From: benlizro@ihug.co.nz   
      
   Frequently mentioned on a.u.e. (less frequently on sci.lang) because of   
   his New York Times column "On Language", written from 1979 until his   
   death. He had started at the Times as a political columnist; among his   
   varied previous occupations, he had written speeches for Richard Nixon   
   and Spiro T.Agnew.   
      
   "It started as the usual kind of usage column, addressing traditional   
   complaints, but he developed a witty style that gave him a general   
   appeal....Over the years he became less prescriptive and more   
   explanatory, reaching out to linguists as occasion demanded." (Crystal)   
      
   I knew his writings only as quoted on a.u.e. Somewhere I have a   
   collection of his columns in book form, but I've never been in the mood   
   to read it. (Same goes for other such collections I've accumulated. I   
   should get rid of them.)   
      
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Safire   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)