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.

[Third Person]

The Col. West who jumped the shark on Trayvon Martin case? The Herman Cain who went after Rick Perry over “Niggerhead Rock”? Those race baiting idiots?

I’m not supporting politicians like that, even if it means I’m a “racist”.

I hope your post doesn’t get pulled like 126. I guess the truth was too abusive.

[Mr Rogers]

“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...

[mrsmel]

So this is what happens when someone takes Holder at his word and tries to initiate that honest debate on race. Of course, this isn't what Holder and the left mean by "honest"-they mean that whites haven't swallowed enough white guilt and turned their homes, cars and goods over to the "oppressed" blacks to do with as they will. They didn't mean that the truth regarding crime rates, IQ differences, foreward-thinking and impulse control should be brought into the discourse.

This is sickening. We have GOT to stop being scared of the "rayciss" accusation as it's no more than a means to keep the most objective facts regarding black dysfunction verboten. No one wants honesty, truth, the facts as they are-they want everlasting white guilt until whites lay down and die.

Guess what? The end of whites in this world will be your worst nightmare, and you have Detroit and Haiti, amongst many others, like the ghost of Christmas past present and future, to show it to you. Nothing could be more indicative of black vengeance to the point of their own self-destruction than to have these examples and still to want whites exterminated from the earth.

I have utter NFS, because when one race as a whole is responsible for the highest negative indicators but that truth must be suppressed, a civilised society can never survive. Just so sick that one man had the courage to have that honest talk, and look what he got. Though I suspect he knew this was coming. No one ever believed Holder wanted an honest two-way talk, just more white breast-beating as we offer up yet another sacrifice-our achievements, our society, the greatness of our civilisation and history, our cities and nations(how many cities have to be sacrificed as Detroit, Birmingham, more)---because they are eaten up with impotent rage that they can not produce these things.

[Flotsam_Jetsome]

"You are dealing with people who have NO respect for truth. They wouldn’t be liberals if they did..."

+1

[Mad Dawgg]

No you don't swing at a pitch in the dirt at any level of play. (Except of course cricket and that game is played by people who drive on the wrong side of the road and add unnecessary "U"s to words like colour and flavour)

There will be idiots who occasionally post racist stuff. Free Republic has a policy of removing such when it is reported or caught by the Mods. There is no need to defend Free Republic as being racist because they strive to remove such quickly.

So don't swing at a pitch in the dirt. (Unless you are one of those Limeys across the pond then I say swing away but I'm still never gonna understand about wickets and scoring. I'll just drink your ale and nod and smile as you carry on about it!)

[Third Person]

To a liberal, all conservative thought is racist. This is nothing new.

[PAR]

“As satire or parody, his article was pretty good. If it was a serious article, it was rediculous, and there’s no way NR could keep him on staff. I don’t think it’s a loss for them, he wasn’t a serious conservative writer, and he did a lot of writing that was on the edge of decency.”

Are you saying it was ridiculous because he was running afoul of political correctness? Or are you saying it was riduculous because something he said was not true? If the latter, what did he say that wasn’t true?

[jocon307]

Here is the letter I sent to them:

Dear Mr. Lowry and all,

Of course you are going to get about a million and two letters about firing Derbyshire and since you’ve disabled comments I’m sure you’re expecting them.

So, here’s mine.

I didn’t like the piece at all. The tone was dreadful. The advice, however sadly, is sound.

And you know that. You’re not going to let any of your kids go to any rap concerts or to black “greek” day or to 110th street at night, not if you can help it.

Mr. Lowry your two posts on this are craven.

As to the first, I doubt that everyone at NR disdains his advice to children, per what I said above, I’m pretty sure any parents there share his views and convey it to their children, although in far less snarky terms.

As to the second, Derb is not described as a “national review” writer on the Taki site. So NR is both full of itself and cowardly. We see another “conservative” site “jump” when told to by the MSM/Left. They are the enemy, but I guess you don’t get that. Even in your exalted position you don’t get what I got reading “Time” magazine in the barbershop 45 years ago. The Left hates America, it hates white people and yeah, it hates NR and it hates you, Rich Lowry. Nothing you do will ever appease them. You could go to Derb’s house and beat him to death with your bare hand tonight and it won’t be enough, just wait and see.

I’ve always been a conservative and if asked to define that further I would say I’m a “National Review conservative”.

But maybe I’m not anymore.

I was a little upset when you fired Anne Coulter, but I understood you all felt sandbagged about that piece.

But this is different. You didn’t publish this piece, all you really needed to say was “we didn’t publish it, it’s Derb’s and Taki’s, it’s got nothing to do with us.”

But no, in true farcical fashion the response is “Run Away!!!!’ coupled with “You’re Fired!”

We won’t beat the left with mettle like this.

I guess I’ll have to say I’m a Free Republic conservative from now on.

Thanks for your attention to my message,

[Jocon307]

[sheik yerbouty]

Except forMark Steyn, they have become geldings..

[cynwoody]

I think they must have pulled it entirely.

It's here. It loads, but slowly. Their server isn't up to the sudden traffic. As of a couple of minutes ago, the article had attracted 1972 comments.

[Absolutely Nobama]

Chairman Obama is a Kenyan socialist.

Al Sharpton is a Jew hating pig.

Mee-Chelle Obama is a fat pig of a socialist.

Uh-oh! Now it looks like I’ll never work for NR! Shucks!

Actually, that wasn’t gonna happen anyway. I sent them a writing sample on a lark (wasn’t really expecting much) and they called me a hack in a rejecto-gram email. I guess they don’t like investigative reporting or hard-hitting editorials that make libs look bad.

[Liberty Valance]

You’re welcome.

[rogue yam]

You come in at reply #135 and that’s all you have?

[Liberty Valance]

Ha! Very cool.

[Irenic]

“Yes, I’ve seen neo-Confederate and secessionist stuff show up from time to time here, and I’ve jumped on the people when I saw it, but I’ve regarded it as either crazy wackos (which every site has, on both sides of the aisle) or trolls putting up garbage to hurt Free Republic. It is crystal clear that Free Republic does not officially back such things, and rebukes people when racist bigotry shows up.”
________________________________________________________

Here’s some great commentary.
http://www.americancivilwarforum.com/neo-confederates-271.html

Bigotry, indeed...

[wardaddy]

Klown posse were pc fiscal conservatives who had no clue of culture war and loved queers

I sure did not see them as white racialist

[Bon of Babble]

Excellent comment!!

AND, I did the exact same thing when my beautiful, naive 18-year old set off for UC Berkeley. She knew nothing of the dangers of black criminals. An acquaintance in the area filled me in as to the types of crimes committed against whites and Asians and who was committing them. Local blacks from Oakland prey on college students, robbing them of their laptop computers, iPads, iPods, cash and expensive bikes.

I too was called a racist. When I picked up the college girl at Christmas, I noticed her dorm was locked up tight as a drum with a clerk at the front desk buzzing in visitors and checking IDs.

On the front door of the dorm were several “BEWARE” posters of criminals who were snatching purses, backpacks, necklaces and computers — all were black.

She is much more aware now.

And no, I don’t sleep at night.

[Revolting cat!]

IQ tests are notoriously unscientific

True. Very true, but calling a vast group of people idiots, and more accurately in this case, barbarians, is so undiplomatic and uncool!

That's why we call pederasts 'happy' or some other nice word.

[jocon307]

Thanks!