Take back the value of "Liberal"

[whosinpower]

One of my biggest dissappointment of John Kerry, when faced with Bush calling him the most liberal senator in the US....Kerry stated something to the effect of not labelling people, which is ok, but what I was really hoping to hear is a point by point exclamation of why it is GOOD to be liberal.

So - brainstorm what it means to be liberal. Not apposed to conservative - just what it means to be liberal.

I read somewhere that utopia could be defined where every single person could persue whatever religion they wanted, strive for whatever career they dreamed of, married whomever they wished - and not be able to force those attributes on any other person.

I have claimed that as my own - as it is something I deeply beleive in. My version of being a liberal is being free to choose whatever religion I wish, marry anyone I would like to, persue any career that I can dream of, and not be able to force any of those attributes on any other soul.

Thoughts duers? What does it mean to you - core beliefs please, not just policies....

[LSparkle]

1. To me it's being open-minded

and giving everyone the freedom to be and do what they please (within reason, of course). It's not being judgmental; it is being generous of spirit and tolerant of differences.

[craiga86]

2. The meaning...

Liberal (ADJ.)

1. Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.

2. Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.

[noordinaryspider]

3. This is a copy 'n paste with a credit to the author....

...that pretty much sums up why I'm one of dem dar Californy Libruls and damned proud of it:

"So sign me up for all the underground railroads for gays and women and girls with unwanted pregnancies. But I'm tired of hearing that my belief in protecting the rights of all Americans is un-American. I'm tired of being told compassion is weakness. I'm tired of people telling me that their zip code makes them more of an authentic American than me.

I have come to believe that part of what makes a person a liberal is the deep understanding that bad things happen to good people. That misfortune and injustice aren't God's righteous punishment, just harsh facts of many people's lives. Being a liberal means understanding that the person it happens to has been me and could be me again. And feeling pain seeing someone else's pain.

But I don't think it means making yourself someone's punching bag endlessly. Maybe if the red states got to experience "compassionate" conservatism unfiltered by blue state money, and liberals fighting for their rights as well as our own, they might stop measuring our human value by how often we go to church.

They might even start to get a little blue around the edges. Either way, thank God I live in California."

-- Katherine Eisenhauer