John Forbes asked: > The word (liberal) comes from Old French, and originally meant "pertaining to a free > man". Its very root means "free". > > So why is it that in the land of the free, many people seem to like > freedom for everything except thought, and consider "liberal" to be a > dirty word? This baffles the rest of us, many of whom tend to accept, > more or less, the definition of the Oxford Dictionary (original edition), > which states: > > "Of political opinions: Favourable to constitutional changes and legal or > administrative reforms tending in the direction of freedom or democracy." > > Surely this is what all Americans want? Isn't it? So what's wrong with > being liberal?
It's almost impossible to answer your question without setting off the politics powderkeg. When used as a dirty word, "liberal" is an accusation that means "one who advocates higher taxes and excessive government." That is what the person making the accusation wants the electorate to believe. It can go much deeper. This touches on issues that people are extremely passionate about and it could easily turn ugly. Abortion, guns, separation of church and state and economic policy are some of the issues. I tried to keep this opinion free to avoid setting off the arguments. Tom Reese
