Click on the title of a news article to view the details.
| 7/5/2010 |
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Annual Free Enterprise Leadership Challenge a Great Success |
| 6/24/2010 |
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Congressman Hayes Shares Wisdom at E.A. Morris Banquet |
| 5/16/2010 |
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Host your next event at the Helms Center |
| 4/1/2010 |
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Inaugural Helms Lecture Now Available Online |
| 3/30/2010 |
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Helms Lecture Series Now Streaming Live Online |
| 3/29/2010 |
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Helms Lecture Series Live on C-SPAN - Featuring Ambassador John Bolton |
| 3/22/2010 |
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Helms Center remembers board member Leroy Pittman |
| 3/19/2010 |
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Inaugural Helms Lecture to be held in Washington, D.C. |
| 3/17/2010 |
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Dr. Paul Bonicelli to speak on March 18 as part of BB&T Lecture Series |
| 2/25/2010 |
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Latest Helms Center Newsletter Available Online! |
| 2/1/2010 |
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Helms Center Board Member Makes Local Headlines |
| 1/20/2010 |
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Helms Center Marks 10th Anniversary of Historic Speech |
| 1/4/2010 |
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Democracy Under Arrest - John Bolton |
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Related Link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704398304574597913245752256.html
Mr. Bolton, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, has written yet another great piece, which was recently published in "The Wall Street Journal." The article appears below and at the link above.
DEMOCRACY UNDER ARREST
BY: JOHN BOLTON
'Universal jurisdiction" sounds like a term plucked from obscure international law journals, but it has pernicious and profoundly antidemocratic consequences in the real world. A British arrest warrant, issued over the weekend in London for former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni, shows precisely why.
The warrant charged Ms. Livni—the current leader of the Knesset opposition—with war crimes allegedly committed by Israeli forces during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip last winter. Ms. Livni and other Israeli leaders have always staunchly defended their operation against Hamas, and the arrest warrant was withdrawn Monday when it became clear Ms. Livni would not be in Britain as previously scheduled. But the fallout from this misguided warrant will linger long after it fades from the headlines.
Universal jurisdiction originated centuries ago to deal with hostes humani generis ("the enemies of all mankind") such as pirates or slavers, who were not under any state's control but legitimately concerned them all. It has grown explosively in recent years, as self-styled human-rights advocates have pushed to criminalize national actions that they find offensive.
Today's version of universal jurisdiction masquerades as a legal concept, but is in fact a form of political morality. It empowers prosecutions in states with little or even no connection to alleged offenses such as war crimes and gross abuses of human rights. And in many countries, as in Britain, the ability of private citizens to trigger the criminal process only adds to the danger of politicized prosecutions.
When leaders of constitutional, representative governments are targets, there is simply no argument for applying universal jurisdiction. Ms. Livni and her colleagues won free and fair Israeli elections, and were in fact defeated in subsequent free and fair elections. Israel's laws have been adopted by democratically elected Knesset members and enforced by an independent judiciary. If crimes under Israeli law have been committed, they can be prosecuted by Israel's courts. Same goes for the United States.
Augusto Pinochet's 1999 arrest in Britain on a Spanish warrant for offenses committed while overthrowing Chile's Salvadore Allende first brought universal jurisdiction global prominence. But Pinochet's arrest was followed by Belgium's toying with the idea of arresting Donald Rumsfeld for having the temerity to visit NATO headquarters in Brussels. Now Ms. Livni and other Israeli officials involved in recent regional conflicts are subject to potential arrest and trial if they travel beyond Israel's borders.
It is no accident that arrest warrants never seem to be issued for the likes of Kim Jong Il or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, since the real targets of universal jurisdiction these days are Western nations. Ultimately, what it targets is the very ideas of sovereign accountability and political independence. These goals largely motivated the 1998 Rome Statute that created the International Criminal Court, itself a step toward constraining states' abilities to police their own affairs, and an institution that the Obama administration yearns to join.
Transferring accountability for decisions from democratic politics to the criminal justice system understandably intimidates policy makers from making perfectly justifiable choices, such as defending against terrorist threats. Moreover, "command responsibility" has been transmogrified from liability for failing to stop known criminal activity, to liability when officials "should have known" their subordinates were committing crimes. This further ups the ante and explains why former foreign ministers like Ms. Livni or Henry Kissinger are at risk.
