C-J Speaks Ill Of The Dead, Who Had Better Manners

Today's Courier-Journal gives us a display of what can be charitably described as the editor's ill-bred manners. The C-J shows a picture of William F. Buckley, Jr. wearing a black mask "in 1966 at Truman Capote's famous black and white ball," accompanied by a letter to the editor calling Mr. Buckley a "monster" with "the legacy of pretentious snobbery, bigotry, homophobia and nastiness." Another letter writer asserts that Mr. Buckley

did nothing but expound hedonistic self- gratification, with a political agenda for maintaining the status quo at the expense of less fortunate fellow human beings.
He did this with clever tongue-in-cheek hypocrisy, which was sickening to all idealistic folk who care about fairness and justice.

There is such a sharp contrast in style between the C-J and Mr. Buckley, and clearly the latter comes out looking better. A piece by Eric Konigsberg of the New York Times provides insight:

Mr. Buckley’s manners were classy, if not perfect. He insisted on addressing his guests as “Mr.” Or “Mrs.,” though he once accidentally called Mrs. Thatcher “Margaret” because he thought she’d called him “Bill.” (When, upon reading a transcript of the episode, he realized she had been referring to a bill of legislation, he was extremely embarrassed, said Richard Brookhiser, a conservative writer and a frequent guest on the program.)

Mr. [Michael] Kinsley said, “He was extremely charming and kind; he never took his ideological battles into the personal realm.”

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.