Quote:
Originally posted by ARTelevision
gibingus, not at all. But being well off sanctions neither cynicism nor a sense of being oppressed. Nor does it become us to bite the hand that feeds us.
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huh, maybe i'm starting to get it. if i am reading you right, it sounds like you just think people are being ingrateful when they express such feelings and concerns.
so, to answer that question (very rumsfeldish of me, huh?) for all the complaining and struggle to continually improve our government, i hope it is not lost on anyone that we have it better today than it has ever been. women and minorities, for instance, have more rights than ever in history, but that doesn't mean that there is no oppression in our society, our cultre or our government.
we need to jealously protect our hard won freedoms. people will always try to impose their views on others, as currently evidenced by the straight majority trying to block the gay minority from the basic human right of marriage.
i love liberty and appreciate how precious it is. the light of liberty is an eternal flame, but that does not mean it can be left to burn untended.
and i think i may possibly view the hand that feeds us from a different perspective than yours. i am one of the many hands that feeds goverment, it does not feed me, nor do i expect or want it to. it serves me because i empower it to do so when i exercise my rights as a citizen.
because i question and challenge the present government, i may be labeled a liberal and unpatriotic by some present on this board. however, i hope you see from these statements that i have no expectations of entitlement and feel that the true definition of patriotism is to put the nation above the state - that is the abstract ideal of america is not necessarily the government that serves it at any one time. this is why those who instigate revolution are called patriots . hardly a 'liberal' stance as it has been painted by such conservatives.
but really, i don't understand the use of the term 'liberal' as a slur. by strict definition, wouldn't we all benefit from being open minded, tolerant and respectful of views and opinions other than ours, and receptive to change and progress? regardless of political parties, that is the basic philosophical framework of our government. i will challenge any democrat as vigorously as i challenge any republican, and i hope everyone else will do the same. many have laid down their lives so that we could do just that, and we honor them by enjoying those rights to the fullest extent. perhaps this is a topic for a new thread?
and art, a somewhat late thanks for the nod to my spirited rhetoric. i love rhetoric just as i love sohpistry and oration, and i sorely miss its presence in our modern political arena where speech writers have attained celebrity and pr handlers carefully place sound bites in politicians' mouths. the great politicians of our past (lincoln, jefferson, and others) were beautiful orators and brilliant thinkers who spoke for themselves, and their words inspired and changed the world. today, rhetoric is used as a dirty word. how we could benefit by cultivating a healthier respect for it and demanding it of our representatives.