This deterrent impact is exactly what universal jurisdiction advocates seek—both to affect decisions at the highest national levels, and to discourage mid- and low-level officials from implementing disfavored policies. Some foreign critics hope to prosecute former President George W. Bush for enhanced interrogation techniques and the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. While they likely won't get to the former president, they'll be at least somewhat content prosecuting the attorneys who wrote the underlying legal justifications. Incredibly, the Obama administration has yet to definitively reject the possibility of allowing such prosecutions overseas.
Universal jurisdiction against officials of authoritarian regimes sounds appealing. But in these cases, the real goal should be replacing such regimes with representative governments that undertake sovereign accountability for prior transgressions.
Nonetheless, human-rights activists who view their morality as higher than that of elected governments are satisfied by nothing less than prosecution. That is precisely why contemporary universal jurisdiction is so profoundly antidemocratic. Undoubtedly, leaders of constitutional democracies make mistakes about whom they do and do not prosecute. But to substitute the judgments of self-designated international Platonic Guardians for representative governments and independent judiciaries is perilous at best, and authoritarian at worst. It's the time to unambiguously reject universal jurisdiction before its infection spreads even further.
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| 12/15/2009 |
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Historic Hinson house gets renovation |
| 11/16/2009 |
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Helms Center Extends Operation Christmas Child Dates! |
| 10/19/2009 |
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Jack Laughery inducted into Charles A. Cannon Free Enterprise Hall of Fame |
| 10/1/2009 |
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Economist shares wisdom with full house |
| 9/20/2009 |
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2009 Free Enterprise Leadership Challenge graduates loan over $1300 to Kiva.org entrepreneurs |
| 9/1/2009 |
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Helms Center welcomes senior economist and WSJ Editorial Board Member Stephen Moore |
| 8/18/2009 |
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The Helms Center mourns the passing of Robert Novak |
| 7/2/2009 |
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Honoring Senator Jesse Helms |
| 6/1/2009 |
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Free Enterprise Leadership Challenge Prepares to Host over 200 Students This June |
| 5/10/2009 |
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Laws of Life Essay Contest Announces 2009 Winners and Finalists |
| 4/6/2009 |
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Helms Alumnus Published in The Washington Post |
| 4/3/2009 |
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Helms Center Presents at State-Wide Leadership Conference |
| 3/23/2009 |
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Helms Foreign Policy School at Liberty University |
| 3/20/2009 |
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John Allison, Chairman of BB&T, Addresses Helms Center Guests and Wingate Students |
| 3/18/2009 |
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Jesse Helms Center Awarded BB&T Grant |
| 2/11/2009 |
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What Would Jesse Say? |
| 1/13/2009 |
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Helms Center Featured in Leadership Institute Newsletter |
| 12/18/2008 |
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Statement From Helms Center President on the Passing of Paul Weyrich |
| 12/15/2008 |
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Free Enterprise Leadership Challenge Accepting Applications for Summer 2009 Sessions |
| 12/4/2008 |
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Helms Center Collects 5,800 Shoe Boxes for Operation Christmas Child |
| 11/13/2008 |
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FELC Graduates Travel to Peru |
| 11/3/2008 |
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Helms Center Partners With Dr. Troy Kickler for Teacher Workshop |
| 10/29/2008 |
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What is a Free Enterprise Hero? |
| 10/16/2008 |
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The Singing Revolution - Reserve Your Free Tickets! |
| 9/22/2008 |
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Make a Memorial Gift - Honor Senator Helms |
| 9/16/2008 |
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Laws of Life Essay Contest Kicks Off in October |
| 8/22/2008 |
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A Living Legacy: Helms Endures |
| 7/16/2008 |
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Former Staffers and Friends Remember Helms |
| 7/11/2008 |
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Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant |
| 7/9/2008 |
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The Passing of a Great Patriot |
| 6/30/2008 |
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Winners of 2007-2008 Laws of Life Essay Contest Announced |
| 5/5/2008 |
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Free Enterprise Leadership Challenge Expands For Summer 2008 |
| 3/26/2008 |
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Helms Center to Co-sponsor 3rd Annual North Carolina Conservative Leadership Conference |
| 3/11/2008 |
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Laws of Life Essay Contest: Deadline Extended |
| 3/10/2008 |
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Helms Foreign Policy School: April 18-19, 2008 |
| 2/20/2008 |
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Open an Account With Suntrust and the Helms Center Receives a $100 donation |
