC’s Andrea Mitchell mourned "This has really been a heart-breaking race," and compared Helms to racist David Duke. On Thursday, Mitchell was seeing old Helms commercials as she denounced the North Carolina Republican Party ads featuring Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s "God damn America" comments. "This has such deep roots in the North Carolina Republican Party, the Jesse Helms Republican Party," she complained on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. During her 1 pm newscast on Wednesday, Mitchell interviewed McCain adviser Jack Kemp, and asked him what...

William A. Link has written a biography of Jesse Helms "Righteous Warrior: Jesse Helms and the Rise of Modern Conservatism", published by St. Martin's Press. The book is favorably reviewed in by Quin Hillyer in the Feb 12, 2008 Wall Street Journal.

Ron Paul Political Report Volume I Number 1 Page 3 In Congress today, unquestlonlng support for Israel is true bipartisan foreign policy. Conservative Senator Jesse Helms (R-Nc) was once a critic of aid to Israel. In 1983, the Israell lobby set out to forge an alliance between the evangelical right and Jews and knew Helms would be the best place to start. As a result, in 1984 Israeli PACs and associated wealthy buslnessmen helped bankroll Helms' reelection. campaign. Once Helms was back in office, he was flown to Israel. At the Wailing wall, Helms described the revelatlon that God wanted...

America is the only nation in history founded on an idea: the proposition that all men are created equal, and are endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. No other nation can make such a claim. This is what makes us unique. It is why, for more than two centuries, America has been a beacon of liberty for all who aspire to live in freedom. It is also why America was so brutally attacked on September 11. The terrorists who struck the Pentagon and the World Trade Towers despise what America stands...

Savannah, Ga. (AP) -- The wife of Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards on Tuesday compared him to another North Carolina politician known for his blunt candor — conservative icon Jesse Helms. Elizabeth Edwards, speaking to reporters before a giving speech in Savannah, Gal., invoked the name of Republican Helms when asked if her husband could appeal to conservative Southern voters. "I remember one-time somebody saying, 'That John Edwards reminds me of Jesse Helms,'" she said. "They didn't agree on a single policy, I don't think. But here's what they agreed on — that people should know where they stood." Elizabeth...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, in increasingly poor health before and since he left office three years ago, has vascular dementia and has moved into a convalescent center near his home, The News & Observer reported Sunday. "He has his good days and his bad days," his wife, Dot Helms, told the newspaper. "He still sees friends. Company is good for him. He is still signing books. But he is not able to conduct any business or make any speeches." The 84-year-old Republican has been slowed by a variety of illnesses, including a bone disorder, prostate cancer...

Bono and Jesse Helms? Not only are they friends, but the Irish rocker and archconservative former North Carolina senator also share a common cause: fighting AIDS in Africa.

The Great Mr. Helms by Christian Josi “Christian, you have a phone call,” said the young receptionist as I entered my office at the American Conservative Union that early September morning. “It’s, uhm, Senator Helms.” It was 2001, just a few weeks after I met the Senator for the first time. I had admired him from afar for many years and that first meeting impacted me in ways that very few of my life experiences have. At that very time, control of the US Senate was in the balance and the Washington media had mounted nothing less than a death...

RALEIGH, N.C. - Jesse Helms, writing with the same passion that made him the archconservative of the U.S. Senate for 30 years, renews his criticism of abortion in a memoir being published this week, comparing it to both the Holocaust and the Sept. 11 attacks. "I will never be silent about the death of those who cannot speak for themselves," the former senator wrote in "Here's Where I Stand," which is scheduled for release Tuesday. The North Carolina Republican, known as "Senator No" for his consistent efforts to block what he considered liberal initiatives and unqualified foreign policy appointees, makes...

Just wanted to give a heads up for the North Carolina folks specifically, and fans of the Senator in general.

The Raleigh News & Observer dubbed me "Senator No." It wasn't meant as a compliment, but I certainly took it as one. There was plenty to stand up and say "No" to during my first of five terms representing the people of North Carolina in the U.S. Senate. That was why I had sought election in 1972 -- to try to derail the freight train of liberalism that was gaining speed toward its destination of "government-run" everything, paid for with big tax bills and record debt. My goal, when my wife, Dot, and I decided I would run, was to...

Raleigh, N.C. JESSE HELMS doesn't miss Washington. After 30 years in the Senate, he retired in 2002. "I was just so glad to get home," he says. Helms and his wife Dot live in the brick house that used to belong to her father. It's minutes from the state capitol and close to his small office. It's been their Raleigh home for more than a half-century. Their daughter Jane and her family live next door. Helms drops by his office most days, watches C-SPAN occasionally, but keeps his political activity to a minimum. Looking back at his years in Washington,...

