Parting Ways [National Review fires John Derbyshire!]

NRO ^ | 2012-04-07 | Rich Lowry

[cartan]

Anyone who has read Derb in our pages knows he’s a deeply literate, funny, and incisive writer. I direct anyone who doubts his talents to his delightful first novel, “Seeing Calvin Coolidge in a Dream, or any one of his “Straggler” columns in the books section of NR. Derb is also maddening, outrageous, cranky, and provocative. His latest provocation, in a webzine, lurches from the politically incorrect to the nasty and indefensible. We never would have published it, but the main reason that people noticed it is that it is by a National Review writer. Derb is effectively using our name to get more oxygen for views with which we’d never associate ourselves otherwise. So there has to be a parting of the ways. Derb has long danced around the line on these issues, but this column is so outlandish it constitutes a kind of letter of resignation. It’s a free country, and Derb can write whatever he wants, wherever he wants. Just not in the pages of NR or NRO, or as someone associated with NR any longer.

[redgolum]

Fired forb blasphemy

[Travis McGee]

There are some truths that must not be uttered, or the writer will face excommunication from the mainline flock.

[Travis McGee]

Yep, 8 years ago this thread would have disappeared in a minute.

[Travis McGee]

112 posted on Sat Apr 07 2012 21:38:09 GMT-0500 (Central Daylight Time) by reaganaut1: “Define ‘racism’. Is doubting that all races are equally intelligent on average ‘racist’?”

As Flotsam_Jetsome reminded us, every time we post there is a statement saying this: “Please: NO profanity, NO personal attacks, NO racism or violence in posts.”

I think it's important that Jim Robinson, not me, make the call on how to define “racism.” I have ideas but it's important that I defer to the site owners.

For now, the problem is what the Atlantic said about Free Republic with pictures of Obama with bones in his nose, not comparing racial performance on standardized tests.

Nice tap dance and subject evasion. Care to actually answer the question? This question opposes objective truth to a PC "third rail of doom." It's rather important to answer it, and not just evade it.

But if you must evade it, you are telling us that your PC fear of the third rail is greater than your desire to seek the truth anywhere it lies.

[Travis McGee]

“My primary problem is not with National Review or with Derbyshire, but rather with the characterization of Free Republic as a place where “really obvious racist stuff” goes up.” That happens ALL THE TIME. Liberals don’t care about the truth. If JR posted a screed saying FR doesn’t tolerate racism, the liberals would just roll their eyes and say in a knowing tone of voice, “The more racist the site, the louder the denials. The dog that squeals the loudest is the one the rock hits!” You are dealing with people who have NO respect for truth. They wouldn’t be liberals if they did...

Exactly correct. There is no way a conservative can please a liberal unless he jumps in front of a bus or off of a cliff. It's a fool's errand to try to gain the favor or those who want you dead.

[Vaquero]

Ann Coulter is a newly proven RINO...and an intellectual Romney fellator in her blog.

[bcsco]

!!HAPPY EASTER!! I had an online subscription a number of years ago. I dropped it when I joined FR. It allowed me full access to their magazine.

[Travis McGee]

Good post at 162.

A question I sometimes pose is: What does the most backward and dysfunctional continent have in common with the most backward and dysfunctional country in the Western Hemisphere?

Why?

[Travis McGee]

Kumbaya never stopped a bullet.

And that is a hard, cold fact.

[jammer]

The article is on takimag.com. I read it earlier, but when I go back to get the link, the site is down.

Probably being bombarded, but when I was last there, there were well over 2,000 comments (as opposed to the usual 10-30).

[Altura Ct.]

So, when do we get to that honest discussion on race?

[Lazamataz]

National Review doesn’t DESERVE John Derbyshire.

[Lazamataz]

there are lots of cultures where white people are looked down on as immoral wicked people whose goal is to “knock up” innocent Asian women."

I dunno. That pretty much describes me.

[jammer]

Well said, Auntie Mame. I only read him on Taki also.

[PghBaldy]

There was someone else fired a while back from either NR or WS, who now posts on a site we can’t link to here, (named for for Virginia Dare). It’s a common thing in this country for people to be persecuted because they tell the truth about race and sex etc.

[muawiyah]

To start with I didn’t know they were white, but they were certainly anti-asian.

[Doctor 2Brains]

WELL SAID!

[Doctor 2Brains]

WELL SAID!

[iopscusa]

I read only Derbyshire & McCarthy whenever I select NeoCon Review.

[Mr Rogers]

Thanks for the new tagline...