A couple e-mails re: my column today:

Jonah:
Its worse than you argue in your “association” with radical leftists v. rightists. People like us (if I may) sometimes for prudential reasons do not think Pinochet or the South African leadership should be overthrown at a particular time because they are the best on offer from the strategic needs of the United States, and usually for the people they are governing, given the likely alternatives. This is far different from the support the Left gives the radicals and the Fidels. They LOVE THEM!
We do not have Pinochet t-shirts or Franco jackets. The only Rightist I can think of that parts of the Right actually loved was Chiang a long time ago. But they have Sandalistas who love Ortega and go their to help in the fields. They have Fidel-lovers who do the same. Congressmen and starlets and Hollywoood-types jostle one another to get photographed with Chavez. Its unbelievable.
Worse, we often get tarred for greater support than we ever gave. The mainstream Right (including Reagan and his Democratic point man on Central America) support on El Salvador in the 80’s was for Duarte over the rebels. Helms and few others supported D’Aubussan (all name spellings of foreigners approximate) but ask anyone on the Left and its all us supporting “Right-wing death squads.”
Worse still, they simply kill more people. Franco and Pinochet simply in absolute numbers and percentages just don’t do mass slaughter and population movement the way Mao and Castro do (and the Ho and the gang). (Exception is Guatamala). When Castro took over 20% of Cuba left the island nation. How many left Chile? Spain? So you would think they would have more to be sorry about.
Finally, we never support right wing dictators against the United States. There is simply no analog to the Left’s infatuation with dictators who hate this country. The whole point of conservative “support” of these folks is American interests. Every one of the mass killers and destroyers of liberty loved by the Left hated America….

And:

Your column was right on point. You can be sure, if Ayers or Doehrn had
been members of the John Birch Society or the NRA they would not be
working in Academia right now. Moreover, they probably would not be
able to get jobs at the Hoover Institute or the Heritage Foundation.
(They would be stuck trying to find real employment).