    Our Jesse By Published 8/11/2005 12:07:53 AM WASHINGTON -- I have been reading an advance copy of memoirs written by Jesse Helms, the retired North Carolina senator who braved the liberals' indignation to create the politics that now prevails on Capitol Hill and in the White House, namely, modern American conservatism. Helms did not do this alone, and arguably he was only a member of the first-string team whose quarterback was Ronald Reagan. Yet Helms was very important, particularly on the social values issues that average Americans now deem so compelling. His memoir, Here's Where I Stand (Random...

have been reading an advance copy of memoirs written by Jesse Helms, the retired North Carolina senator who braved the liberals' indignation to create the politics that now prevail on Capitol Hill and in the White House, namely, modern American conservatism. Helms did not do this alone, and arguably, he was only a member of the first-string team whose quarterback was Ronald Reagan. Yet Helms was very important, particularly on the social values issues that average Americans now deem so compelling. His memoir, "Here's Where I Stand," is a very good refresher course on how America moved from the dreary,...

Address by United States Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, before the United Nations Security Council, January 20, 2000 Mr. President, Distinguished Ambassadors, Ladies and Gentlemen: I genuinely appreciate your welcoming me here this morning. You are distinguished world leaders and it is my hope that there can begin, this day, a pattern of understanding and friendship between you who serve your respective countries in the United Nations and, those of us who serve not only in the United States Government but also the millions of Americans whom we represent and serve. Our Ambassador...

Former Senator Jesse Helms on why he became a conservative, why North Carolina started voting conservative, and his surprising view on the United Nations. NCC: Senator Helms, thank you for granting this interview. The North Carolina Conservative is a newspaper devoted to fostering conservative, Christian values and politics in our state. Given your background in media and politics, The North Carolina Conservative considers you a hero and a role model. Helms: Thank you for your generous profile in the March issue of your publication. It still surprises me when I find something in any North Carolina newspaper that isn’t mad...

Over a decades-long political career, Jesse Helms attracted both friends and foes. On Saturday night, those who admired Helms came out for a special tribute to honor the former Senator and to benefit the recently established Senator Jesse Helms Agricultural Legislative Internship Endowment. The event, organized by N.C. State University’s College of Agriculture and the Jesse Helms Center Foundation, brought out about 400 people to the North Raleigh Hilton. “Well, I don’t think there’s really any way to pay the proper tribute to Senator Helms in one evening,” Retired Army General H. Hugh Shelton said. The proceeds from the night...

<p>The deadly attacks on the United States in New York and Washington prompted some suggestions that the U.S. must work with Communist China to combat international terrorism. This is a badly misguided proposal that merits a hasty burial. Given the resolve the Bush administration has displayed toward China to date, it is unlikely to fall into this trap.</p>

In the letter, U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, the 83-year-old Republican, who left office in 2003 after five terms, worries that the former president has aspirations to lead the U.N. after Kofi Annan retires next year. ``I'm sure you might agree that putting a left-wing, undisciplined and ethically challenged former President of the United States into a position of such power would be a tragic mistake,'' Helms writes. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter Tuesday. It contains a petition that asks President Bush to ``rebuke all efforts by Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and every other liberal in Congress...

Beloved conservative icon and former Senator Jesse Helms will be coming to Kinston, Saturday, to stump for Patrick Ballantine and Richard Burr. Jesse Helms will be at Kings Restaurant in Kinston from 11 until Noon, Saturday, on Highway 70. Here is the Ballantine eastern barnstorm schedule: 7:00 - 7:30 pm Currituck High School Football game Barco, NC Saturday, Oct. 30, 2004 8:30 - 9:30 am Wayne County Breakfast Madison's Restaurant 413 New Hope Road Goldsboro, NC 9:15 - 10:00 am Wayne County "Feast in the East" Goldsboro Fairgrounds (off 117) 11:00 - 12:00 pm Lenoir County Rally and Brunch Special...

THE LEFT’S CIVILITY SCAM By Don Feder Last week, the inimitable Ann Coulter was on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” to discuss her new book, “How To Talk To A Liberal (If You Must)”. Co-host Charles Gibson – a media cheerleader for the Kerry campaign, who once expressed disbelief that anyone could question the Democratic nominee’s “distinguished war record” -- used the interview as an occasion to deliver another unctuous homily on the need for civility in politics. For the left, civility is a one-way street, running toward them – but never in the opposite direction. Gibson, who hosted the second...

Former senator says President Reagan helped change the course of the country Saturday, June5, 2004, 10:42 PM Raleigh, North Carolina-AP -- Former Senator Jesse Helms calls the late Ronald Reagan "one of the greatest presidents in the history of our nation." In a statement, Helms says "Ronald Reagan's voice may have been silenced but his vision and principled leadership will forever continue to speak to our future." The former North Carolina Republican senator campaigned with Reagan and served as chairman of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee during his presidency. He says Reagan "helped to change the course of this country...

Securing the Future of Conservatism Jerry Falwell Thursday, May 27, 2004 What do you get when you cross Jesse Helms, Jerry Falwell and a plethora of college students who are anxious to impact the culture with our time-honored conservative values? Well, if you ask Sen. Hillary Clinton she’d likely tell you that it is further evidence of a “vast right-wing conspiracy” that is out to destroy her husband’s so-called legacy and steer the nation toward mindless servitude to Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. (Maybe I should write the Democrats’ talking points.) But the correct answer is: The new Helms...

