(I originally wrote this with the intention of posting it on my Facebook page. Seems that strategy may be a little too in-your-face. But I like the piece, so I will post it here.)
Yes, I have been avoiding Facebook. I figured all my friends of the conservative
ilk were flooding the platform with half-truths, false logic, hateful rationales
and downright BS. And I committed to
posting in general rather than post specific responses to each of those
misguided conservative posts. So, I have
returned from a week of fishing at the beach and enjoying the sunrises and
sunsets, and may have enough peace stored up to begin to respond.
And yes, I am a liberal, a progressive, a Democrat. I proudly support the philosophy of our great
nation. We are a government of the
people, by the people, for the people.
Not just the people we like or agree with, but all our fellow
citizens. I believe all men (sic) are
created equal. I believe no man or woman
is above the law. I believe every human
being has civil liberties and rights that are inherent at birth. I believe there must be a strong wall between
church and state so that the religious beliefs of some do not become the law
for everyone. I believe we must always
be on our guard against a power that would work contrary to these notions,
especially efforts by the wealthy to secure their wealth at the expense of all
others. We must always be on our guard
to avoid, as Jefferson said, the “tyranny of the majority,” and that we are
unique as a nation because we have historically protected those who are
minorities, those who are not successful in our economy, those who had the poor
judgment at birth to select a race that was not in power, a gender that was
not in power, a sexual orientation that was not in power. I believe it is better to give than
receive. I believe we are judged by how
well we treat the poor, the hungry, the naked, the sick, the outcasts. I believe the quality of human life supersedes
the ability to increase the quantity of wealth.
I celebrate all that the liberal philosophy has done for our
nation. It is liberal thinking that
freed the slaves. It is liberal thinking
that gave Blacks the right to vote and abolished strategies that were designed
to reduce voter participation such as the poll tax, attacks on mail-in ballots,
additional scrutiny and credentials at the polls. It is liberal thinking that gave women the
right to own property. It is liberal
thinking that gave women the right to vote.
It is liberal thinking that established Social Security, Medicare,
Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. It
is liberal thinking that turns to the government to solve problems and provide
services that the private sector cannot or will not do. It is liberal thinking that values the rights
of adult women over the rights of something growing inside of them. It is liberal thinking that says death by
firearms is a major problem in our nation and we must address it in a
reasonable way. It is liberal thinking
that views government as our government, not some enemy government. It is liberal thinking that recognizes all
humans are indigenous life forms on this small planet, that the notion of an
alien-human is absurd, and that all humans have more in common than we have
differences. We are all pieces of a
global pie and are constructed with stardust.
It is liberal thinking that values freedom of the press as a
strong arm to protect our liberties via the publication of the truth. It is liberal thinking that provides free
public education for all, not just for rich kids. It is liberal thinking that structures our
military and our law enforcement to obey civilian control. It is liberal thinking that laments the
persecution of any identifiable group of Americans (or any group worldwide.). It is liberal thinking that recognizes our flag and our national anthem are symbols, they are not the United States. Do not tell me that everyone I know who has given his or her life in the service of this country did so for a piece of red, blue, and white bunting with two holes on the side. They gave their lives for the continuation of this great and noble experiment in self-rule. It is liberal thinking that argues a person
should be just as safe standing on the street corner yelling, “I am a liberal
atheist,” as those who stand on the corner and yell, “I am a Christian
conservative.” (By the way, I think the
term “conservative Christian” is an oxymoron, but that discussion is for
another time and place.) Each of these
landmarks are liberal and each of these landmarks have been fought by
conservative thinking.
Our nation was founded by a group of men who stood in
opposition to the three major forms of government they experienced in the
1700’s. Everywhere rulers were chosen by
birthright or by military might or by some religion or another. The people had no voice. There was this incredible philosophical
movement in the late 1600s and early 1700s that theorized that citizens could
rule; that kings or queens should not be
chosen based on who their parents were or on the battlefield or by some deity. This notion of a government of the people, by the people, for the people was
heretical thinking. It was secular
thinking. It was liberal thinking and no
one thought it would work. But our
founding fathers fashioned a document that declared our liberty from those other forms
of government and defined the constitutional operation of a government ruled by
the people. It was the most liberal,
most secular form of government on the planet.
And it remains so as long as we remember those basic beliefs. Should we degenerate to a position that says
this man is above the law, we should put some deity in charge, these people
should have fewer rights, and these people should just go hungry then we have abandoned
those tenets that made us great. If we
want America to be great again we should return to the secular liberalism of 1789.
I grew up in west Houston, one of the most conservative
areas not only in Texas but in the nation.
It is the area that elected the very first Republican to the House of
Representatives south of the Mason-Dixon Line since the Civil War by electing
Bill Archer in 1974. It is an area that
was virtually all White. It is an area that was
all Christian, or at least as far as anyone knew. I know the conservative philosophy. I was steeped in it. All my peers and all their parents were
conservatives. But I was empowered by my
parents to think for myself, to question everything, to seek the truth, to
accept nothing at face value, and to remain true to my core beliefs. Doing all that lead me to liberal thinking.
I do not know how many liberals you know. We are not evil people. On the contrary, if you are ever falsely
arrested we will defend you. If you are
ever hungry we will feed you. If you are
ever persecuted for holding a minority perspective or presenting a minority
characteristic at your birth we will protect you as best we can.
I met a Buddhist in college.
I did not know any Buddhists and was fascinated. Sure, I could have proselytized, witnessed,
preached, etc., etc. But what I did was
seek to understand him and understand his beliefs. I was so fortunate that this person shared
with me and we built a trusting relationship.
We did not hold the same beliefs.
I did not convert to Buddhism and he did not become a Christian, but we
understood and respected each other. All
of this is to say that if you are a conservative and know a liberal I would
encourage you to find out what they believe.
There are plenty of conservatives out there who simply declare liberals
some dirty words or declare them fools, or declare them a threat to
America. Understanding is so much more
powerful than castigating.
If you want to know more about what I think and believe just
ask. Or you can read my blog: http://one-eyedbob.blogspot.com/
Thanks for reading this.
I will return soon to respond to individual posts on FAcebook. Until then, I believe truth, facts, and dialog
are pathways to a better future.
