Pledge Until Death

Dave Welsh to Peter Tompa:

Peter,
It's very important that there shall be a strong, continuing voice for sanity and reason in the conduct of US cultural heritage policy.
Apart from all other considerations, the superannuation of Maria Kouroupas impends. Her political connections do not confer immortality upon her. At some point in the not very distant future, we may expect that advancing age and infirmity will sideline the most dangerous and destructive personality the collecting community has ever faced, in the adverse development of US cultural heritage policy.
You have, through many and various aspects of service to the interests of collectors and the small businesses that supply them, effectively become their "leader of the opposition."
I personally regard "the Gathering Storm" as one of the most convincing expositions of the utter and unconscionable folly of pandering to insensate and foolish "political correctness." In this volume Churchill settled, I believe forever, all questions regarding whether his long and often lonely opposition to the politics of future irretrievable disaster was justified. The verdict of history is that it was not only justified, but memorably heroic.
Keep that in mind whenever you are feeling lonely and not very well supported. I at any rate will be with you to the death, and then beyond, as my well known personal beliefs indicate.
Dave

It is not clear whether Mr Welsh thinks the anticipated departure of 'the most dangerous and destructive personality the collecting community has ever faced', will lead to positive or 'adverse' developments in US cultural heritage policy. The reference to Churchill's apologetic book suggests that Mr Welsh envisages that collectors are faced with the prospect of a future apocalyptic war due to the 'unconscionable folly of pandering to insensate and foolish "political correctness"...' (I guess we are seeing here the dealer's dismissal of efforts to stem the damaging haemorrhaging of the cultural resources of poorer countries to the neo-colonialist US). By hyperbolic analogy he praises Tompa for his 'long and often lonely opposition to the politics of future irretrievable disaster' and indicates that he considers it 'memorably heroic'. He pledges loyalty unto death 'and beyond' if they allow him out of Purgatory for his slanderous tongue.