It is also hard not to notice the degradation in the values that helped define the Left and Right, and that has resulted in the vitriol and hate that has become an integral part of our political landscape.

As we said, the Left once represented the hopes, dreams and aspirations of a large part of society. The support the Left gave socialism and even communism, was in truth, a manifestation of of an intense desire that all men would benefit equally from the collective efforts of a nation. Whether one accepts the viability of that ideology, in it's origin, the Left's efforts were sincere and honest. They wanted to see the injustices of the day, dispatched forever. The American Left never saw their version of socialism and communism as oppressive or stifling. They want to be, in their own version of 'that shining city on the hill.'

It is easy, with hindsight, to criticize many ideas of the Left. By the same token, it is easy to criticize many ideas the Right supported.

It is the degradation and political legacies we wish to address.

The Left has gone from supporting ideologies that were inclusive and universal, to supporting ideologies that are fascist. There is no way any observer can come to any other conclusion. A lot of the moral capital earned by the Left, has been squandered in the support of causes that are clearly bankrupt and by ignoring causes that go begging.

The Left watched as Rwanda paid with the blood of over a million men, women and children. The Left stands idly by as Darfur unfolds, in slow motion, as testimony to the cruelest nature of man. The list goes on and on, as atrocities from Sierra Leone to those dispensed by Middle East despots and religious zealots are ignored. If it stopped there, well, that would be bad enough. However, it goes much further. The left now openly supports fascist ideologies.

The support the Left has for Islamic and Middle Eastern regimes- terror supporting regimes- is perhaps the most disturbing. These regimes make no excuse for their politics or their support for terror. That these regimes have used religion as justification for their barbarism is cynically exploited by the left. One the one hand, says the Left, 'we must respect their religion,' and on the other hand, they point to religion and say, 'This is the evil religion represents. We must separate ourselves from religion.'

That idea is of course is deceitful, at best. To compare what passes for Islam today and other religions, is preposterous, and a deliberate attempt to hide the truth.

The vast majority of Islam today, is an extension of fascist ideology. The calls for death to non believers- from the pulpit- and in schools, throughout much of the Islamic world speaks for itself.

The focus is on other religions and minorities. There is no pretense of acknowledgement of reality- that virtually all Arab suffering for example, is brought about because of Arab world shortcomings. It is always the fault of someone else and even the most vile behavior can be encouraged, tolerated, accepted, and apologized for, as long as that behavior is pointed outward. The Left will be at the forefront of that. Of course, if a reform group in Syria or Egypt demands justice and equality, the Left is nowhere to be found. The Left now focuses all it's efforts to disparage free societies and movements that aspire to freedom. They have made that very clear with their silence on moral issues. The Left have become the Storm Troopers for fascism. They see it as incumbent upon themselves to put out any attempt to establish a free society, by ignoring the efforts, or disparaging the efforts by supporting those fascists who will put down freedom at every opportunity. They have openly chosen their bedfellows, the Islamists.

Let's be clear. Supporting the Islamist agenda is supporting Arab regimes. Supporting the Islamist apologists is supporting the Arab regimes. To be clear, Arab regimes are in the running for all time worst- and that includes, Stalin, Pol Pot and Hitler.

Think for a minute. When else in history has religious support for a democratic government been unanimous and unequivocal? In free societies, religion has always been a reluctant supporter of war and violence. Yet now in the Arab world and much of the Islamic world, we see widespread support and encouragement for war and violence. In that world, imams vie with each other as to who is the most radical and vicious, with ever escalating calls to violence and degradeation.

In a culture that prides itself on faith and morality, many think nothing of rape as a mode of religious expression. On the one hand, they insist that women dress modestly- and if they refuse, violent sex is the weapon of choice to instill religious punishment.

Is much Islam so distant from morality? Has the religion that once gave the world so much, now relegated itself to a caricature of serious religious thought and expression?

Yes.

As we have said on many occasions, does anyone really believe that Arab world religious leaders are really religious? Does anyone think that despotic and tyrannical regimes that pay these religious leaders believe they would continue to do so if they espoused an anti violence stance? If an Arab 'religious leader' were to stand up and be counted as an anti violence moderate, he would be shot.

Arab Islamic religious leaders are no more than a billboard for the governments and ideologies they serve. Many Islamic leaders in the this country and in Europe, maintain their flocks by providing a bit of 'home away from home'- (and the check from the Saudi 'religious funds,' helps, too) and thus the rhetoric of violence and hate flourishes.

If the governments are obscene, so are these 'religious leaders'- and these are the movements the Left is defending, apologizing for and supporting.

As we have said on more than one occasion, they are not our moral equals, and the Left pretending that they are, only serves to highlight that reality.