The Grand Rapids Press ran an excerpt of a letter that Acton Institute founder Rev. Robert Sirico wrote recently in honor of the now deceased William F. Buckley Jr. The letter recounts a meeting that Sirico had with the Conservative pundit in Cuba in some 20 years ago. One comment that was instructive from that letter was:
“Bill Buckley was as generous as he was intelligent and as humorous as he was cultured. I suppose that one of the secrets I learned from Bill Buckley in building a movement for human freedom was to be encouraging of other efforts pulling in the same general direction.”
Unfortunately, there is no reference to what kind of “movement for human freedom” that Sirico claimed that Buckley was helping to build. However, we do know what kind of “freedom” Sirico–who is the head the local rightwing “think-tank”–promotes. The Institute supports a so-called “Free Market” system and believes that such an economic system is consistent with the basic principles of Christianity. In practice, this has meant that the Acton Institute supported the Clinton Administration’s “welfare reform” the mid-1990s. Similarly, the Institute has take positions that coincide with the interests of corporations, such downplaying human causes for global warming and government action on the issue. This position has brought them funding from Exxon-Mobil. Additionally, the Acton Institute has received funding and support from the DeVos, Van Andel, and Prince families, who are well-known advocates for the free-market in West Michigan and beneficiaries of that system.
In the letter, it is interesting that Sirico cites his visit with Buckley in Cuba, since he has been an outspoken critic of the Cuban government under Fidel Castro. Sirico continues to share his thoughts on Cuba despite having no real credentials to do so. On February 19, Sirico was invited to speak on FOX News about the US embargo on Cuba and what the US should do now that Fidel Castro has stepped down. His comments on trade with Cuba are standard responses from corporate world about the need to open the Cuban market and that this will lead to more freedom for Cuba’s people. Sirico makes these claims without providing any evidence to support his position.
Mr. Sirico has a very interesting history, and has been on nearly all sides of all issues. I suppose it’s just his way of being an entrepreneur – follow the money.
http://www.riteofsodomy.com/vnbarr/Sirico.htm
[i]Unfortunately, there is no reference to what kind of “movement for human freedom” that Sirico claimed that Buckley was helping to build.[/i]
I believe it was the type of movement for human freedom that got a whole hell of a lot of people out from behind [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall]a certain wall[/url], just as one example.
With regard to the merits of free markets vs. the command economies of socialist tyrannies, it would seem to me that the only evidence one would need of the overwhelming superiority of the free market would be to look at the incredible suffering caused by socialism whenever it is tried. for instance, it’s happening again right now in [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4599260.stm]Venezuela[/url] under Chavez; it’s as predictable as the coming of the spring.
And as for the previous commenter’s link, well, doesn’t this website have a policy against [url=http://www.mediamouse.org/news/comment.php]ad hominem[/url] attacks? From what I can tell, Sirico is living proof that a man does not have to be defined by mistakes in his past. But if that’s all you have – dredging up past mistakes, unsubstantiated, slanderous personal attacks and ridiculous caricatures of conservative and free market principles…
All this, of course, is aside from the fact that the whole premise of your “brief” is that it is somehow unseemly for the Grand Rapids press to bury a short article by a local friend of a nationally-known intellectual upon his passing. Bravo, Media Mouse! Way to stick it to the evil corporate media!
When you say “I believe it was the type of movement for human freedom that got a whole hell of a lot of people out from behind the Berlin Wall, just as one example,” it still is rather vague as to what Buckley actually did. Are you saying he was responsible for the Berlin Wall coming down?
In regards to the free market issue, again you only provide the example of Venezuela where you claim there is incredible human suffering, despite the fact that authors such as Gregory Wilpert in his recent book “Changing Venezuela” provide evidence that the standard of living for the poor has improved since Chavez was elected to office.
There was nothing in our posting that was dredging up “past mistakes” I merely was pointing out that it seems odd for the GR Press to run this letter by Sirico without providing some analysis or counter-comment from another persepctive. I would advocate the same thing if a local person wrote a letter on the passing of Fr. Dan Berrigan that only provided vague claims.