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Jesse Helms, the anticommunist firebrand and iconic figure of American hard-Right conservatism, has died at the age of 86. Mr Helms, a senator for North Carolina for five terms spanning 30 years, was nicknamed "Senator No" for opposing just about everything that conflicted with his view of conservatism. The long list included abortion, gay rights, affirmative action for ethnic minorities, feminism, the United Nations and what he called "dirty art". His name became synonymous with social conservatism and he played an important role in moving the Republican party to the Right. He retired in 2003 after five terms in the US Senate, with his final years spent getting around on a motorised scooter. As chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Mr Helms placed a key role in promoting what he saw as a moral foreign... [read full story]