| 1/30/2008 |
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The More Things Change: What Senator Helms Would Say Today About Recent U.N. Budget Reforms |
| 1/15/2008 |
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Learn About Senator Helms’ Life and Legacy in His Own Words. |
| 11/5/2007 |
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Helms Center to Screen "The Call of the Entrepreneur" |
| 11/2/2007 |
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Helms Center Collection Point for Operation Christmas Child |
| 10/27/2007 |
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Scalia calls for strict interpretation of Constitution |
| 10/17/2007 |
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Justice Scalia to receive Nance Medal of Freedom |
| 10/17/2007 |
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Justice Scalia to receive Nance Medal of Freedom |
| 9/28/2007 |
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Fred Barnes to Speak at Founders Day Celebration |
| 9/7/2007 |
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“The Call of the Entrepreneur” Inspires Audience |
| 8/23/2007 |
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Helms Center to Premier “The Call of the Entrepreneur” |
| 6/13/2007 |
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“Call of the Entrepreneur” Added to FELC Curriculum |
| 5/16/2007 |
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Senator Jesse Helms Releases Statement on Passing of Reverend Jerry Falwell |
| 5/9/2007 |
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Jesse Helms Center Hosts Why We Serve At Days Inn Conference Center |
| 3/30/2007 |
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Jesse Helms Center & Atlantic Bridge Present British MP Dr. Liam Fox |
| 3/30/2007 |
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T. Boone Pickens tells what it takes to be M&A master |
| 3/29/2007 |
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Jesse Helms Series Lecture - T. BOONE PICKENS AT WINGATE |
| 3/8/2007 |
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T. Boone Pickens Set to Give Helms Lecture |
| 2/1/2007 |
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Center supports free enterprise |
| 12/19/2006 |
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Helms Forum to host Asst. Sec. of Defense Robert Wilkie |
| 11/26/2006 |
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Helms Center Collects Almost 2,700 OCC Boxes |
| 11/11/2006 |
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Jesse Helms Center Collection Point for Operation Christmas Child |
| 9/22/2006 |
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Jesse Helms Center to Host DOD Program “Why We Serve” |
| 9/20/2006 |
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A movement's right-hand man |
| 9/11/2006 |
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Program Instills Entrepreneurial Spirit |
| 6/23/2006 |
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Free Enterprise Leadership Challenge Grows in Impact Once Again |
| 6/9/2006 |
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Jesse Helms honored by North Carolina Republicans |
| 5/11/2006 |
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Eric Shawn Catalogues UN Problems at Helms Forum |
| 5/3/2006 |
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Helms Center Announces Laws of Life Essay Contest Winners |
| 3/24/2006 |
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Reform or re-form? |
| 1/5/2006 |
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Helms Center, Monterrey Tec and SELIDER Announce Joint Initiative Results |
| 12/12/2005 |
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Bono Dines With Jesse Helms |
| 11/30/2005 |
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Helms Urges Churches and Individuals to Help Fight AIDS in Africa |
| 11/19/2005 |
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Protecting Our Soldiers |
| 11/15/2005 |
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Ambassador Bolton Catalogues U.N. Problems |
| 11/1/2005 |
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UN Ambassador John Bolton to Give Fall Lecture |
| 10/12/2005 |
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FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin Speaks at Helms Forum |
| 9/26/2005 |
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Helms Center Announces Inaugural Helms Forum with FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin |
| 9/23/2005 |
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SALUTE TO SENATOR HELMS NIGHT TO REMEMBER |
| 9/6/2005 |
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Here's Where I Stand |
| 8/29/2005 |
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Retired Sen. Jesse Helms publishes memoir |
| 7/28/2005 |
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Join Conservative Leaders in a Salute to Jesse Helms on September 20 |
| 6/29/2005 |
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Free Enterprise Leadership Conference A Success |
| 5/17/2005 |
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2005 Laws of Life Essay Contest Winners Announced |
| 4/30/2005 |
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LOST must lose |
| 3/3/2005 |
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Year One Review of Laws of Life in Mexico Shows Success |
| 1/31/2005 |
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The Jesse Helms Center Launches New Foreign Policy Program |
| 1/20/2005 |
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2005 Leadership Conference Dates Are Set! |
| 11/27/2004 |
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Helms Center Celebrates Ronald Reagan Legacy Day |
| 11/15/2004 |
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Helms Center Sponsors North Carolina Students to Attend APEC |
| 11/12/2004 |
