Netroots Celebrate Helms's Death With Vulgar Attacks

By Noel Sheppard | July 05, 2008 | 11:59

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NewsBusters readers are likely aware of my frequent appeal for civility in our comments sections due to my unwavering belief that despite political differences, when the sun sets, we're all Americans.

Such reverence should be crucial on the day someone that has tirelessly served this nation for thirty years passes away.

Apparently devoid of such human decency, the folks in the Netroots, within minutes of Friday's announcement concerning the death of Jesse Helms, began publishing virulent and vulgar epithets directed at the former senator, with some actually voicing a desire to dance on his grave.

Here are but a few examples, beginning with some truly disgusting diaries posted at Daily Kos (readers are warned that the following contains possibly offensive graphic and vulgar content, h/t LGF):

Jesse Helms, you rat bastard, burn in hell:
Please dear God, let there really be a hell. Because if there really IS a hell then Jesse Helms is already consumed by it's lowest depths. He's wailing for eternity with his blood brothers; Adolf, Mao, Stalin and the rest of the worst of the subset of human beings who have crossed from mere mortal to eternal evil. Satanic. Jesse joins his kin, Strom Thurmond, Bull Connor and a host of other vicious racist f***ks who have taken it upon themselves to very nearly ruin the core principle that this country was founded upon: equality.

Please Excuse Me While I Dance Upon His Grave:
Jesse Helms is dead...The man lived far too long and did far too much damage...If my atheistic prayers are answered, Jesse Helms won't be spending eternity where he expected to spend it.

Jesse Helms Dead - How to Memorialize His Legacy:
Jesse passed into nothingness this morning. I plan to memorialism [sic] his death by drinking beer, smoking ribs, making potato salad and settling in for an afternoon of brainless TV watching after doing a couple of chores.

A few chuckles and chortles during that period might be coming, but that's about it.

Wow. Readers should take note of some of the timestamps on these posts, for they literally came minutes after the announcement of Helms's death.

But Daily Kos wasn't the only venue of vitriol, for the following was posted at Firedoglake:

Jesse Helms: Bigot, Racist, Homophobe
So, don't let the Independence Day paeans fool you. Jesse Helms was a bigot, a racist, a homophobe -- and a media charlatan. America would be a much worse place if he'd had his way on his many signature issues. Our nation's birthday is brighter for him not in it.

And this from TBogg:

Hell gets a little more crowded
Light a cross for Jesse Helms who is finished. Fertig. Verfallen. Verlumpt. Verblunget. Verkack. [...]
Since we are supposed to say something nice about the dead I'll just say that I feel sorry for his family and understand the grief that they must feel, fully aware that Jesse is in hell today... most likely getting [disgustingly vulgar visual deleted] by Roy Cohn.

Or how about: "Jesse Helms is dead. God Bless America."

And all this on the anniversary of the nation's declared independence from England.

Are people who write this kind of stuff on the very day a fellow American dies really Americans?

Those needing a dose of sanity concerning this issue are advised to read John Fund's marvelous piece in today's Wall Street Journal.

*****Update: NBer DaBird pointed out in the comments section that readers shouldn't miss how the news of Helms's death was greeted at DU (consider the aforementioned vulgar content warning still in effect!).

*****Update II: I forgot about my old buddy Thers at Whiskey Fire who, as tough as it may seem, not only stooped to a new low in defaming Helms, but did so with pride (serious vulgarity alert!).