To be fair she admits in this year old article that she's becoming conservative after a life of liberalism.
Her very first article there was this one ...
Letter of Amends from a Recovering Liberal in Berkeley
So I'm apt to believe my initial impressions. That she was in fact a life long Liberal, that became Conservative. She also has that former smoker syndrome.
As such, for me personally, the article has merit. As I said earlier, I've known others that had the same attitudes and then later on changed them.
I myself am actually an example of this, so I relate somewhat to her view, albeit from a male perspective. I was very anti-gun all through school years. I grew up in a home that never saw a gun. I wasn't so much liberal, as just centrist, which I still am.
I do not believe she's being intellectually dishonest. Just enthusiastic about her new perspective. It's like someone that discovers religion. They want to tell everyone what they see/know now.