Licensed to Ill

He once introduced Benazir Bhutto as the prime minister of India. All right, that could have happened to anybody. But what about the hearings on North Korea in which he made repeated references to "Kim Jong the Second"? In order to prevent any repetition of this idiotic gaffe, Helms' staff propped up a piece of card on which was clearly written the pronunciation "Kim Jong ILL." The senator from North Carolina duly made the adjustment, referring thenceforth to the North Korean despot as "Kim Jong the Third." —Christopher Hitchens, Slate

(From Dzyd James)

Jesse Helms

Jesse Helms has died..."Beacon of conservatism," per the Times—and Keeler fan?

I wrote letters to several members of Congress, trying to get support for a postage stamp commemorating the centennial of Keeler's birth (HSK 1890–1990). Not that it would ever happen, of course, but I thought it would be swell to read their responses. It was. Several wrote back—all favorably. One was Jesse Helms. (Piss Christ, no. Keeler commemorative, yes!) Another was Alan K. Simpson. The Simpson letter was particularly good because he said quite a bit about Keeler, calling him a "great American author."
—From William Poundstone's Harry Stephen Keeler Home Page