Posted on 04/07/2012 4:24:15 PM PDT by 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.
Thanks. I try, though as this thread shows, I'm not always succeeding.
Bottom line up front: conservatives have a bad reputation for many things. Some of the attacks are unavoidable — for example, people who have no convictions will always call people “stubborn’ and “unreasonable” if we say we won't go along with people who we believe are fundamentally wrong, and that will often happen no matter how hard we try to listen to and interact with liberal arguments.
However, some liberal attacks on conservatives don't need to happen. If people call us racist, ignorant, homophobic, etc., we need to carefully explain that conservatives may be highly educated or self-taught people who can carry on a logical argument, may consider the color of somebody’s skin irrelevant, and may believe homosexuality is sin from which people can be saved.
Dealing with liberals can be difficult, but that doesn't mean it's impossible, and some liberals really can be convinced they're wrong. The best conservatives are former liberals who saw the light because somebody took the time to convince them they're wrong.
The article was interesting. The real problem with blacks, just like every other race, is that most of them are atheists.
Men who fear God are not to be feared.
Matthew 12
48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
Skin color doesn't count. Biblical faithfulness does, and that directly impacts things commonly considered to be “culture.”
BTW, nice to see a Class of 1998 Freeper who is Reformed. I've been here since 2006 but lurked a lot.
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
So glad to be here!
Galatians 5:1
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
I tried to post this Fred collumn, but FR won’t accept material from Fred’s site. You will appreciate it, though.
http://www.fredoneverything.net/Travon2.shtml
Derbyshire bump
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