Buckley, going strong at 90, speaks July 7

SHARON —  Though he may be retired from his posts as a senator, a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals,  Undersecretary of State for International Security Affairs and humble “country lawyer,” the conservative Republican, in well-worn deck shoes, has certainly not retired from thinking and writing.

James Buckley has been on the “50-yard line of history,” as he so succinctly put it. He relates that history in his book, “Freedom at Risk,” which he will discuss and open to questions at 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 7, at the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon.

Buckley said he will primarily stick to the topics of religion and public life and the Endangered Species Act. 

The outspoken 90-year-old says he feels religion should stay out of the national realm for debate, though he also says he thinks many things should stay out of the federal government’s purview and be left up to the states to legislate.

“Our early founders had the right idea, giving land grants to all kinds of religions,” he said. “Everyone will be free. We will be friendly to all religions. Now, there’s hostility. Even the freedom not to believe in any religion is in the Constitution.”

He said he thinks religion in schools, for instance, should be a states matter, as should many issues — including education matters in general — and many of the nation’s social problems.

“America is at a crossroads,” he said. “The federal government is moving into a situation where you turn to the government to solve every little problem, whereas in the past you’d turn to the YMCA, a fundraising drive or the Red Cross.”

Buckley, who held offices under presidents from Richard Nixon to Ronald Reagan, said he is disappointed with how the national government is run today, and said he thinks so much is asked of politicians that they have no time to focus on issues and really give thought to what they are being asked to vote on.

“The Senate has no time to deliberate anymore,” he said. “The people making decisions are thinking about being elected, looking for the solution that will give them the best headline. That’s why one of the things I think is terribly important is to develop term limits.”

As for the Endangered Species Act of 1973, Buckley said the basic philosophy not to eradicate species is as important today as when it was written.

“You don’t mindlessly destroy organisms that have come down to us over eons, just because we don’t know their use. Half our medicines come from things found in the natural world,” he said. “But it has morphed into an act that has become much broader and more intrusive, where you need approval for everything you do and people have no compensation for the loss of their unused land.” 

Now, he said, having had “Freedom at Risk” published a year ago, he needs another project. 

“I putter,” he said, slightly embarrassed. “When I have something to do, retirement is terrific.”

For the time being, however, he said he is OK with his puttering, avid birdwatching, fascination with American history and the Arctic. He is planning his 17th visit there for next year.

Buckley, who is the brother of the late National Review Editor  William F. Buckley, is one of 10 children in his family. Two of his siblings are still surviving and live out of state. His wife died about a year-and-a-half ago. They were married 56 years and have six children and five grandchildren. 

“Strange things happen when you turn 90, you become an oddity,” he said, laughing. “People always ask me if I still drive. I did at 89, why not at 90?”

He is definitely planning to drive to the library for his talk Sunday.

This article in the July 4 issue of The Lakeville Journal about James Buckley said that he authored the Endangered Species Act. He did not draft the legislation and has never claimed its authorship. It has been modified here as of July 8, 2013. The Lakeville Journal regrets the error.