A National Treasure Says Farewell
[guest post by Dana]
At 86-years old, Dr. Thomas Sowell has decided to spend less time on politics and more time on his photography, at which he eloquently excels. It goes without saying that it is to our collective loss that we will no longer have a regular dose of his wise observations about the issues of the day. Like many of you, Dr. Sowell’s treasure trove of thought has challenged and shaped my own views on matters of education, politics, basic economics and more. To my mind, the brilliant and insightful Dr. Sowell has also consistently demonstrated a mastery in the art of gentle persuasion. His columns remain small gems of rational thought which sparkle in a sea of increasingly tedious emotionalism and propaganda. Dr. Sowell brought it all, and through it all, remained a gentleman and a scholar.
A timely exhortation from his farewell:
It was very fulfilling to be able to share my thoughts on the events unfolding around us, and to receive feedback from readers across the country — even if it was impossible to answer them all.
Being old-fashioned, I liked to know what the facts were before writing. That required not only a lot of research, it also required keeping up with what was being said in the media.
In parting, he reminds us of why it is so vital that we remain vigilant:
We cannot return to the past, even if we wanted to, but let us hope that we can learn something from the past to make for a better present and future.
–Dana
I love that not only is he a brilliant thinker who has shaped the thoughts of so many, but judging from his photos, he has obviously given equally as much thought and care to his art. He embodies the well-balanced man.
Dana (d17a61) — 12/27/2016 @ 10:21 amFrom today’s column:
http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell122716.php3
This could have been said any time in the last 50 years or so.
Sammy Finkelman (6ee5be) — 12/27/2016 @ 10:31 amInteresting to consider that not that long ago, if one lacked an education but lived with a commitment to an applied common sense, especially with regard to personal finances and opportunity, a man and his family could move up a rung into the lower middle-class.
Dana (d17a61) — 12/27/2016 @ 10:37 amHe will be missed.
Jim (a9b7c7) — 12/27/2016 @ 10:39 amA treasure. He will indeed be missed.
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (5e0a82) — 12/27/2016 @ 11:10 amThis year just keeps getting worse. Thomas Sowell’s intelligence and common sense are irreplaceable.
Dave (711345) — 12/27/2016 @ 11:42 amIf I understand correctly, Sowell’s only ceasing his weekly column. He’ll still be around. I think he’s still active at the Hoover Institution.
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 12/27/2016 @ 1:09 pmHe was a bulwark against the cronyism which has become rampant at all levels of government. He was great at identifying the costs, both economic and social.
I do not understand how he is able to maintain his good humor in the face of the utter rejection of his principles by mostly everyone in any position to actually implement such. The republic he knew and loved has been hollowed/rotted out and his community has paid a severe price, perhaps the largest price.
We’re losing the voice of a titan.
Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 12/27/2016 @ 2:28 pmI’ve enjoyed Sowell’s non hysterical, common sense writing for years. I wish he were better known outside of Conservative circles, though. I have been disappointed that he has rarely been interviewed or featured on the Sunday shows when “black views” are needed–and especially needed to balance other black views. I have wondered if this is by his own choice that he doesn’t want to cheapen his intellectual status by having to talk to journolist types and race baiter cretins—or if he has simply not been asked to appear because he is a conservative. Regardless, he has been fighting the good fight for a long time and he deserves to cut back his schedule a little.
elissa (893d37) — 12/27/2016 @ 3:09 pmI think it’s that, and a bit more: he’s a conservative black who is the embodiment of the American dream. Someone who rose from poverty by virtue of his own hard work and commitment to educating himself. There’s no way the various shouting shows would want him representing the black view.
Chuck Bartowski (bba342) — 12/27/2016 @ 3:30 pmThat’s a problem, Elissa. Dr Sowell isn’t considered a “black” voice on the left- he’s considered an “Uncle Tom”, a race traitor. He’s the polar opposite to baiters like Cornel West, and that will never do on even on talk shows as prosaic as “Sunday Morning”, never mind “Meet The
Bill H (971e5f) — 12/27/2016 @ 3:31 pmKranksPress” or “Face The Nation”.Thomas Sowell is one of the all-time greats. Both he and Walter Williams had/have the ability to explain economic principles to anyone with half a brain and an open mind.
I wish him well in retirement.
Deuce Frehley (8afd8b) — 12/27/2016 @ 4:06 pmHere’s one of Mr. Sowell’s best comments. He wrote it in 1980, but it remains just as timely today:
“It is amazing that people who think we cannot afford to pay for doctors, hospitals, and medication somehow think that we can afford to pay for doctors, hospitals, medication, and a government bureaucracy to administer it.”
Deuce Frehley (8afd8b) — 12/27/2016 @ 7:20 pmI used to bore you folk with tales of my days in newspapers, so why not do it again.
Back when I was a liberal managing editor of a newspaper, I actually enjoyed Thomas Sowell because he was smart, challenging and a conservative voice. So, we published his column to maintain a balance on the op-ed page and our conservative publisher liked him. I really did not want to argue with that boss before he retired. He was a good man.
Then we were blessed with a new liberal publisher, which I thought at the time was a good thing. One of the first things this new publisher did was cancel our syndication deal with Sowell because he promoted “hatred.” I should have argued, but I did not, to my regret.
I hope he has a happy retirement. He is a great thinker and a great man. And I assure you he never, ever promoted “hatred.”
Ag80 (eb6ffa) — 12/27/2016 @ 10:26 pmThe happy news is, Sowell didn’t leave all the nuggets of wisdom floating around on the surface where just anybody could spot them.
Long after he is gone they will still be there to be found.
