Comments on: Sesquipedalianist Exits http://www.scienceguardian.com/blog/sesquipedalianist-exits.htm Reviewing scientific paradigms and other general beliefs in the light of the scientific and professional literature Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:57:56 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Truthseeker http://www.scienceguardian.com/blog/sesquipedalianist-exits.htm/comment-page-1#comment-5761 Truthseeker Tue, 18 Mar 2008 06:34:43 +0000 http://www.scienceguardian.com/blog/sesquipedalianist-exits.htm#comment-5761 Here is what Charlie Rose said: <i>So Bill Buckley left us this morning. He was probably more ready than we were. As much as anyone, I valued him. When I came to this city and started doing this show 16 years ago, I was little-known and had not made my mark in life. He came on and then he sent me a hand-written note with enormous flattery and I live with the hope I didn't disappoint his early prophesy. We became friends. Several years ago when I was sick and came back from near death, he called and wanted to take me to dinner. He wanted me to sail and I never accepted; until one evening he said to me, "I'm not sailing anymore. I'm not doing a lot of the things I used to do anymore." Why don't I ever learn? There is not always tomorrow. I last saw him at Pat's memorial service and I knew her death was the last crushing disappointment for him. People were walking by as he sat in a chair in the front row after the service. I was last in line and when I stopped he looked up, and he saw me, then he started crying. And I said, "I'll come see you," thinking there will always be a tomorrow. And now he is gone. There is no tomorrow. But what a life, what a man, and what a friend! We think of the wife he joins, and the son he leaves, and the rest of the Buckley clan. Goodnight, Bill. Goodnight to you.</i> Here is what Charlie Rose said:

So Bill Buckley left us this morning. He was probably more ready than we were.

As much as anyone, I valued him. When I came to this city and started doing this show 16 years ago, I was little-known and had not made my mark in life. He came on and then he sent me a hand-written note with enormous flattery and I live with the hope I didn’t disappoint his early prophesy.

We became friends. Several years ago when I was sick and came back from near death, he called and wanted to take me to dinner. He wanted me to sail and I never accepted; until one evening he said to me, “I’m not sailing anymore. I’m not doing a lot of the things I used to do anymore.”

Why don’t I ever learn? There is not always tomorrow.

I last saw him at Pat’s memorial service and I knew her death was the last crushing disappointment for him. People were walking by as he sat in a chair in the front row after the service. I was last in line and when I stopped he looked up, and he saw me, then he started crying. And I said, “I’ll come see you,” thinking there will always be a tomorrow.

And now he is gone. There is no tomorrow. But what a life, what a man, and what a friend!

We think of the wife he joins, and the son he leaves, and the rest of the Buckley clan.

Goodnight, Bill. Goodnight to you.