<p>A North Carolina newspaper meant to chastise Republican Vernon Robinson when it declared: "Jesse Helms is back! This time, he's black."</p> <p>Now that quote has become Mr. Robinson's campaign slogan as he battles seven other 5th District congressional candidates in the July 20 Republican primary.</p>

Senator Hatch: Provoking A Split Within Conservatism…Again Paul Weyrich Monday, Apr. 05, 2004 The year was 1976. Ronald Reagan had lost the GOP's presidential nomination to Gerald Ford. The prospects for conservative victories in Congress were not very promising. But I was sure I had found a rising star. He was articulate. He was charismatic. He claimed to be a principled conservative. I thought of him as a potential presidential candidate. As chairman of the Free Congress PAC, I backed him at the state convention (In his state you have to get a certain percentage of the convention vote to...

I deeply appreciate your warm welcome, and I'm especially grateful to Ed Feulner and Mark Burson and all the other great folks at The Heritage Foundation and the Ronald Reagan Foundation. You are doing so much to keep the Reagan legacy alive. It's an honor to be with you today as we prepare to celebrate the christening of the United States Aircraft Carrier Ronald Reagan. Of one thing I'm certain: President Reagan would be so pleased--but also humbled--if he could be with us today. This very old friend of his is grateful--and humbled--that you invited me to help assist in...

When I first went to work in the United States Senate, I frequently accompanied Senator Gordon Allott (R-Co.) to the Senate floor. There I watched as Senators had to cast vote after vote on liberal issues which often were unrelated to the legislation at hand. I asked the Senator what was going on? He replied: It's all politics. The liberals want to use these votes in the next election. The liberal ploy went unanswered for many years. Time and again moderate and conservative Senators had to explain why they voted to deprive poor children of milk, or voted for dirty...

A veteran Hill staffer remarked to me last week that for the first time since the 2002 elections she misses Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC). Helms finished his Senate career as Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, after having been chairman for several terms. The new Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee is Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN), a veteran of 28 years in the Senate. Lugar has waited a long time to become Chairman. Following the 1986 elections he attempted to get his colleagues to dump Helms, who had shifted from being Chairman of the Agriculture Committee to Ranking...

                                    U.S. Senate                                 Committee on Armed Services,                                Washington, DC, October 9, 1998.       The President,       The White House, Washington, DC.           Dear Mr. President: We are writing to express our concern        over recent developments in Iraq.           Last February, the Senate was working on a resolution        supporting military action if diplomacy did not succeed in        convincing Saddam Hussein to comply with the United Nations        Security Council resolutions concerning the disclosure and        destruction of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. This        effort was discontinued when the Iraqi government reaffirmed        its...

Republican Bill Cobey plans to give his good friend, retired U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, a starring role in his campaign for governor. Cobey, who has already received Helms' endorsement, on Thursday unveiled a television ad featuring the 5-term senator and conservative icon. The humorous ad features Helms praising a self-effacing Cobey. At a news conference, Cobey said Helms' backing means more than most endorsements, which typically carry little weight with voters. "Sen. Helms is the exception to the rule. He is a man people trust," the former congressman and state Republican Party chairman said. Cobey enters the race for the...

Address by Jesse Helms Chairman, U.S. Senate Committe on Foreign Relations before the United Nations Security Council January 20, 2000 Mr. President, Distinguished Ambassadors, Ladies and Gentlemen: I genuinely appreciate your welcoming me here this morning. You are distinguished world leaders and it is my hope that there can begin, this day, a pattern of understanding and friendship between you who serve your respective countries in the United Nations and, those of us who serve not only in the United States Government but also the millions of Americans whom we represent and serve. Our Ambassador Holbrooke is an earnest gentleman...

Dr. Jerry Falwell, Publisher, National Liberty Journal I'm taking the unusual step of informing our readers about one very special 30-year-old candidate for Congress in North Carolina. His name is Nathan Tabor. Son of an ordained Baptist minister, a committed Christian active in his local church, a dynamic young leader – I am convinced Nathan Tabor is a young champion who can make a true difference for our values in Washington. That’s why I recently committed to Nathan that I will pray for him and personally assist his campaign. While the actual election is one year away, and our ministries...

Senator Helms: Thank you very much. I've never been introduced on film before. But it was an eloquent thing, and some of it was correct. [Laughter] That videotape certainly brought back a lot of memories, as you can imagine. Sooner or later I will get close to the microphone. I'm not accustomed to sitting down. I have just seen a tape that brought back a million memories to me. I don't want to choke up, but there was a lot of love between this old guy and two or three of the people you saw on the film. In...

WASHINGTON -- Despite suffering some memory loss from a recent fall, retired GOP Sen. Jesse Helms still plans to finish his much-anticipated memoir covering his three controversial decades in office, a former aide says. Former Sen. Jesse Helms His publisher, Random House, says it hasn't set a publication date for the book, however, and has no working title. The delivery of the manuscript, originally due last summer, has been delayed several months as the 81-year-old Helms recovers. The uncompromising conservative chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, known as "Senator No," underwent surgery two weeks ago to remove a blood...