Dependable Erection

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Possibly the last intelligent right-winger any of us will ever know

William Buckley RIP

UPDATE: A worthwhile obituary here.

posted by Barry at 11:42 AM Digg this

13 Comments:

  • Well, he did have a good vocabulary.
    Seriously, I used to love listening to him even if I didn't like what he said.

    By Blogger MK, at 12:12 PM  

  • Could you perhaps not hang a label on a man who has just died?

    By Blogger Locomotive Breath, at 1:06 PM  

  • And labeling him is going to hurt him how?

    By Blogger MK, at 1:26 PM  

  • I'm trying to be nice to the memory of a guy who once wrote "The central question that emerges … is whether the White community in the South is entitled to take such measures as are necessary to prevail, politically and culturally, in areas in which it does not prevail numerically? The sobering answer is Yes - the White community is so entitled because, for the time being, it is the advanced race. It is not easy, and it is unpleasant, to adduce statistics evidencing the cultural superiority of White over Negro: but it is a fact that obtrudes, one that cannot be hidden by ever-so-busy egalitarians and anthropologists."

    It ain't easy. But he was a complex, intelligent man who showed himself to be capable, to some extent, of changing his views as the world around him changed.

    In marked contrast to those who followed him, whether at the National Review, or in the rest of the so-called conservative movement.

    Christ on a pogo stick, when was the last time you got pissed off at Michael Savage?

    By Blogger Barry, at 1:46 PM  

  • I don't think Mr. Buckley--of all people--would have taken offense at being labeled a "right-winger"...

    Barry--Buckley also pointed out (later) that if he were a black South African, he would probably support the ANC, much to the consternation of his fellow travelers on the right.

    He was an intensely thoughtful man who was willing to make his intellectual journey a matter of public record. His views on several things evolved over time--not only race, but drug prohibition and most recently, the war in Iraq.

    If anything, we should ask ourselves why this is (nowadays) considered such an extraordinary characteristic among members of the pundit class, regardless of their ideological stripe...

    If there was one constant in Buckley's thinking over the course of his career, it was a deep suspicion of power. In this regard, the right left him years ago.

    RIP

    By Blogger Brian, at 2:26 PM  

  • I also remember, maybe in 72 or 73, when the debate about whether to legalize marijuana was at what appeared to be a tipping point, Buckley decided he needed to have first hand experience.

    So he took his yacht out past the US territorial waters boundary to smoke some pot.

    Deconstructing the hilarious irony of that incident should earn a Ph.D. for someone, if it hasn't already.

    By Blogger Barry, at 2:35 PM  

  • And labeling him is going to hurt him how?

    Doesn't hurt Buckley. Does lower Ragin when he hangs labels on a dead man.
    ---------
    Who is Michael Savage?

    Seriously, I don't know.

    By Blogger Locomotive Breath, at 3:04 PM  

  • From Winter Patriot who always expresses everything so well...

    "If nothing else, Bill Buckley's death gives us one more reason to live a righteous life.

    Because now, if you go to hell, you'll have to listen to this pompous asshole for all eternity."

    By Blogger MK, at 5:24 PM  

  • It is not unreasonable to understand an individuals opinion, no matter how incorrect they may have been, of what race is inferior or superior. Take test scores and criminal statistics as two measures. What would an individual conclude with that empirical information?

    I feel it is a reward and punishment effort in the community that causes the cultural differences. However, some people, due to racism or other understandings, may come to a different conclusion.

    I am not saying they were correct but it is not as though they had some unfounded conclusion with out statistical data to help support their theory.


    And do not think that any other race or culture, with the presence of power on the world stage, would not have some members of its population come to the same conclusion.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:59 PM  

  • Take test scores and criminal statistics as two measures. What would an individual conclude with that empirical information?

    I dunno. How about "we live in a racist society"?

    LB - thanks for your concern about my status. I'll try to take your concern into account in my future postings. Truly, that you are concerned about my abasement means a lot to me. My own mother rarely shows such concern.

    And really, if you don't know who Michael Savage is, you need to get out more often. Weren't you the one who tried to lecture me the other week about reading outside my "comfort zone?"

    By Blogger Barry, at 2:25 AM  

  • michael savage?? the closeted homosexual conservative who thinks liberalism is a mental disorder?

    that's waaay outside your comfort zone. i'm proud of you, barry!

    (although i don't agree with most of his views, savage makes great radio.)

    By Blogger libby, at 9:30 AM  

  • Talk radio? I don't listen. Sorry.

    And from the description I seriously doubt you listen to Savage either. How many times have you called in?

    I don't think you have an actual mother. I think you are a bot assembled from spare parts they found on the street after the 1968 Democratic convention.

    By Blogger Locomotive Breath, at 10:04 AM  

  • I like Michael Savage. Very entertaining, sometimes correct and a bit psycho.

    That is why I come here. Barry is slightly entertaining, very rarely correct and a bit psycho politically.

    By Blogger TrinityRez, at 8:42 AM  

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