]]> By: Truthseeker http://www.scienceguardian.com/blog/sesquipedalianist-exits.htm/comment-page-1#comment-5759 Truthseeker Tue, 18 Mar 2008 04:25:54 +0000 http://www.scienceguardian.com/blog/sesquipedalianist-exits.htm#comment-5759 Here is a notice of the second Charlie Rose appreciation of Bill Buckley by a few of his fans: <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/media_people/charlie_rose_remembering_bill_buckley_part_ii_79552.asp" rel="nofollow">Video at Mediabistro Fishbowl from YouTube and short report</a> This video is the tape of Buckley's honest admission that he was prepared to die, and Charlie's moving tribute to a friend who was solicitous after his near-death experience, and who "was prepared probably more than we were for his departing." Fishbowl note on the hour's discussion, which may well be on YouTube in full now it has disappeared from the Charlie Rose site: <i>Last night Charlie Rose gathered several of Bill Buckley's former protegees for a second discussion on the man and his legacy to American life. Jeff Greenfield of CBS News, Gary Wills of The New York Review of Books, Richard Brookheiser, Mona Charen and Rich Lowry of The National Review all talked about what Buckley meant to them. Garry Wills, who broke publicly with Bill Buckley in the 1960's over the Civil Rights movement, talked candidly about Buckley's personal evolution on the cause of African-American equality and how the two ultimately reconciled. Wills was discovered by Buckley as a seminarian graduate student in Classics, and went on to become a respected journalist and essayist as well as a Pulitzer prize winning author for Lincoln at Gettysburg. ''We differed over the war in Vietnam and also about the Civil Rights movement, so I sent him a piece (for National Review) about the war in Vietnam and he said, finally, we can't publish this.'' ''We didn't talk for quite a while,'' Wills continued. ''Then his sister, Priscilla, said: 'you guys have been friends for such a long time.''' They had dinner together and resumed their friendship. Rich Lowry, Buckley's hand-picked successor as editor at National Review noted that Buckley ''always misspelled his emails'' because he wrote so rapidly. Garry Wills, responding to what he will most about Buckley, said, ''I will always miss sailing with Bill.'' Posted by RonM | 10:20 AM | Media People</i> Typical of the Buckley appreciations, it focuses on his friendships and his fostering the talents of others. Buckley's social talents were of a high level, clearly, and appreciating others was a big part of it. Somewhere in all this flow of reminiscences after his death was the delightful story of him asking a student greeter to help him on stage by repeating to him what the questioners asked, and the student followed him on stage but hung back, so when Buckley finished his talk and they asked him questions, he would leave the rostrum and walk over to the guy and listen to a repeat of the question, then return and give the answer. The student found his reputation skyrocketed afterwards because everyone assumed that Buckley was asking his advice and conferring with him before venturing his replies. Charlie Rose tonight is sporting one of the most magnificent black eyes ever worn by an host/on air correspondent in the history of media, topped by a large piece of sticking plaster. So far Google News does not reveal why. Here is a notice of the second Charlie Rose appreciation of Bill Buckley by a few of his fans:

Video at Mediabistro Fishbowl from YouTube and short report

This video is the tape of Buckley’s honest admission that he was prepared to die, and Charlie’s moving tribute to a friend who was solicitous after his near-death experience, and who “was prepared probably more than we were for his departing.”

Fishbowl note on the hour’s discussion, which may well be on YouTube in full now it has disappeared from the Charlie Rose site:

Last night Charlie Rose gathered several of Bill Buckley’s former protegees for a second discussion on the man and his legacy to American life. Jeff Greenfield of CBS News, Gary Wills of The New York Review of Books, Richard Brookheiser, Mona Charen and Rich Lowry of The National Review all talked about what Buckley meant to them.

Garry Wills, who broke publicly with Bill Buckley in the 1960’s over the Civil Rights movement, talked candidly about Buckley’s personal evolution on the cause of African-American equality and how the two ultimately reconciled. Wills was discovered by Buckley as a seminarian graduate student in Classics, and went on to become a respected journalist and essayist as well as a Pulitzer prize winning author for Lincoln at Gettysburg. ”We differed over the war in Vietnam and also about the Civil Rights movement, so I sent him a piece (for National Review) about the war in Vietnam and he said, finally, we can’t publish this.”

”We didn’t talk for quite a while,” Wills continued. ”Then his sister, Priscilla, said: ‘you guys have been friends for such a long time.”’ They had dinner together and resumed their friendship. Rich Lowry, Buckley’s hand-picked successor as editor at National Review noted that Buckley ”always misspelled his emails” because he wrote so rapidly. Garry Wills, responding to what he will most about Buckley, said, ”I will always miss sailing with Bill.”
Posted by RonM | 10:20 AM | Media People

Typical of the Buckley appreciations, it focuses on his friendships and his fostering the talents of others. Buckley’s social talents were of a high level, clearly, and appreciating others was a big part of it. Somewhere in all this flow of reminiscences after his death was the delightful story of him asking a student greeter to help him on stage by repeating to him what the questioners asked, and the student followed him on stage but hung back, so when Buckley finished his talk and they asked him questions, he would leave the rostrum and walk over to the guy and listen to a repeat of the question, then return and give the answer.

The student found his reputation skyrocketed afterwards because everyone assumed that Buckley was asking his advice and conferring with him before venturing his replies.

Charlie Rose tonight is sporting one of the most magnificent black eyes ever worn by an host/on air correspondent in the history of media, topped by a large piece of sticking plaster. So far Google News does not reveal why.

