Friday, September 02, 2005
I am so tired of listening to my conservative co-workers comment on the atrocity of the events in New Orleans right now. Today I was sitting in my cube and I heard one of my neighbors herald the Governor of Louisiana for issuing the shoot to kill order. You know, I think that was the right move, and I hope that it will be executed in a manner that restores law to that area and minimizes death, but when I hear someone talking about how they ought to just start shootin' all those people, it just sorta makes me sick. I know I can be naive, but I really believe that most people are basically good people and that desperation makes good people make bad decisions, and that it is only a small number of people that have adopted a total disregard for life and taken up arms down there in New Orleans. Anyway, the guy is like "isn't that governor a democrat?" and the guy next to me is like "YEAH....She's one of those liberal democrats!!". And he says this all the time..."Liberal Democrat" and with such disdain in his voice and just finally I was sick of it so I asked him...."Do you know any conservative democrats?" and of course he said "NO" (although I believe they do exist), so I continued "So can we agree that saying liberal and democrat together is sorta redundant......like saying 'he was a white Caucasian'." No comment from that side of the aisle.
I have to tell you though...I am sick of being vilified for being a liberal. This country was founded on principles of civil liberty and yet I am regarded in the south as a fascist because I stand up for those liberties regardless of consequence. The word "liberal" comes from the work "Liberty"...when did that become a bad word in this country? I look at my conservative neighbors and I agree with them on a lot of issues, smaller government, less taxes, sure, fine, but they lose me on the "compassionate conservatism" campaign. I don't see the compassion in hatred of immigrants and other races, I don't see the compassion in slashing social programs that barely keep the poorest of us from dying altogether. It is incompatible with my concept of compassion to let people starve to death in this country. Forget compassion, it's not even Christian..... It's not my business to know if someone is a lazy nigger [something you hear a lot in the south] or victim of circumstance...it doesn't even factor into my consideration. See real compassion, real Christian love, compels me love everyone equally to the best of my ability and free of charge, regardless of whether their own actions have left them responsible for their position or it's something the world has thrust on them.
I guess I am gonna call that "Compassionate Liberalism"