Steve57 (0b1dac) — 12/27/2016 @ 11:21 pmThomas Sowell was a Marine. I’ve never met a Marine who promoted hatred. I don’t even know what that would look like.
My DI.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=415HQ1t2ZNI
My DI, like my sainted Senior Chief dad, didn’t want to parent some dumb @$$ too stooopid tosurvive his first combat engagement. Even if my life as entirely worthless, odds are I was entrusted with someone’s life who was/is worth something.
I remember the terrible day I met my DI. And I knew it was going to be terrible. The sun comes up in the east, right? People are quitting, dropping like flies.
Didn’t they know if they just would shut up, they might learn something?
Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTUWpsuH-pg
Enjoy your holiday, knowing someone is standing watch.
You too, ProwlerGuy.
Steve57 (0b1dac) — 12/27/2016 @ 11:59 pmI mean Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.
There is no deeper or hidden meaning.
Steve57 (0b1dac) — 12/28/2016 @ 12:13 amBore us, Ag80.
You don’t apologize for your editors I can brag on my senior enlisted. Deal?
Steve57 (0b1dac) — 12/28/2016 @ 12:45 amAg80. Did the new publisher ever explain what he was thinking when he said Thomas Sowell’s column promotes “hatred?”
Did he have anything in mind, maybe like arguing with what people say promoted hatred, or was this a syllogism based on him being a conservative?
Sammy Finkelman (324ec1) — 12/28/2016 @ 2:57 amMr. Sowell could still help fight busybody ish like this: https://www.yahoo.com/news/man-california-fighting-caffeine-dui-192312988.html. Sounds as if there is a dedicated law enforcement agency solely for coffee place drive thru stakeouts.
Sammy, the publisher was likely trading in syllogism, but my initial hesitancy with regard to Sowell was that within several of his weekly columns, he seemed to identify all Hispanics as poorer and less educated than blacks. That didn’t jibe with my own experience in both education and where certain people lived within the South side of Chicago. It also alluded to a large strain of anti-immigrant (regardless of race and legal status of said immigrants) sentiment in black conservatism, dating back to Booker T. Washington and George Schuyler and continuing with Shelby Steele. This tendency did disappear from his writing in the last 10 years or so, and he did have those zingers, one might call those quotable quotes.
urbanleftbehind (c20ea9) — 12/28/2016 @ 5:54 amDay late and a dollar short. It is still December, and just in time to remember one of the lesser known disasters of WWII.
http://ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=79
Typhoon Cobra was, I believe, the greatest unanswered loss of life of WWII. Because, who do you retaliate against? Crossing the T of the storm was one of several bonehead moves on Halsey’s part. His weather guessers didn’t screw up as badly as this account makes it appear. Halsey just made a bad call.
And, generally, I’m a fan of Halsey. He would take risks. What I am not a fan of is that despite the fact that Nimitz stuck by Halsey, Halsey would not stick by his subordinate commanders. Particularly offensive was his treatment of CAPT Gilbert Hoover, skipper of the USS Helena, following Callaghan’s and Abe’s mutual mauling of each others forces at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. Gilbert’s ship had escaped virtually unscathed, but Helena was basically the only ship in in good condition.
Juneau was down by the bow but appeared seaworthy until the Japanese fleet sub I-26 put a torpedo into her. Juneau, of Sullivan brothers fame/infamy just disappeared. One second she was there, the next second she wasn’t. The witnesses almost universally said that was the most traumatic thing they witnessed. Worse than the battle the night before. Which had been bad. Marines, soldiers, and war correspondents had witnessed the naval battle, which was intermittently illuminated by star shells, muzzle blasts, searchlights that were shot out almost as soon as someone switched them on, and ships blowing up. One reporter said, “From the beach it resembled a door to hell opening and closing… over and over.”
Juneau disappearing in an instant was worse.
Hoover had few options. He had one fully mission capable destroyer in his screen. Obviously, because of what just happened to Juneau, there was at least one Japanese sub in the area. Who knew how many their were? That particular patch of water wasn’t nicknamed “torpedo junction” for no reason.
Up until that time some of the newer Sailors joked about how it would be nice if they took just enough torpedo damage to get sent back to the West Coast for repairs. Nobody joked about it anymore. Liscome Bay had a similar sobering effect (like torpedo junction, escort carriers didn’t earn their nickname, Kaiser Coffins, for no reason).
Actually Hoover had only one option. Every Greyhound in his Navy but Helena was limping. San Francisco didn’t look like she would make it even if she didn’t tangle with a sub, and she wasn’t the only ship -that looked like she would sink. And, nobody believed there could possibly be any Juneau survivors. Hoover did signal an Army B-17 to search, though, and then he headed home.
Where Halsey relieved him of command for not, I dunno, giving the skipper of the I-26 more targets I guess. And like I said, I’m not too critical of Halsey. I read his memoirs. He knew full well that had he had to roll the dice sometimes. He would ruefully admit he had to make decisions that would be called brilliant if he could make them work, or idiotic and imbecilic if he didn’t. In Nimitz he had a commander that would let him take those risks, and wouldn’t throw him to wolves when the roll of dice didn’t break his way. Like crossing the T of Typhoon Cobra.
Halsey should have done the same for his subordinates.
Steve57 (0b1dac) — 12/28/2016 @ 6:13 amGerald Ford was a stud athlete, by the way, and Fighter Direction Officer in Monterey.
I used to pride myself on being able to stand up in a canoe in a typhoon and not spill my coffee. Bonus points if you put out a fire on the hangar deck while you’re at it.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Gerald_Ford_playing_basketball_on_USS_Monterey_06-1944-Darkened_Larger.jpg
Steve57 (0b1dac) — 12/28/2016 @ 6:20 am