From: Walter Block <walterblock@business.loyno.
Date: Mon, 3 Feb 2014 22:10:41 -0600
Subject: RE: Sue New York Times
To: Jay Stephenson
Dear Jay:
Thanks. But, I've decided not to go ahead with this lawsuit.
Best regards,
Walter
Walter E. Block, Ph.D.
Harold E. Wirth Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair and Professor of Economics
Joseph A. Butt, S.J. College of Business
Loyola University New Orleans
With an apology, all violence could be forfeit.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise......................
A duel had to be conducted calmly and coolly to be dignified, and the preliminaries could take weeks or months; a letter requesting an apology would be sent, more letters would be exchanged, and if peaceful resolution could not be reached, plans for the duel would commence.
The first rule of dueling was that a challenge to duel between two gentleman could not generally be refused without the loss of face and honor. If a gentleman invited a man to duel and he refused, he might place a notice in the paper denouncing the man as a poltroon for refusing to give satisfaction in the dispute.
But one could honorably refuse a duel if challenged by a man he did not consider a true gentleman. This rejection was the ultimate insult to the challenger.
The most common characteristic of a duel between gentlemen was the presence of a “second” for both parties. The seconds were gentlemen chosen by the principal participants whose job it was to ensure that the duel was carried out under honorable conditions, on a proper field of honor and with equally deadly weapons. More importantly, it was the seconds (usually good friends of the participating parties) who sought a peaceful resolution to the matter at hand in hopes of preventing bloodshed.
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I hope Walter will explain his decision, especially if it came about after re-considering libertarian principle. He has always been intellectually honest and an explanation would be illuminating.
ReplyDeleteI expect one is coming...
DeleteI salute Dr. Block and anticipate his tireless defense of the indefensible.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking that Walter probably could not prove any actual harm to his reputation. And he would be spending the next ten years explaining why he thinks it's ok to blackmail someone. The article (and all the rest of them) are nothing more than Rudy Giuliani moments for the bad guys as described by Mr. Rossini.
ReplyDeleteC'mon, this lawsuit needs to happen! Slavery has gotten a bad rap. It was not so bad. You could sing a song and pick some cotton. People need to understand that buying and selling black people as if they were cattle is not much different than forcing a corporation to accept money from black people. The public needs to be educated.
ReplyDeleteNegro Work Songs & Calls - Old dollar mamie
http://youtu.be/tpxIwpjXqG0
I'd rather be a slave than a troll.
DeleteThose negro work songs back then were better than the "songs" twerked to today by modern day slaves owned by Washington.
DeleteJW: Troll
DeleteDr. Block, have you considered reaching out to a competing newspaper that would let you write your own article that accurately reflected your views? I'm sure the WSJ or some other major newspaper would allow you to do that.
ReplyDelete