Posted on 01/08/2017 9:49:16 AM PST by Brad from Tennessee
Nat Hentoff, the author, journalist, jazz critic and civil libertarian who called himself a troublemaker and proved it with a shelf of books and a mountain of essays on free speech, wayward politics, elegant riffs and the sweet harmonies of the Constitution, died on Saturday at his home in Manhattan. He was 91.
His son, Nick, announced the death on Twitter.
Mr. Hentoff wrote for The Village Voice for 50 years, and produced articles for The New Yorker, The Washington Post, Down Beat magazine and dozens of other publications. He wrote more than 35 books — novels, volumes for young adults and nonfiction works on civil liberties, education and other subjects. . .
. . .While his sympathies were usually libertarian, he often infuriated leftist friends with his opposition to abortion, his attacks on political correctness and his criticisms of gay groups, feminists, blacks and others he accused of trying to censor opponents. He relished the role of provocateur, indirectly defending racial slurs, apartheid and pornography.
He had a firebrand’s face: wreathed in a gray beard and a shock of unruly hair, with dark, uncompromising eyes. Once a student asked what made him tick. “Rage,” he replied. But he said it softly, and friends recalled that his invective, in print or in person, usually came wrapped in gentle good humor and respectful tones. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I will bump for comment later. I loved this man.
Free speech for Me AND Thee.
A big sigh and sad goodbye for a man I really loved.
We shared a lecture platform once or twice, and I corresponded with him briefly -— this was decades ago. A wry wit, a penetrating and tenacious mind, eclectic musical tastes compounded of passion and personal loyalty. Many have thanked him for Bob Dylan; I thank him for Doc Watson.
He was alert to Christians who actually lived like they were familiar with the Gospels. He championed Catholics who were pro-life and had open contempt for those who were not.
He surely defended Christ, because he defended Right to Life of the unborn baby, the rejected Downs Syndrome child {the “Bloomington Baby case”), and the blameless, doomed, judge-murdered Terri Schiavo. And Jesus said, “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren...”
May God deal with him according to his mercy. He will not be without his reward.
Sigh. The man was a liberal; an actual honest thinking liberal. The kind we call the loyal opposition whom we admire and respect. Those kind of liberals we miss.
“There is a seamless web to life. . .all life is sacred.”
—NAT HENTOFF
Nat Hentoff was a good man and the kind of liberal we don’t see anymore - incisive, honest, objective, fearless, didn’t take crap from anyone, and always, always called them like he saw them without regard for who might be offended. He was worth reading on lefty positions because he’d make me think.
I agree. When he wrote, it made sense. He was the sort of liberal that if I disagreed with him, it was worth reading to figure out why. I had great respect for his intellect and his reasoned opinions.
RIP
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