William Raspberry, Pulitzer-Winning Columnist, Dies at 76

New York Times ^ | July 17, 2012 | DENNIS HEVESI

[ConservativeStatement]

William Raspberry, a Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columnist for The Washington Post who for 39 years in more than 200 newspapers brought a moderate voice to social issues, including race relations — sometimes to the ire of civil rights leaders — died on Tuesday at his home in Washington. He was 76.

[Tax-chick]

Rest in peace, Mr. Raspberry. My sympathies to his family and friends.

[stephenjohnbanker]

RIP Bill. You stood up to the poverty pimps.

[Tax-chick]

He had some courage and some honesty.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Whatever he did with his life, it wasn’t him, it was other people who made it possible.

[ConservativeStatement]

And how about the jackals who cheered Barry? Apologies to jackals.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Yep

[MinuteGal]

Wasn't he one of the most liberal columnists to trod the MSM boards.....a rabid gun-control laws freak in his columns......who then defended himself and his home by shooting an intruder with a (gasp) personal HANDGUN?

How divine.

Leni

[dfwgator]

You’re thinking of Carl Rowan.

[JPG]

Also famous for what Rush labeled the ‘Rasberry Effect’. Mr. Rasberry was very anti-gun until he was mugged; he saw the error of his former thinking and said so in his column. RIP.

[Tax-chick]

Same age as my father. That generation hadn’t been exposed to the lies of our time for their entire lives. A lot of them still cling to reality, no matter how hard it is when everyone is pressuring you to agree with utter nonsense.

My Dad used to say that what a lot of people started calling “racist oppression” was simply poverty, or 1930s rural life, for everyone, no matter what their race or ethnicity. Mr. Raspberry probably remembered when just about everyone was poor by later standards, and it didn’t have anything to do with race ... it was just what life was like unless you were a Kennedy or a Rockefeller.

[ConservativeStatement]

Is this the column?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/guns-all-around/2012/07/17/gJQAs21ZrW_story.html

[MinuteGal]

You're correct, Carl Rowan (another liberal gun control freak) was the one I described in my erroneous post, not Raspberry. I apologize.

Here's my corrected post pertaining to Raspberry:

(from the Washington Post 3/18/00 article "The Old Man and the Gun"......"In William Raspberry's op-ed March 13, Raspberry related the story of how an 83 year-old man defended himself by shooting an intruder in his home. Raspberry reached the incredible conclusion that 'we'd all be a lot safer with a lot fewer guns'. The old man exercized the age-old human right to defend oneself against criminal attack. Raspberry is conflicted because his CONSTANT ADVOCACY of MORE gun control laws rings exceedingly hollow in the real world" (end of quote from the Washington Post).

[Right Wing Assault]

From that old column:

And even in those parts of town where the smashed-door nightmare might happen...

Long way of saying "anywhere" these days.

[OrangeHoof]

Moderate voice???? I guess that’s what you get when you apologize to Rush Limbaugh. Raspberry was the one who wanted stiffer gun laws and then turned out to be packing heat in his home. Nothing like liberal hypocrisy.

[PAR35]

Moderate? Perhaps to someone who didn’t read his columns.

[EveningStar]

The Raspberry Effect:

Shooting From The Hip - Into The Foot (William Raspberry apologizes to Rush Limbaugh)

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.

[Revolting cat!]

I thought he was dead.

[stephenjohnbanker]

” My Dad used to say that what a lot of people started calling “racist oppression” was simply poverty, or 1930s rural life, for everyone, no matter what their race or ethnicity. Mr. Raspberry probably remembered when just about everyone was poor by later standards, and it didn’t have anything to do with race”

Yep....very few wealthy people in the depression. Nowadays, the so-called “poor” are wealthy compared to the 1930’s.