I know personally two famous Heathers but was only recently introduced to the third.
Heather Richardson Higgins is the CEO of Independent Women’s Voice and chairwoman of its sister organization, Independent Women’s Forum. She grew up wealthy but served as a Senate aide in Washington, D.C., eventually presiding over the family philanthropic foundation left by her father.
Her background helps her in the broadest sense, in that she is never awed away from an important project by its price tag. If it needs to be achieved, its needs are achievable. Her famous quote: “Properly performed charity not only feeds you but keeps your self-respect intact.” I have met her many times at Washington events, including several where she was a featured speaker, and have always held her in high regard.
The second is Heather MacDonald, author of The War On Cops. She has a Bachelor’s in English from Yale, a Masters in English from Cambridge in England and a Doctorate in Law from Stanford University. It is impossible to imagine a more impressive course of scholarship in the Western world. But since her scholarly base is in Manhattan Institute, a nonpartisan think tank that publishes the work of its researchers without regard to political result, she can be written off by the left as a person of the right.
At a scholarly event in Manhattan almost a decade ago, sponsored by Pfizer (ah, the pre-COVID days when we thought we could trust them…), my wife and I were seated next to Ms. MacDonald. Suddenly, from down a long table, Taki Theodoracopulos (now 86, then about 78), announced that he was looking to meet the famously beautiful and sexy Heather MacDonald. Now, Ms. MacDonald is a lovely lady, and not unpretty, but she looks like what she is, an intellectual who invests most of her life in study and research. She is engaged in a lifelong search for truth and while we can all debate her conclusions, we can never question her intentions.
She broke out a charming blush when he singled her out for loudly complimentary attention, but she was befuddled as to what was happening, utterly without context. I explained to her that Taki was the son of a former president of Greece, a wealthy industrialist, an inveterate womanizer who writes memoirs about his conquests like Casanova did, and the author of the social column in the London Spectator. He also, against expectations, has lovely children. (This was before he was accused in Switzerland last year of a 2009 rape.)
Heather was completely taken aback when her book became a bestseller on one hand and a dog whistle for liberals at the same time. She was met by riots when she went to book signings or speaking gigs, and accused by anti-cop leftists of somehow selling out for money. In the end, despite her book selling like hotcakes, rare for nonfiction works, the New York-based publisher refused to do a second printing.
And then, like in the TV show “Heathers,” there is a third Heather, the historian Heather Cox Richardson. A friend sent me a column of hers last week… To be continued…
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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Ms MacDonald has a highly impressive and intriguing window on the world and I love listening to her whenever she appears. Her head is screwed on clockwise and not progressive counter-clockwise, thank God. I hope she influences the young generation with her logic and vision.