WILLIAM F. BUCKLEY '50 DIES AT 82
Class of 1950 graduate fathered conservative movement with founding of National Review
His open-mindedness and sometimes Libertarian viewpoints on some issues, such as the legalization of marijuana, proved that a Conservative can acknowledge, understand, and even accept ideas which might normally go against the grain of mainstream Conservativism. He was truly a free thinker in his own right, and his wit, wisdom, and shrewd insights will be missed. May he rest in peace.
You honored God, your country, and Yale.
In that order.
Yes, indeed, Buckley was a thoughtful and provocative thinker who inspired many in the conservative movement. And while he was generally open minded, his one big failure was his unwillingness to condemn corporate welfare. Government hand outs to the poor was an evil in his sight (and I do not dispute that viewpoint). But even bigger handouts to the wealthy was perfectly acceptable and he pocketed millions in those taxpayer financed gifts.
Still in all, Buckley deserves our respect. He certainly has mine.
Our school was honored to have WFB. That was a time, regrettably virtually lost, when one could debate intensely held, yet different beliefs, and be friends. Today, we have the "talking heads" yelling and not listening on CNN, FOX, etc. So sad.
Reading God and Man at Yale began a lifelong appreciation of Bill Buckley, his work, his life, and his joie de vivre. The world is a much blander place in his absence.
Requiscat in Pace.
WFB RIP. But his stature has significantly diminished in my eyes. He opposed the civil rights movement and legislation, in addition to being an apologist for apartheid in South Africa.
This is a beautiful obituary. WFB would be proud of Tom and Paul and everyone at the YDN.
The authors, along with the mainstream press, seem determined to ignore the prominent role cigars played in Buckley's emphysema and untimely death, a role Buckley bitterly bemoaned in a widely-circulated column he wrote just 3 months ago:
"Half a year ago my wife died, technically from an infection, but manifestly, at least in part, from a body weakened by 60 years of nonstop smoking. I stayed off the cigarettes but went to the idiocy of cigars inhaled, and suffer now from emphysema, which seems determined to outpace heart disease as a human killer.
"Stick me in a confessional and ask the question: Sir, if you had the authority, would you forbid smoking in America? You'd get a solemn and contrite, Yes."
--Buckley, William F. Jr., "My Smoking Confession" NY Sun, Dec. 3, 2007.
http://www.nysun.com/article/67349
Heard this story while working for the YDN. A prominent liberal thinker was invited to a meeting of the editorial boardl, where he was allowed to sit at the head of the table. He was then told that WFB once occupied that chair, at which point he got up, dusted off the chair, and sat down again.
What I wouldn't give to see WFB serve as disinterested moderater of one more Firing Line (just for 'old time's sake) allowing for Lou Dobbs and Pres. Bush to air it all out on the topic of immigration......Actually maybe he would have preferred a definitive voter's referendum on the subject; much too important an issue to be left exclusively to the domain of career politicians and talking heads.
You honored God, your country, and Yale.
Rest in peace.