I think the terms, Liberal and Conservative, have been forced into the argument to divide people and to prevent substantive and purposeful discussion about the real issues.
I harvested this from a comment string after a Mike Adams' column. Long read but kind of interesting.
"It is interesting that like the term racist, the word “liberal” has had its meaning twisted so often that it no longer is used in its proper context. Mike Adams tosses the word out quite often, but he is not really being careful about being accurate in his terminology. Contrary to the perverse re-definition of the contemporary form of the word, liberal actually defines an honorable characteristic. Liberal is akin to open and receptive, and liberal is synonymous with freedom. A liberal mind is open to new ideas. A liberal mind is receptive to alternative solutions. A liberal mind realizes that each individual has differing objectives in their lives, and a liberal mind believes men should be free to strive for varying goals. A liberal can coexist with others that disagree with him, because he acknowledges that others have had experiences and attained education that may lead them to different conclusions. A liberal mind accepts this, and though such a mind may try to persuade others to consider a new way of looking at an issue, it does not attempt to use the rule of law to coerce others to accept one preferred view of the world.
A liberal mind continues to mature as new events in life are experienced, and will alter a belief if events produce a reason to do so. A liberal mind is not afraid of being proven wrong, for it is aware that it cannot hold all knowledge. A liberal mind is open to reason, for only by doing so will the amount of knowledge that it can hold increase. A liberal mind will look at the facts, use logic to critique the content, and make a deduction that very well may be different from the initial supposition.
A liberal mind is aware that all things are possible, that new ideas can make old dreams a reality, and that the mind of man is capable of achieving great things. A liberal mind appreciates the efforts of man, and does not view mankind as being evil merely because man’s history is dotted with errors. A liberal mind knows that errors are inevitable when new ideas are tested.
Liberal means allowing speech that one finds offensive, because such words may hold a grain of truth that can grow into viable ideas. Censorship is the antithesis of liberal thinking, and those that shout down opposing ideas or seek to ban unpopular opinions are not liberal, for they refuse to even consider an opposing argument. Likewise, liberal does not mean forcing scientists to censor data in order to support an unproven hypothesis merely because the theory itself is popular. Nor would a liberal advocate teaching children what they should think, but only how to think.
Liberal does not mean creating an economic model that enslaves the ambition of men and compels them to think and act in only one way. Liberal does not mean penalizing the efforts of those that dare to achieve by mandating that they are liable for the livelihood of those that do not. Liberal is not reducing mankind into groups, thereby ignoring the magnificence and ingenuity of the individual. Liberal is realizing that each man’s effort is precious to that man, and a true liberal strives to protect that unique effort.
To be liberal means that one is willing to permit even the most radical idea to be voiced, even if it deeply offends or harshly criticizes others. A liberal is able to open his mind to opposing views, digest the differing input, and then make a decision with all points considered. And though a liberal mind is open, it is still able to deduce thoughts on its own. Hence, a liberal mind can be persuaded, but not just led. Conversely, a closed mind is easily led, because there is no input that will allow it to see a better way to go. Unfortunately, many a mind that considers itself to be liberal only accepts input that is consistent with the opinion it already holds, so such a mind is anything but liberal. An ostrich would never make a good liberal.
Finally, a liberal does not hate those that do not see things the same way as he does. Rather, the liberal mind attempts to persuade others to see things in a different light by exposing them to opposing concepts. Narrow minds are appalled when such material is introduced, for they are not liberal. A liberal isn’t afraid to voice an opinion, and a liberal knows that his particular opinion will not always be accepted. A liberal mind accepts the fact that even though logic and rationale may obviously lead to a certain conclusion, there will always be those that will never agree with him. Thus, a liberal does not force others to be tolerant of an idea that he alone holds dear.
To be liberal is a great thing, for liberal minds propelled mankind out of the prehistoric caves, beyond the Dark Ages, and out into the stars. It is just too bad that so noble of a word has been used as a label for a group of people that do not practice its true meaning."
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