Bayard Rustin

(Sort of a propos of this and this.)

August 24th marked the 20th anniversary of Bayard Rustin's passing. Rustin was a great man, from whom we could take many lessons today: on totalitarianism, on identity politics, on civil rights. There's a very good tribute to him in TNR by James Kirchick.

Steve Clemons at The Daily Dish attacked Kirchick (and through him Rustin) as basically liberal outriders for the neocon movement. The post is very poor, and basically repeats the now-common left/liberal litany that places blame for all ills on a cabal of (mostly Jewish - Rustin is a rare exception) hawks for all the ill in the world, known as the "neocons". A counter-post on The Dish, by Jamie, makes the sensible case that not everyone who supports the spread of freedom is a neocon. (Jamie's position is also amplified by Michael van der Galien.)

Rustin was not right about everything: he was wrong to support the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan, he was wrong to support the US intervention in Grenada. But he was right on most things.

For more, read this article by Nat Hentoff.

Hat tip: Jogo (again)