Remembering William F. Buckley, Jr.

I was going to publish the blog entry below last week, the day after William F. Buckley, Jr. died. But then, something happened at work that distracted me from making the entry. It concerns a friend at work who I don't believe will be around much longer. It's been on my mind ever since, and somehow, the contents of the entry below that was taking so much of my attention, just didn't seem so important anymore.

But I suppose the sentiments I had are still valid.

William F. Buckley died yesterday. This was a statement that was issued by House Republican Whip Roy Blunt:

William F. Buckley was more than a journalist or commentator. He was the indisputable leader of the conservative movement that laid the groundwork for the Reagan Revolution. Every Republican owes him a debt of gratitude for his tireless efforts on behalf of our party and nation.

While Mr. Buckley's successes are vast, his longest lasting influence will always be through the work of the National Review -- a magazine he founded more than five decades ago to give a voice to the brand of conservativism we associate with the modern Republican Party. Even though Mr. Buckley is no longer with us, the impact he has made will forever serve as a monument to the achievements of this honorable man. (source)

An honorable man. Indeed. You know, I was going to say nothing about his passing. I heard of the news on the radio, and at the time, my personal thoughts that he was no longer with us would remain just that, my personal thoughts. But then I got home, and we turned on the television, as we usually do in the evening during dinner, to listen to the news of the day. They had this big presentation on the passing of William F. Buckley, all in a very positive way.

I suddenly could no longer help myself. I shouted out, "He was a f-----g Nazi!"

Why such an outburst? Because years ago he hit on something that just simply cut me to the core. We were living in San Francisco. We were going through all the stuff in the community with AIDS. In a New York Times op-ed piece published on March 18, 1986, William F. Buckley, Jr. called for mandatory HIV testing of gay men and for those who were HIV-positive to have this information forcibly tattooed on their buttocks.

My reference to him being a Nazi should be obvious. Jews, homosexuals, and a few other groups placed in Nazi concentration camps were all tattooed for identification. So here was this conservative moderate calling for the forcible tattooing of people with AIDS.

After he made the comment, he received death threats, and withdrew the comment. And after I made the Nazi comment last night, Kent said, "He said he was sorry for that..." I said, "While that bastard said that, I was burying my friends!" Quiet set in. A few moments passed and I said, "Sorry for my outburst." He said, "It's ok."

But then I started thinking during the evening if perhaps Mr. Buckley had changed his mind on the subject. With a bit of searching I found this piece from 2005:

February 19, 2005, 11:55 a.m. Killers at Large AIDS carriers and their victims.

The objective is to identify the carrier, and to warn his victim. Someone, 20 years ago, suggested a discreet tattoo the site of which would alert the prospective partner to the danger of proceeding as had been planned. But the author of the idea was treated as though he had been schooled in Buchenwald, and the idea was not widely considered, but maybe it is up now for reconsideration.

I stand by what I said last night.