HAPPY 4th OF JULY

Former senator and far right obstructionist Jesse Helms died early this morning. He had been senile for many years and was unable to make any sense for... well, that depends on who you ask. The L.A. Times headline certainly didn't mince any words about how Helms would be remembered: Former U.S. senator Jesse Helms dies; unyielding Southerner relied on race-baiting campaign tactics. Many thought he was already dead but if history mentions him at all it will be for his startlingly reactionary politics and for the "courtly manner and mossy drawl [that] barely masked a hard-edged conservatism that opposed civil rights, gay rights, foreign aid and modern art."

That line from today's NY Times is beautifully captured in a short film about Helms, who was played by Andrew Daly:



Larry Harmon, who played Bozo the Clown passed away a few hours before Helms. Best coverage of the passing of the more tragic clown can be found at Pam's House Blend.