Saturday, May 08, 2010
Walter Hickel, R.I.P.
Former Secretary of the Interior (under Richard Nixon) and Governor of Alaska Walter Hickel has died. Hickel was a conservative from back in the days when "conservative" meant something other than "fascist" or "religious kook." He supported free enterprise and development, and battled radical environmentalists over these issues. But at the same also understood that we can damage and destroy the environment, and took this threat very seriously. He also opposed the nativism of today's "paleocons" and conservative populists. He was kicked out of the Nixon administration for defending the right to dissent against the draft and the war in Viet Nam.
It's hard to imagine where a man like this would fit into today's political spectrum... which helps explain why we are in such a mess today.
Walter Hickel, rest in peace.
