Helms never changed on civil rights opposition

Helms never changed on civil rights opposition : Jesse Helms forever changed North Carolina politics and the conservative movement. The former senator did it without ever changing much about himself. There is perhaps no better example of Helms' unwavering commitment to his beliefs than on the issue of race. Helms was a staunch opponent of the nation's civil rights movement, where he joined the likes of Alabama Gov. George Wallace and South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond in a fight to keep outsiders from meddling in what he called "the Southern way of life." But those two giants of Southern politics would come to temper their views on race and civil rights, while Helms never did. He died Friday at age 86, having never seen any need to apologize or deviate from his views. "I can't think of many other examples of major opponents... [read full story]