If somebody with right wing views happened to die, it wouldn't get on Mudcat.

He is on Mudcat through his love for astronomy and his ability over the years to share it with others. His outlook on life is not why he is known. I don't wish to know what football team someone supports before deciding whether I like their music or not.

One of the reasons people can disagree with his views and indeed why his views can be so out of touch with others is because he and others were parachuted behind enemy lines to fight for such freedoms, including liberating other countries against the Axis powers. He thought a hell of a lot more about freedom than many who use the word only on their keyboard. He felt strongly enough to lie about his age in order to help his country rather than sit on the sidelines sneering at the government of the day. I might not agree with him, but by heck I respect him.

The rush to find fault with the recently dead seems to be fashionable these days. Good or bad, guilty or not guilty, it is easy to condemn when they cannot defend themselves.