Age takes toll on Helms

[kskiska]

Former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms continues his long stroll into the gray twilight.

Helms recently moved from his home in the Hayes Barton neighborhood into a nearby convalescent center.

Helms, 84, has been diagnosed with vascular dementia, according to Dot Helms, the gleam in Helms' eye for the past 63 years.

The move came because of Helms' continued health problems -- both the deterioration of his memory and other ailments. He was hospitalized at Rex Hospital for a week in March with pneumonia and spent another week at a Rex rehabilitation center.

"He has his good days and his bad days," said Dot Helms. "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."

more…
http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/424539.html

[stevedeshazer]

1. Good

I wish Sen. Helms everything he deserves in this life and the hereafter.

It sounds terrible, but there. I said it.

[kskiska]

2. Andrea Mitchell relates how she was meeting with Helms

when she received word that Ron Brown was killed in a plane crash. Helms' response to the news was, "Good."

[salin]

3. ugly. I remember hearing that as he rode in the "Members Only" elevator

in the senate with Senator Mosley-Braun, that he whistled "Oh I wish I was in Dixie" during the whole elevator ride.

Then there was his public threat to Clinton (that he better not go to any Military base in NC, or that he would risk being shot) - he had to back off of that one, but the back off was lame.

Story after story reflect a man with so much arrogance, so much bigotry, so much ugliness so easily slipping through the lips onto others.

I can not take glee in the infirmmess, or worse, of others. The same, on principle, is true with frmr senator Helms. But not wishing him and his family ill, does not prevent me from reminiscing about some of his less than "bright" moments where he showed that he was not a leader of all of his constituents, but just of those who were exactly like him (white, male and protestant.)

[Zookeeper]

9. "..[J]ust of those who were exactly like him..."

All of the white, protestant men I know disagreed with Helms. He represented a "special" breed: "especially" hateful, fearful, aggressive and arrogant. That breed comes in all colors and both genders.

Otherwise, I agree with you, Salin. I won't be wasting tears on Helms.

On edit for typo. (I really should go to bed.)

[stevedeshazer]

4. Hence my response.

Just givin' it back.

[kskiska]

14. Didn't mean to disparage your remark

It just reminded me of Helms' hatefulness. He deserves payback. Strom, too.

[still_one]

5. racist pig

and similar to him the media treat strom thurmond with kid gloves instead of calling them out on the racists they were

[New Government]

6. CBS Story

Here's an interesting story from less than a year ago:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/06/09/politics/main700682.shtml

[Zookeeper]

11. Interesting little article.

So, he didn't think AIDS was a problem as long as he believed it was limited to Gay men and drug users!

[VPStoltz]

7. Just another case, like with Raygun, that it is now too obvious to ignore

[DiverDave]

8. Maybe karma is real

eom

[Viva_La_Revolution]

10. real and

It comes back seven-fold.


I believe!

[BlooInBloo]

12. I would be satisfied if he got 1/10 the pain he's caused others...

... that would be about 2000% more than the average man causes....

But if god wants to go whole hog and let Bigot McBastard enjoy ALL of the pain he's caused, well I guess I could live with that too.

[wookie294]

13. Timothy Leary said dementia is a good way to go

I imagine dementia is like being high on LSD. Can't be all bad.

I once saw Helms driving to work on DC's 14th Street Bridge. I thought, "Wow, now's my chance to change history and take out Helms!"

[Zookeeper]

15. I guess that depends on how much anxiety...

comes with dementia. My MIL has dementia/Alzheimer's symptoms and she has experienced a great deal of anxiety, in part, because her mother also had it and my MIL knew she was vulnerable.

[niyad]

16. may he receive EVERYTHING he deserves!