Can we at least question their patriotism?

During the Cold War, most of those who were caught spying against America had venal motivations – they wanted cash, or had some sort of twisted personality disorder. Only rarely did such traitors to their home claim ideology as a prime reason.

Which is interesting when you think about it. Teh Bold Socialist Ideal actually painted a compelling portrait; community control of resources for the benefit of all, everybody pulling together for the common good, from each according to his capabilities, to each according to his needs. Fairness, etc. There was only one unfortunately fatal flaw. It didn’t, you know: Work.

Anyway, given the grandeur of that vision you’d naturally assume in counter-point that in our current ideological struggle with a totalitarian ideology whose sere joys are culturally, how shall I put this – unfamiliar? – that even fewer people would betray the rest of us for ideological purposes.

Turns out? Not so much:

Americans who spy against the U.S. increasingly are motivated by ideology rather than by money, with nearly half of the known spies since the end of the Cold War showing allegiance to another country or cause, according to a government report.

Before 1990, just a fifth of Americans spying for others were ideologically motivated.

The report, released last month and obtained by the Federation of American Scientists’ Secrecy in Government project, compares trends among the 173 Americans known to have spied against the U.S. since 1947, of which 37 began their spying since 1990.

Only five of those 37 spies are known to have received payment for their work. Of the 11 spies identified since 2000, none was paid — although five had hoped to be. But almost half of those spying against the U.S. since 1990 demonstrated an allegiance to a foreign country or cause.

Increasingly, that cause is wrapped up in the war on terror.

Which, as nearly half of everyone knows, was a WAR OF CHOICE FOR OIL BASED ON LIES!!!1!

Which in turn apparently makes spying on your country to the benefit of a foreign power potentially, you know: OK.