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American Presidents Teacher Workshop A Success |
| 11/8/2004 |
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Jesse Helms Center Drop-off for Operation Christmas Child |
| 10/31/2004 |
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WHO Worsens AIDS Pandemic |
| 10/30/2004 |
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Helms Center President Speaks to Mexican Laws of Life Contest Participants |
| 10/22/2004 |
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Few Spaces Remain for US Presidents Teacher Workshop |
| 10/4/2004 |
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Helms Honored by Liberty University |
| 9/20/2004 |
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Transcript: Condoleezza Rice and Leadership Fellows Q&A |
| 9/12/2004 |
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Dr. Rice to Receive Nance Medal of Freedom |
| 8/11/2004 |
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Rice Lecture Tickets Hot Item – All Reserved Within Two Hours |
| 8/9/2004 |
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Condoleezza Rice to Speak |
| 7/29/2004 |
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Russians to visit Jesse Helms Center |
| 6/24/2004 |
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FELC - Going Strong After Ten Years |
| 6/9/2004 |
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Jesse Helms Center to close Friday in honor of President Ronald Reagan |
| 6/7/2004 |
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Senator Jesse Helms Releases Statement on Passing of President Ronald Reagan |
| 6/1/2004 |
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Jesse Helms Center Foundation teaches good business practices to students in Uruguay |
| 5/27/2004 |
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2004 Laws of Life Essay Winners Announced |
| 5/7/2004 |
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Chairman of Mexican Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Consults Helms |
| 3/16/2004 |
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Free Enterprise Leadership Conference Comes To Queretaro |
| 3/15/2004 |
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Helms International Diplomacy Lecture Series |
| 1/23/2004 |
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Applications now available for the 2004 Free Enterprise Leadership Conference! |
| 1/22/2004 |
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Helms Center Hosts Eisenhower College Series |
| 1/12/2004 |
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Helms Center to Host National Security Experts |
| 10/28/2003 |
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Helms Center to Partner with Templeton Foundation in Mexico |
| 10/10/2003 |
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Capacity Crowd fills Helms Center for Teacher Workshop on the U.S. Constitution |
| 9/2/2003 |
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Bill of Rights Workshop for Teachers Announced! |
| 8/8/2003 |
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Teacher Workshop on the U.S. Constitution Announced! |
| 7/15/2003 |
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Nearly 200 Students Participate in Helms Center’s Leadership Conference |
| 6/9/2003 |
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Uruguay hosts Helms Center’s Leadership Conference |
| 5/23/2003 |
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2004 Leadership Conference Dates Are Set! |
| 4/21/2003 |
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Summer Leadership Conferences Near Capacity |
| 3/24/2003 |
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Leadership Conference returns to Monterrey, Mexico |
| 3/6/2003 |
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Space Still Available in Free Teacher Workshops! |
| 2/25/2003 |
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Helms Center to Host Campus Leadership Program's Student Publications Workshop |
| 2/11/2003 |
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2003 Free Enterprise Leadership Conference Applications Available |
| 1/29/2003 |
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Tickets Available for Schweizer Lecture on Ronald Reagan |
| 1/2/2003 |
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Helms Center to Host Schweizer in Lecture Series |
| 11/5/2002 |
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2003 Commemorative Calendar Now Available |
| 10/10/2002 |
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Teacher Workshop on Religion and Public Schools Announced |
| 9/25/2002 |
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NC Students Selected to Represent US at International Summit |
| 9/12/2002 |
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2003 Laws of Life Contest Announced |
| 9/10/2002 |
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The Helms Center remembers September 11th. |
| 8/21/2002 |
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Bill of Rights Workshop Announced |
| 7/30/2002 |
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The 2003 Leadership Conference Dates Are Announced. |
| 7/24/2002 |
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New Book on Jesse Helms' Legacy Now Available |
| 7/3/2002 |
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2002 FELC -- An Overwhelming Success! |
| 6/25/2002 |
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Helms Center Sponsors Schoolwide Character Education Program |
| 6/1/2002 |
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Free Enterprise Leadership Conference at Wingate University at Full Capacity. |
| 5/15/2002 |
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2002 Laws of Life Winners Announced |
| 5/4/2002 |
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Free Enterprise Leadership Conference Goes International |
| 5/3/2002 |
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Newly Designed Website Goes "Live" |
