PS--also trying to save you from yard work....or at least having something else to think about while you're raking leaves...<g>
Well, thanks, but it felt good to get it done. I've had the remnants of summer bothering me for some time in the front yard--a bit of grass that needed the last cutting before winter, some ivy that's covering a driveway wall, and blow a covering of leaves and pine tree bits covering the driveway into the street to be picked up by the street cleaner tomorrow morning. That needed to be done; I got it done. And now I feel rather moral. But thanks for the thought.
As for the writers I like, I'm a sucker for good writing, well argued on topics I care about, irrespective of political positions. By good writing, actually, I mean several things: (1) new information that comes from reliable sources--Bob Novak, Seymour Hersh (got some concerns there), Bill Safire, sometimes David Broder, even Bob Woodward; (2) pieces that help me think different thoughts--Novak, again, Krugman, Al Hunt, George Will in the past but not anymore at least not since Clinton was elected when Will's voice simply elevated to a very long scream, Bill Greider (Lefty's old friend), Elizabeth Drew, Richard Reeves among the things that scott posts, some of the Reason folk but the names escape me as I type, and, on occasion, Bill Kristol (used to enjoy his political televison commentating but less so lately).
The op ed writers like Kelly and Sullivan and Rush (as a radio person) spend too much of their energy ratcheting up the hate button. Or the I told you so button. I don't learn anything from it. So, when they are posted here, I skim to see if there is anything new but generally pass them by and try to put a clamp on my fingers to keep them from typing some sort of comment.
Oh, yes, I should add, I don't join FL in feeling Rush should be banned from the thread. I think the opposite. All views should be published here so long as posters wish to do so and they don't violate rudeness, etc. rules. Chomsky, Rush, whatever.
As for Buckley, I read his novels. I found them a fun read at first but they are much less so of late. If I thought he needed the money, I would assume he's just writing to a formula to keep enough flowing in to keep the heat bills paid. But I doubt that is his problem. As for Buckley's columns, I've read them off an on over the years. There's a rather long history there. His book about Yale bothered me a great deal since I have a rather long history with that institution. That put him on my negatives list in a major way. And, when I've read him I've never found he teaches me anything. As you can see, I'm willing to learn from folks of all sorts of political stripes, but Buckley simply didn't help. I guess the one thing I've liked a bit about him were those television debates he ran. Compared with today's disgusting yell sessions that are billed as debates, Buckley's were civil, you could learn serious stuff from them.
Is this the sort of thing you had in mind? |
