William F. Buckley Jr. Is Dead at 82

Let's give credit where credit is do....While I have turned off National Review for many years(for a variety of reasons),Buckley was definitely an influence on young conservatives growing up...Particularly in the idea that you could be "cool" and dashing and still be conservative...Though Buckley did say some things in his later years that I did not agree with,he did say some good things about the insurgent campaign of Dr. Paul(according to what one of his last interviews said) and he finally came around to the belief that Iraq was a disaster...He WAS MONUMENTAL in the growth of conservative anti-Statism and helped in the ascension of Ronald Reagan(not perfect,but at least more conservative than many previously or since) and he should be given his due....RIP,Mr.Buckley

Check out the Book, "Pied Piper For the Establishment." Buckley promoted neo-conservativism. I hate to say this, but some are better gone.

About the Book:
Conservatism used to equal an undeniable love for God, family, and our Republic. That was before the "neo" conservatives came, before William F. Buckley, Jr. was chosen by the liberal establishment as the chief spokesman for conservatives. From the 1960s to today, conservative Americans have been led astray by Buckley and other false conservatives who want to interject the U.S. government into almost every aspect of our lives.

John F. McManus, president of The John Birch Society, presents a critical examination of Buckley's life and career, including Buckley's:

* promotion of liberal causes, from abortion, drugs, and pornography, to the Panama Canal giveaway;

* connections to the CFR, CIA and Yale's Skull & Bones Society;

* selection of ex-Communists, Trotskyites, and CIA veterans to staff National Review; and

* unwarranted attack on JBS founder Robert Welch to prove himself "acceptable" to the liberal establishment.

Don't let yourself be fooled! By understanding how and why the New York-Washington establishment embraced Buckley and his so-called conservatism, you can avoid the traps laid down by similar false conservatives. Get your copy today! (2002ed, 288pp, hb)

http://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quote_blog/William.F..Buckley....

Towards the end he started speaking out against our involvement in Iraq, and standing up for SOME of the same values as Dr. Paul. Some good can be said of the man.

www.votejasonthompson.us

Some of these comments are making me cringe a little bit (they aren't that bad)- even if they are true. Speaking ill of the dead and all that....

I don't think much of WFB at all- it seems as though what he gave with one hand, he took away with the other.

As for him making conservatism respectable, every time I hear the phrase 'policing action', I want to do some policing of my own.

R.I.H.

Why not tell us what your really think?

Please, Please, don't hold back?

What was he doing in his last days? I've not heard him or read him in years.

Tell me where his grave is so I can piss on it.

Hey, go to antiwar.com (radio section) and listen to Lew Rockwell describe what a POS Buckley was.

Buckley's self-writtten eulogy will be delivered on Friday, through Saturday, and into Sunday.

He will be buried in a private location, family only, and the graveside service will include another self-written eulogy, and will be delivered Sunday and Monday and possibly Tuesday if weather is inclement.

Nap pillows will be provided, as well as dictionaries to translate the tewnty-syllable words into American English.

...

When's the last time he spoke to the Clinton's? Or maybe he just pissed them off!
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Well, you never know....

Buckley is now being lionized as a great Consrvative voice, but history has shown otherwise. Ove the years, Buckley compromised his "Conservative" credentials so many times that he has been disavowed by the Young Americans for Freedom, a group he was once identified with. Such issues as the giveaway of our canal to the government of Panama, as well as Buckley's disaproval of the Second Amendment have shown that when push came to shove, Buckley could be counted on to promote the Establishment's agenda.

Buckley said on more than one occasion that he would destroy the John Birch Society. Well, we're still here. Buckley has been replaced by the Hannities, Limbaughs and Kristols. They are doing their part, along with the Liberals to destroy our Rights.

Buckley was one of the first introductions I had to conservative politics at the ripe old age of 18, back in late 80's.
I enjoyed listening to him on most occassions, but when I found out he was hanging with neocons, I was definitely turned off to him.
Neocons are just not conservative enough for myself, so naturally I adhered to Paul when he became bigger than outside Texas from talking about what has become this movement, and what I had been telling my conservative family and friends for years, it's the spending.
Yes tax cuts are great but they don't mean anything if you keep spending.
If we are ever to succeed with real conservatism and restored liberty in our lifetimes it won't come from elitist like Buckley, although they can help spread some of the message, it will come from average everyday citizens like you and I.

While I've always enjoyed listening to Buckley speak in his idiosyncratic accent while dismantling leftists, I can't say I've been a big fan. He was very exclusionary, single-handedly ostracizing the John Birch Society from the ranks of "acceptable" conservatism, for example. No matter what good works the JBS engages in, they now carry a certain taint, thanks to Buckley. He believed that you must root out the "fringe" from your midst, or risk being sullied by them. It is a fair point, as we see every election cycle when the guilt-by-association smears are unleashed. But I believe it is dangerous to exclude entire groups outright, based on a only subset of their statements. If you do this long enough, you'll eventually paint yourself into a corner where you only allow yourself to associate with others who think exactly the same as you, relegating yourself to a few irrelevant echo chambers.

I think it makes more sense to apply critical thought and objective reasoning to all statements, whoever is making them, and to take truth where you find it. If your political ally makes a statement that you deem to be false, you should reject it, but you need not reject them. Likewise, if your political enemy makes a statement that is clearly true, you embrace it, without necessarily embracing them. Buckley preferred knee-jerk ostracization to calm objectivity, which was a surprising revelation to me when I first heard his rather soothing voice -- I expected he would have preferred the latter, but that was not so.

At any rate, he had a massive impact on American political thought, and leaves behind many grieving friends who certainly deserve respect and condolences.

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