A Sea Of Red

http://www.wral.com/news/local/politics/story/1755723/

Raleigh, N.C. — Jesse Helms, the firebrand U.S. senator whose outspoken, conservative views polarized North Carolina and U.S. voters for decades, died at 1:15 a.m. Friday in Raleigh, according to John Dodd, president of the Jesse Helms Center.

He joins the second and third presidents of the United States – Thomas Jefferson and John Adams Jr. – who both also died on Independence Day.

He was 86. His cause of death was not released. Funeral arrangements will be forthcoming, Dodd said.

Talk about your lightning rods. Helms clearly had his issues with racism early in his career. But he was a leader of the Conservative movement for nearly a half century.

And not to be crass, but I think we can safely identify his age as at least a partial cause of death.

And, of course, LU's School of Government is named after the late Senator Helms.

http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=169

Also, Mr. Jefferson died 50 years to the day signing the Declaration of Independence.

as did the 2nd President of the US, John Adams.

...both died July 4th, 1826.