Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) introduced an amendment to name an HIV/AIDS relief bill after the recently deceased Jesse Helms. It all has the feeling feeling of a big frickin' joke- albeit a sick and cruel one. And let's face it, Ms. Dole isn't exactly known for her winning sense of humor.
Tom Viola, the Executive Director of Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS, and its treasurer, Philip S. Birsh vehemently objected to the proposed amendment. Saying among other things
"Dole's recommendation demeans hundreds of thousands of Americans currently living with HIV/AIDS and implies that Helms' hatred for gay men and Americans of color everywhere (except in Africa where they are safely a continent away) is acceptable, even good. In Jesse Helms' world we are all dispensable, better dead. . . . It's a sad, sick and deliberate attempt to re-write history and clean-up Helms' sad legacy."
The story does have happy ending though. The bill passed, without Helms' name.
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