http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/bock-301133-alan-liberty.html
Published: May 18, 2011 7:54 p.m. Liberty loses a friend: In memory of Alan Bock >From Cathy Taylor, VP Commentary and Opinion: The cause of individual liberty earlier today lost one of its best friends and most vigorous champions, Alan W. Bock. Mr. Bock, 67, died early Wednesday morning at his home in Lake Elsinore, from cancer. He was a senior editorial writer and columnist for the Register’s Opinion section from1980 to 2011. And, he was a friend to every member of our department, deeply respected for his intellect and eloquent writing, and loved for his generous spirit and unflagging optimism. His considerable impact on the advancement of libertarian values will be chronicled in coming days by the many people who knew him. We are inviting his friends and fellow travelers to write about Alan and his legacy. In his farewell column just a few weeks ago, (http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/liberty-292442-things-almost.html), Alan wrote: “I remain convinced that the cause of individual liberty is the most noble and constructive political cause around. Albert J. Nock noted that there are two ways for people to relate: through honest exchange and mutual agreement or by one party imposing its will on the other through force, the threat of force, or fraud. He called these the economic means and the political means. “There are plenty of things more important than politics: your family and friends and treating them right, the search for spiritual meaning in an often confusing and ambiguous world, art, music, science, simple enjoyment of the good things in life, struggling to make good choices rather than destructive ones, and supporting your children in their intellectual endeavors and at soccer and softball games. All these challenges, however, can be handled better – not necessarily easily, but better – in an atmosphere of personal liberty and freedom to make one’s own choices than in a repressive regime that makes choices for you and forces them on you.” Alan wrote four published books: Ecology Action Guide (1970) and The Gospel Life of Hank Williams (1976), Ambush at Ruby Ridge (1995) and Waiting to Inhale: The Politics of Medical Marijuana (2000). He attended UCLA as a National Merit Scholar and majored in political science and journalism. Alan was our touchstone for explaining and holding to the purest of libertarian principles, which he would not trim or shade to fit a pragmatic political end. He was our mediator in many an editorial board meeting, able to nimbly argue or acknowledge the other side, and leave his opponent feeling at least respected, if not wholly persuaded to a freer point of view. Alan always figured it would just be a matter of time until they saw the light of liberty and understood its blessings for mankind. We all – Mike Tipping, Betty Talbert, Will Alexander, Mark Landsbaum, Brian Calle, Trevor Smith, Steven Greenhut, John Seiler, Matt Leone – will miss you Alan. Immeasurably. We’ll provide updates as more information about services and tributes becomes available. -30- -- Please Note: If you hit "*REPLY*", your message will be sent to *everyone*on this mailing list ( [email protected]) This message was sent by Paul Blumstein ([email protected]) from The Northern Virginia Libertarian Meetup <http://www.meetup.com/LPNOVA/>. To learn more about Paul Blumstein, visit his/her member profile<http://www.meetup.com/LPNOVA/members/85324/> To unsubscribe or to update your mailing list settings, click here<http://www.meetup.com/LPNOVA/settings/> Meetup, PO Box 4668 #37895 New York, New York 10163-4668 | [email protected] -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
