[Frondo]

They absolutely do, but I get your point that that's not necessarily so in every single case. ESR's page on the rationalwiki gets it right, though, when they call him a "stopped clock"--right every once in a while (and by coincidence):

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Eric_S._Raymond

[tjr]

How then do you evaluate the validity of writings by an author whose political views you do not know?

[Frondo]

I don't, but I also don't feel the need to.

If, however, some other tech blogger I liked started writing about "kill the gays," well, I don't need to overlook that just because I like their tech writing.

Like I said elsewhere, none of these folks has a monopoly on good engineering writing/technical thinking.

I can read, and ultimately promote, writers whose writing I wouldn't be ashamed to share with all of my friends.