Jesse Helms has died

[sparkindarkness]

And, not being American, I can't say whatever he did changed my life at all. I had heard of him however and I was, frankly, horrified that such a repellant man existed outside of a comedy.

I have seen, well, subdued rejoicing coming from many quarters - people who are glad to see him gone but realise the utter tackiness of celebrating someone's death.



It is said that it's a terrible thing to speak ill of the dead and awful to celebrate anyone's passing. And maybe it's true, I can't disagree firmly there, it certainly leaves an unpleasant taste in the mouth

However, if celebrating a death is bad, then I can't help but wonder how much worse it must be to have lead such a life that so many people are gleeful when you are dead?

Comments

[magista.livejournal.com]

"Well..Daaarling, I learned at an early age to not speak ill of the dead..Only Good things...so...[Helms] is Dead..Good."

/Bette Davis

One more small step back from the brink for our southern neighbours.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

LOL, that line is a classic.

May many more follow

[thisdaydreamer.livejournal.com]

I couldn't have said it better.

I certainly won't miss him.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

Thank you and agreed

[mrmeval.livejournal.com]

Oh if I think they deserve it I'll piss on their grave. I'm waiting for a couple corpulent asses in congress to die.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

I'm waiting for them to install a disco - I mean, so many people want to dance on his grave they may as well charge an entry fee

[mrmeval.livejournal.com]

Dance, dance......revolution?

;)

[mrmeval.livejournal.com]

Of course some are just mean about it. ;)
http://luke-jaywalker.livejournal.com/35769.html

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

LOL, ok maybe it's cruel, but still - what an epitaph? Can you imagine that being your legacy "people rejoiced that I was dead."

[mrmeval.livejournal.com]

Well context is everything there are some that mourn his passing. I'll be happy if they rejoice at my death, happier if only one does and ecstatic at the silence....

...I've been reading http://www.choppingblock.org again.

*sigh*

[snuck.livejournal.com]

some things should be celebrated... the turning of a tide washes out old, brings in fresh water...

I am glad that a man of such influence well beyond his right, has been quietened. Sad that it is in his death (although 86 is well beyond life expectancy)... but his life wasn't contributing much to society anymore, and he was sullying the world still.

Ugh. Hard to not speak ill of the dead at times, but sheesh - that man was a piss poor excuse for political influence

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

It'sd almost sad - and deeply horrifying. I mean, dying and your epitaph being "thousands, maybe millions, of people are glad I am dead." What an utter tragedy and what an utter waste of a life.

How can we speak anything but ill of a man who did nothing that wasn't ill?

[mrmeval.livejournal.com]

Just give it up and put this on a bumper sticker:
"Jesse Helms would have done better as fertilizer growing food for poor people."

And on the one below it.

"After being suitably sterilized."

[tinimaus.livejournal.com]

Did you read his obit in the Guardian? They were much of the same opinion: 'To echo this newspaper's memorable comment on the death of William Randolph Hearst, it is hard even now to think of him with charity.'
The whole thing makes quite depressing reading: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/04/usa

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

I didn't read it until you posted the link. Gah, reading that and the wiki on him I'm just left stunned. He was such an enemy of all that was good and decent in the world.

[klgaffney.livejournal.com]

when it comes down to it, the guy was our enemy, the enemy of most of the world, and representative of the sickest parts of our country. i can not only say "good" with a clear conscience, i can say with vicious satisfaction that i'm glad we managed to get a black presidental candidate before he kicked off, too.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

Agreed to everything. He was an enemy - he actively tried to destroy, stop or hinder so much that was good and just I think that he was an enemy of humanity itself (even the sick, twisted folks who followed him).

And, yes, I am so very glad he lived long enough to see that, no doubt he is already spinning in his freshly dug grave so fast they could harness him to turbines to solve the energy crisis.

Is it vindictive? probably - but damned if he hasn't earned the ire of those who hate him

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

If you judge a man by his enemies, he was indescribable.