Charlton Heston Has Passed Away

Charlton Heston has passed away. I think the following quote from a speech he gave at the Harvard Law School on February 16, 1999 speaks best about him:

As I have stood in the crosshairs of those who target Second Amendment freedoms, I’ve realized that firearms are not the only issue. No, it’s much, much bigger than that. I’ve come to understand that a cultural war is raging across our land, in which, with Orwellian fervor, certain acceptable thoughts and speech are mandated. For example, I marched for civil rights with Dr.King in 1963 – long before Hollywood found it fashionable. But when I told an audience last year that white pride is just as valid as black pride or red pride or anyone else’s pride, they called me a racist. I’ve worked with brilliantly talented homosexuals all my life. But when I told an audience that gay rights should extend no further than your rights or my rights, I was called a homophobe. I served in World War II against the Axis powers. But during a speech, when I drew an analogy between singling out innocent Jews and singling out innocent gun owners, I was called an anti-Semite. Everyone I know knows I would never raise a closed fist against my country. But when I asked an audience to oppose this cultural persecution, I was compared to Timothy McVeigh.

You can find the full text of the speech here. Most people remember Mr. Heston only for his acting and his support for Second Amendment rights. But, his politics were much more than that. He believed in defending all of our rights. He believed everyone should be treated equally on all grounds. He was a conservative who supported civil rights, labor unions, and people’s right to defend themselves. In my opinion, he was one of the greatest Americans of the last century.