Kinder, Gentler Jesse Helms

Jesse Helms is about to publish an autobiography. I admire the old man a bit more now, especially since he is acknowledging his wrongness on AIDS. I'm not a big fan of the 'judgment of God' view on AIDS - I mean, we're Christians and we should care when others are hurting, even if they may have brought it upon themselves. That said, I think that Bush is doing plenty to fight this scourge, despite what the critics may say. If anything, AIDS probably gets disproportionate amounts of government disease research. Well, that's my feeling anyway, I should probably get solid numbers to back it up. Regardless, an AIDS prevention pill or cure will probably come from the private sector anyway.

His views on race are the most interesting. Helms was constantly tarred as an old segregationist racist by the Revuhrennnnnn and his ilk. It seems he was more of the Goldwater school of race relations, more libertarian-"government-can't-make-people-like-each-other" in his approach. I think MLK and the civil rights heroes (many of them Republicans) deserve their credit for their nonviolent approach, but using the courts to impose unconstitutional laws, such as Brown v. Board of Education, was a bad way to finish it. People will change if their consciences demand it.