]]> By: Truthseeker http://www.scienceguardian.com/blog/sesquipedalianist-exits.htm/comment-page-1#comment-5734 Truthseeker Fri, 14 Mar 2008 23:34:29 +0000 http://www.scienceguardian.com/blog/sesquipedalianist-exits.htm#comment-5734 Any stand against drug laws which are more vicious than the exploitation they seek to curb is welcome, but Buckley didn't have any success with this so it doesnt count as legacy, does it? Perhaps it will have some contribution to make as history of opinion from a respected thinker even though he is now dead. Buckley had a huge influence in promoting his form of conservatism which got a foothold in public life for too many years before being kicked off the rattling wagon of progress, but the great man now departed will be forgotten as much more than an entertainer soon enough, as indeed he deserves, since he stood athwart the path of progress as defined as expansion of the goods of modern civilization (money, education, culture) to the disadvantaged and poor children of society who deserve equal opportunity. The fact that Buckley liked to imbibe wine and beer and sail his boat well is not going to defeat the clear view of those who ask What, in the end, did he really achieve for humanity and this society other than entertain everybody and make them praise the Lord for someone who showed that intellectual talk does not not have be the death of the party, it can be the life of the party, even in a nation where currently Jay Leno shows that most people on the streets on Hollywood do not know what country is north of the US bprder.. Any stand against drug laws which are more vicious than the exploitation they seek to curb is welcome, but Buckley didn’t have any success with this so it doesnt count as legacy, does it? Perhaps it will have some contribution to make as history of opinion from a respected thinker even though he is now dead.

Buckley had a huge influence in promoting his form of conservatism which got a foothold in public life for too many years before being kicked off the rattling wagon of progress, but the great man now departed will be forgotten as much more than an entertainer soon enough, as indeed he deserves, since he stood athwart the path of progress as defined as expansion of the goods of modern civilization (money, education, culture) to the disadvantaged and poor children of society who deserve equal opportunity.

The fact that Buckley liked to imbibe wine and beer and sail his boat well is not going to defeat the clear view of those who ask What, in the end, did he really achieve for humanity and this society other than entertain everybody and make them praise the Lord for someone who showed that intellectual talk does not not have be the death of the party, it can be the life of the party, even in a nation where currently Jay Leno shows that most people on the streets on Hollywood do not know what country is north of the US bprder..

]]> By: Robert Houston http://www.scienceguardian.com/blog/sesquipedalianist-exits.htm/comment-page-1#comment-5733 Robert Houston Fri, 14 Mar 2008 01:07:19 +0000 http://www.scienceguardian.com/blog/sesquipedalianist-exits.htm#comment-5733 Except for the word "only," I concur with with your last comments, Truthseeker. At the beginning of this thread, Martin Kessler quoted from a transcript of a discussion between William Buckley and Thomas Szasz, M.D., concerning drug addiction. In a 2003 essay ("Unequal Justice for All"), Dr. Szasz noted that "Buckley has since moderated his views..." In fact, Buckley incurred the scorn of many conservatives by proposing the legalization of marijuana and other recreational drugs (a scorn that was only exceeded by the outrage from the right when he came out against the war in Iraq in July 2004). Essentially, his libertarian view on drug regulation seems to have come to agree with Dr. Szasz, as in this <a HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNw2r-qmopI" rel="nofollow"> 1996 TV appearance that's now on YouTube.</a> Except for the word “only,” I concur with with your last comments, Truthseeker.

At the beginning of this thread, Martin Kessler quoted from a transcript of a discussion between William Buckley and Thomas Szasz, M.D., concerning drug addiction. In a 2003 essay (”Unequal Justice for All”), Dr. Szasz noted that “Buckley has since moderated his views…”

In fact, Buckley incurred the scorn of many conservatives by proposing the legalization of marijuana and other recreational drugs (a scorn that was only exceeded by the outrage from the right when he came out against the war in Iraq in July 2004). Essentially, his libertarian view on drug regulation seems to have come to agree with Dr. Szasz, as in this 1996 TV appearance that’s now on YouTube.

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