Post by Tzalaran on Oct 21, 2008 18:27:11 GMT -6
"When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
The opening sentences of the Declaration of Independence clearly state the primary principles of the American Colonies splitting from British rule to create the nation that we now live in.
definition of liberal:
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liberal
explanation of liberalism:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism
i'd like to emphasize one sentence from the wiki definition of liberalism, "Liberalism emphasizes individual rights and equality of opportunity." i find that this sentence encapsulates my views of what liberalism is to a succinct sentence, and it also encapsulates the sentiment behind the Declaration of Independence's opening statements. Every person who lives deserves the freedoms of speech, religion, to assemble in groups as they will with peaceful intent, to own property should their hard work earn that for them, and to provide prosperity to their family and community.
From this, the United States was founded on liberal principles, where individual rights were paramount and the national interest would be furthered by the protection of the freedom of the people. For certain members of our society to say that liberalism is un-American or Socialist is an affront to the founding Fathers of this country, and the fact that this is coming from members of the Republican party speaking for the McCain campaign is an affront to the American people.
There is no one serving in the Government who does not love their country, and feel that they have its best interest at heart. There is no one who lives in this country that doesn't appreciate the freedoms that were tied to the founding of this nation, over 200 years ago. This political play, hearkening back to the Communist witch hunt from 1950-1954 led by Joseph R. McCarthy, is just a ploy to distract the American people during an election cycle, and it says more about the people throwing the accusations than it does the ones they are leveling the charges at.
The founding fathers came together and compromised on their own deep held beliefs to set up a government that would defend these rights for all Americans, not just the ones who agreed with them. This model has no place for questioning the motives of those you work with, and to use the negative labels of un-American, socialist, and communist in order to get elected says something awful about us as a society. It says this tactic works, has worked, and should always work. I've seen it too often in my 33 years to believe otherwise.
The founding fathers intended the United States to be a beacon to the oppressed, a hope that freedom is attainable to everyone no matter their beliefs. no matter their race. no matter their ideology. These freedoms were something that was endowed by the Creator, and could not be taken from them by any governmental body. Actions like these slanderous comments are the first step to persecution, the taking of rights inherent to another human because they happen to disagree with you. The dehumanization of others is the justification for evil, and it has no place in this country, who is supposed to embrace and benefit by the mixing pot that makes up the American experience.
The policies and platform of the Republican ticket shows no significant change from the actions of the current administration. This direction has been the dominant thought in American government for the past 50 years, taking us back to Watergate and before, the same corrupt acts covered by a slimy facade. We continue to allow these power mongers to push their fingers into cracks, splitting the people who when united can achieve anything they set their mind to. We vote for them because we are afraid not to, their scare tactics have been perfected over time and they have worked the state of the world to continue their hold on power.
We've seen the Machiavellian scheming, the twists of truth to their purpose, evading facing the real problems with Red Herrings of abortion, homosexuals, socialism, and communism. Claiming their opponents to be enemies of the Union is a way to pound their way through elections, maintaining their policies that benefit the few, at the expense of the masses.
We deserve better from our elected officials.
We must demand better of our elected officials by our votes.
It is time to make the government represent the American people again, and to work for us not use us to further their own desires. We must reject the doctrine of fear, demanding that elected officials focus on the issues. The actions of these individuals will make coming together to solve the problems of our time very difficult, yet we must reject the false distrust and find a way to compromise on these issues to help our nation move forward into the new millennium.
This nation has always come together to solve the crises that came her way, and we have never seen our nation in such a fragile state since her founding. Putting aside this attitude of mistrust is required in order to move forward.
Liberalism is not un-American, it is the foundation of America from those men who worked together in the days of 1776 to explain their reasons for separating from the Monarchy of England. To claim it now as un-American proves that the speaker is un-American.
We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
The opening sentences of the Declaration of Independence clearly state the primary principles of the American Colonies splitting from British rule to create the nation that we now live in.
definition of liberal:
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liberal
explanation of liberalism:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism
i'd like to emphasize one sentence from the wiki definition of liberalism, "Liberalism emphasizes individual rights and equality of opportunity." i find that this sentence encapsulates my views of what liberalism is to a succinct sentence, and it also encapsulates the sentiment behind the Declaration of Independence's opening statements. Every person who lives deserves the freedoms of speech, religion, to assemble in groups as they will with peaceful intent, to own property should their hard work earn that for them, and to provide prosperity to their family and community.
From this, the United States was founded on liberal principles, where individual rights were paramount and the national interest would be furthered by the protection of the freedom of the people. For certain members of our society to say that liberalism is un-American or Socialist is an affront to the founding Fathers of this country, and the fact that this is coming from members of the Republican party speaking for the McCain campaign is an affront to the American people.
There is no one serving in the Government who does not love their country, and feel that they have its best interest at heart. There is no one who lives in this country that doesn't appreciate the freedoms that were tied to the founding of this nation, over 200 years ago. This political play, hearkening back to the Communist witch hunt from 1950-1954 led by Joseph R. McCarthy, is just a ploy to distract the American people during an election cycle, and it says more about the people throwing the accusations than it does the ones they are leveling the charges at.
The founding fathers came together and compromised on their own deep held beliefs to set up a government that would defend these rights for all Americans, not just the ones who agreed with them. This model has no place for questioning the motives of those you work with, and to use the negative labels of un-American, socialist, and communist in order to get elected says something awful about us as a society. It says this tactic works, has worked, and should always work. I've seen it too often in my 33 years to believe otherwise.
The founding fathers intended the United States to be a beacon to the oppressed, a hope that freedom is attainable to everyone no matter their beliefs. no matter their race. no matter their ideology. These freedoms were something that was endowed by the Creator, and could not be taken from them by any governmental body. Actions like these slanderous comments are the first step to persecution, the taking of rights inherent to another human because they happen to disagree with you. The dehumanization of others is the justification for evil, and it has no place in this country, who is supposed to embrace and benefit by the mixing pot that makes up the American experience.
The policies and platform of the Republican ticket shows no significant change from the actions of the current administration. This direction has been the dominant thought in American government for the past 50 years, taking us back to Watergate and before, the same corrupt acts covered by a slimy facade. We continue to allow these power mongers to push their fingers into cracks, splitting the people who when united can achieve anything they set their mind to. We vote for them because we are afraid not to, their scare tactics have been perfected over time and they have worked the state of the world to continue their hold on power.
We've seen the Machiavellian scheming, the twists of truth to their purpose, evading facing the real problems with Red Herrings of abortion, homosexuals, socialism, and communism. Claiming their opponents to be enemies of the Union is a way to pound their way through elections, maintaining their policies that benefit the few, at the expense of the masses.
We deserve better from our elected officials.
We must demand better of our elected officials by our votes.
It is time to make the government represent the American people again, and to work for us not use us to further their own desires. We must reject the doctrine of fear, demanding that elected officials focus on the issues. The actions of these individuals will make coming together to solve the problems of our time very difficult, yet we must reject the false distrust and find a way to compromise on these issues to help our nation move forward into the new millennium.
This nation has always come together to solve the crises that came her way, and we have never seen our nation in such a fragile state since her founding. Putting aside this attitude of mistrust is required in order to move forward.
Liberalism is not un-American, it is the foundation of America from those men who worked together in the days of 1776 to explain their reasons for separating from the Monarchy of England. To claim it now as un-American proves that the speaker is un-American.