First to laugh is the last to know

You've got to be kidding, right? Liddy Dole has proposed naming legislation aimed at providing aid to foreign nations to fight AIDS after Jesse Helms. From Helms' attitude toward foreign assistance ("If you mean foreign assistance in the form of handouts to various nations funded by U.S. taxpayers, I do not approve in any circumstances") to his attitude on AIDS (the Senate is still tied up today on trying to overturn Helms' ban on travel to the U.S. for people with AIDS) and homosexuality ("Think about it. Homosexuals and lesbians, disgusting people marching in our streets demanding all sorts of things, including the right to marry each other."), there are just so many things wrong with this that it must be a joke.

Update: Apparently, I was a bit unfair above. Although remaining unrepentant in his views against homosexuality and AIDS in the U.S., Jesse Helms did change his tune about foreign aid for AIDS assistance, at the urging of Bono, believe it or not. Naming this proposed new legislation after him is still a joke, but this at least provides a bit of context.