Radicals can also be from the right

Re “Radicals never say sorry,” Opinion, Feb. 26

Jonah Goldberg once again displays his tone deafness. He wonders, “How is it that [William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn] get prestigious university jobs when even the whisper of neocon tendencies is toxic in academia?” The answer, dear boy, is power. The radicals, for all the bodily harm and property damage they wreaked, were essentially powerless to alter anything. The neocons, with their bloody hands on the levers of government, were and are powerfully able to change the world.

But the path to a prestigious university job is not a one-way street. Answer this, Jonah: How is it that John Yoo, an architect of the current administration’s policy that ignores the Geneva Convention, is a law professor at UC Berkeley? Has he said he’s sorry? Not that I’ve heard.

Martin Parker

Thousand Oaks

Goldberg’s article left me a bit perplexed. Although I agree that most radicals probably don’t apologize for their past acts, why is it that the only radicals Goldberg mentions are of the left-wing variety?

Nowhere can I find a mention of any one of the hundreds of radicals who have bombed abortion clinics and women’s health centers, set fires, intimidated innocent people or stalked, hunted and murdered doctors. Why no mention of any of these people? Is it that every one of these conservative, right-leaning murderers, arsonists, bombers or terrorists have all apologized for their past sins, or is it simply that being a myopic, right-wing conservative writer means never having to tell the full story?

Garry Kluger

La Crescenta

Goldberg asks the difference between Sen. Barack Obama’s acquaintance with Ayers and Sen. Trent Lott’s “kindness” to Strom Thurmond. There is a difference, Jonah, between meeting a bad guy and wishing he had been president of the U.S.

Russell S. Kussman

Pacific Palisades