Jesse Helms (1921 - 2008)
Big news here in North Carolina: our most infamous citizen has died.
Well, de mortuis nil nisi bonum, but in this case that adage is hard to follow. Jesse Helms was truly one of the most contemptible men ever to hold a U.S. Senate seat, and there is some serious competition for that dishonor (Calhoun . . . McCarthy . . . Bilbo . . . Conkling . . . and the list could go on and on). Jesse was so toxic that even David Broder, Washington D.C.'s maven of mindless moderation, saw fit to write this about the man when he decided to retire. It's a good piece to read today, when I'm sure he's going to be massively sanitized by the media in their eulogies.
I'm reminded of eleven years ago today when a very different kind of North Carolinian also died. Apparently prominent Tarheels, like Founding Fathers, have an affinity for passing away on Independence Day.