I am writing in response to the opinion piece by Esther Godfrey in the Smoky Mountain News a couple of weeks ago. As I always do with opinion pieces, I consider what research the writers may have done to support their opinion. It didn’t take long to find the source of Ms. Godfrey’s material. She borrowed most of her derogatory comments about Helms from articles found on the Internet.

Just by typing “Jesse Helms” (be sure to include the quote marks) in your browser’s search feature you can find over 200 entries pertaining to the senator. This long list includes many neutral items such as copies of speeches Helms has made and statistics about campaign funds. Many of the other items are from online e-zines and e-papers, and the rest are electronic versions of national newspaper and magazine articles.

The tone of these remarks ranges from praising to scathing, calling Jesse a hero in some cases and the Great Satan or Prince of Darkness in others. Ms. Godfrey chose to borrow from the scathing.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not defending Helms. Matter of fact, I’m apolitical. The problem I’ve found with being apolitical is that neither the liberals nor the conservatives trust me. The Republicans think I’m a Democrat and the Democrats think I’m a Republican. I do have my opinions about politics, but I usually keep them to myself. My comments here are not about politics but about Godfrey’s column.

If Ms. Godfrey had written with maturity and originality, I wouldn't be taking up space here in this newspaper. Her piece is also hypocritical. She exhibits the same intolerance and prejudice towards Jesse, “an old white guy from the south,” that she accuses Jesse of having toward anyone who isn’t.
Her “ding dong, the witch is dead” line really got me. To be P.C. and gender correct, shouldn't that be “warlock?”

The mention of N.C. politics bringing “a cool mixture of disdain and snide sarcasm” sounds as if Ms. Godfrey needs a wider circle of friends and some exposure to other bands of the political spectrum.

She also practices voter profiling when describing certain groups who couldn’t have voted for Jesse and those who did. With all the fuss about racial profiling, voter profiling can’t be much different. She erroneously implies that all of North Carolina’s blacks, homosexuals, women and artists are liberals.

As for who voted for Jesse, it had to have been more than “some old white men.” There had to be some old white women too and some middle-aged white men and women, and some young white men and women. That adds up to a lot of white folk. There probably were some minorities, homosexuals, women and artists who voted for him, too. They’re not all Democrats, as Ms. Godfrey would have us believe. Much of her commentary exhibits a prejudice towards the south, whites, old men and Republicans. Whether you’re a liberal or a conservative, prejudice is still prejudice.

When Ms. Godfrey pigeon-holed several segments of society by claiming to know how they voted and, in the next paragraph, said Jesse wants everyone to be divided by race, gender and class, I had to shake my head wondering where’s the difference? She also stated that ‘old white men” believe they have a God-given right to superiority. Since she has already told us how people vote, it’s not that much of a stretch for her to know how those old white guys think. Her own feelings of superiority shines throughout her article by expecting us to believe she’s smarter, wiser and more enlightened than those old white men.

I, too, looked on the Internet for material to use. To be fair to Jesse, I would like to present a few lines from the praising. I've included where I found them.

Check them out on the web.

An editorial by a liberal columnist declaring Jesse a hero. She quotes Sen. Joseph Biden (D) several times, two of which are included here.

1. “... The North Carolinian’s tough talk was just what was needed to shake the United Nations free of its calcified, profligate ways.”

2. ... because of Helms “there is a genuine sense of warmth, there is a degree of trust, there is a greater openness that has occurred between the U.S. and the U.N. as a consequence of his insistence on saving the American taxpayers money.”

3. The author ended her article with, “Helms did do good. And it’s proper, if remarkable, for a liberal to say so.”

°(www.mojones.com/mother_jones/MJ95/bates.) This article was not nice to Helms, but the author did have a few good things to say about him.

1. “... he has been a model of procedure and decorum. He has kept his remarks brief, demurred to the newest members, doled out equal time to Democrats and Republicans, and treated Clinton administration officials with courtesy and perhaps even a touch of deference.”

2. “He brings genuine passion and a sense of moral purpose to what he does. He stands on principle and refuses to compromise. He stands by his friends, and he forces opponents to vote on issues they would rather ignore.”

° www.newsmax.com/showinsidecover) This article writes about the liberal double standard on racist comments by politicians.

° (www.usatoday.com/news/comment/-columnists/wickham/wick049.) A black writer praises Jesse’s speech at the U.N. This article contains the text of Helms U.N. speech. After reading it, you’ll probably thank Helms.

His critics say Helms is retiring because he thinks he would lose if he ran again. If he had decided to run, they wouldn’t get to write about his defeat like so many have hoped to do for so long. They would end up writing about his death while still in office.

Is it possible that so many reporters and columnists have attacked Helms, like piranha in a feeding frenzy, following his announcement to retire, because they are mad that they won’t get to write about a Helms defeat at the voting booth?

Mike Kesselring
Bryson City

 

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