Goodbye, Bill

Conservative author Buckley dies at 82

It's ironic.

In college, I mocked Bill Buckley as the supreme stereotype of picksniffian conservativism, a right-wing that looked down its nose at the rest of the uncivilized world.

It was not until long after that I recognized that, for all of my disagreements with him, William F. Buckley was one of the strongest minds of his time.

There are many Bill Buckley columns I enjoyed. One of the columns that finally secured my confidence in him was his piece giving his reluctant approval to Lawrence v. Texas, ruling sodomy laws unconstitutional. There are many issues of federalism and original intent, and other reasons, I'm sure, that a conservative could make to object to that ruling, some of which might find some sympathetic audience with me.

But, Bill recognized, as did I, that the fundamental issue of the liberty of what people do in their own private life was, when all is said and done, their own business.

And that is when I knew that Bill Buckley had a conservativism that I could respect.

Goodbye, Bill. You will be missed.

I will pick up books with your name on them, I'm sure, and remember when I could look forward to reading some new thought on any number of important issues that you had to offer.

Godspeed.