Statement by Wayne Besen, Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director, on the passing of Republican North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms.
“Jesse Helms was a monster and the personification of unadulterated evil. He wasted his entire life promoting racism, homophobia and xenophobia. He fought vociferously against AIDS research and showed a stunning lack of compassion for people who were sick. Helms represented the worst of America and was an embarrassment to this nation. Helms’ political career was built on division and wedge issues. Helms also played a key role in inspiring a new generation of social conservatives, which have poisoned Congress and turned Washington into a mean-spirited, nasty place. May Jesse Helms rest in the very peace he failed to afford the legions of people he looked down upon and shunned.”
