Sharing My Story

National Review had two major things going
for it. It had a expansive list of top-flight
columnists, wriers and essayists. Former
communists and conservative idealogues
made this magazine a real education.
James Burnham, a one-time Trotskyist wrote
a column of foreign affairs called the "Third
World War" which he believed started in 1944
before the end World War II. Russell Kirk,
brilliant Catholic intellectual expounded
on the importance of tradition as a idealogical
anchor for culture and society. William F.
Buckley himself wrote his “On the Right” column
that one needed to read several times to under
his full meaning. Besides being a magazine
dedicated to conservative principles it was a
good read.

It also had a sense of humor that made it a joy
to read. One earlier article that caught my
attention early on was by Victor God called
“The Cliche Expert Testifies as a Liberal”
(June 27, 1967) which satirizes the trite
intellectual sayings of the time. Clever
illustrations and cartoons also completed
the mix that was National Review.