Ideological Blindfolds: Reason's Michael Young has an interesting piece of former lefty journalists move to the right. I think he is correct that the Left has looked on the war on terrorism with derision and makes Dubya a greater threat than bin Laden. I think he is in point that ideology can cloud what is right and wrong. Good and evil is judged by who is one's friend and who is one's enemy (look at how the Left totes Cuba as a socialist paradise, and ignores the dissidents fighting for democracy). Right and wrong should not be based on someone's political leanings; it should be based on compassion and justice, and these go beyond left and right.

However, I think Mr. Young is being a bit blind himself. The political Right has been guilty of the same crime as well. When he talks of the Left ignoring the mass graves in Iraq, he seems to forget that many of those calling for war on the basis of human rights conveniently forgot the mass murders that took place in Iraq nearly two decades ago. Why did the West ignore the deaths of Kurds by Hussien, even when we saw dead bodies on the evening news? The Right did not seem care then, so it seems rather sick to start crying now.



The fact is too many partisans are blinded by their ideology. We are good they are evil. The fact is, good and evil is everywhere. Sometimes our friends can do evil things and we need to confront them. Sometimes those who we disagree with might do something right and we need to work with them. We need to guided by higher principles than just supporting our friends. If we support someone that is a dictator and causes pain, then we lose moral authority.