resurrectionsong

October 27, 2003

Respecting Integrity

It has been intimated that my dislike of Michael Moore and Mark Moorford (could I fit any more M's in there?) is motivated by my own political bias. While it is true that this causes some share of the disagreement, the reason I dislike them is not political in nature. It's that I consider both men to be dishonest--they stoop to personal attacks, lies, misleading statements, and distortions to support their agenda.

Nat Hentoff, on the other hand, represents a voice that I respect. I read his writing and usually disagree with him, but I never feel that he's speaking from anything other than a deep seated integrity. I never feel that he's distorting facts; just that he's drawing very different conclusions from the same information. I respect him and like him.

In the Village Voice, he goes where few liberal commentators have dared go: in some level of support of Charles Pickering.

Now that you know the facts in the cross-burning case, I hope you remember Charles Schumer's vigilante comment about Pickering (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, March 9, 2003):

"Why anyone would go the whole nine yards, and then some, to get a lighter sentence for a convicted cross burner is beyond me . . . in a state with Mississippi's sad history of race relations. It's simply mind-boggling."

Says Reuben Anderson, the first black Supreme Court justice in Mississippi, formerly with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund: "I have known Pickering for at least a quarter of a century. [He is] extremely fair and impartial to all the parties." Any apology to Pickering from Schumer? Look for pie in the sky.

While I doubt that Hentoff would support Pickering without reservation, it is nice to see someone with the integrity and honesty to move beyond the partisan politics and address the truth of Pickering's court record.

If either MM could muster such a level of intellectual honesty--to dissent without demonizing, to disagree without distortion--I would have tremendously more respect for either man. Do I expect that, though? As Hentoff said, "look for pie in the sky."

Read the story.

Posted by zombyboy at October 27, 2003 12:01 PM | TrackBack

Comments

Hentoff is also unabashedly pro-life, a position that gets him lots of stares in the liberal establishment at the village (idiot) voice.

Posted by: bryan at October 27, 2003 05:37 PM

He's one that I'd love to sit and have a drink with. I think it would be an interesting conversation.

Posted by: zombyboy at October 27, 2003 10:03 PM

Not meaning to be insulting or rude, but I doubt either MM, is really concerned about what you (or I for that matter) think of them. They play their tune to a specific audience and most likely could care less about anyone not in attendence.

Posted by: wandalicious at October 28, 2003 01:39 AM

You're right--my opinion is probably meaningless to them. It isn't meaningless to me, though.

Anyway, this is more of a conservative's tribute to Nat Hentoff--someone from the other side of the conversation who is worthy of respect and admiration.

Posted by: zombyboy at October 28, 2003 09:26 AM