"I've a right to urinate/defecate, but you don't see me carrying out these activities at the table next to you, giving you the option to change restaurants ..."
Stop it, you're killin' me!
I think the people who still want to refer to themselves as "liberal" in the classic sense need to move on. The word has been adopted and co-opted by people who largely fall into one of two unflattering categories:
1)
Socialists – People who believe government or a government program is the best solution to every problem. Virtually indistinguishable from Communists.
2)
Useful Idiots - People who are unwittingly working towards socialism, even if they can't or won't admit it.
Old-time "liberals" still believing in individual rights & freedoms above all else need to join the Conservative, Libertarian or even Republican parties. Despite the so-called influence of the "Christian Right," most Republicans are very moderate in their social views and are NOT the reactionaries some in the press (liberals, mostly) portray them to be.
Like
Al &
GSV, I'm a fairly disillusioned Republican. The national Republicans are voting for reckless spending and failing to pull off any kind of roll-back to liberal (socialism) policies. And the local Republicans (who I used to support and volunteer for) have become an arrogant, evil force, trying to push bad things down the throats of the people they are supposed to "serve."
If/when I re-register, I'm registering as a Conservative.
---
Bror Jace
PS – Yes, I absolutely loooooove Ann Coulter. You say her caustic style turns you off? I guess you forgot what it was like 15+ years ago when conservatives had only a couple columnists and
National Review magazine to fight off virtually every other media outlet which was either liberal ... or VERY liberal.
Ann's a keeper.
[ May 26, 2004, 11:41 AM: Message edited by: Bror Jace ]