Inspired by Gale over at Winds of Change, I'm a posting a personal manifesto embracing my liberal self. I'm doing this, in part, because I will not let fear silence me as I so often have. I am going to say what I believe, publically and loudly, and be proud of it.
This statement will be everchanging because I am a waffler a person who keeps thinking about things and putting them to the test of my reason and my heart. But the essentials will stay pretty much the same.
I am a Liberal. For me, this means that:
- I believe that sex is beautiful and not a thing to be controlled or demonized. I believe that that the state and society have no business in regulating or disapproving of sexual activity. I support the full rights of homosexuals and bisexuals, and of the transgendered. I believe that love is beautiful, and sex is beautiful. But while sex may be used as an expression of love, they are not the same thing. And so I also say that sex engaged in merely for fun and for joy, separate from love, is just as valid as sex in the context of a loving relationship. In the end, it is no one's business what consenting adults do together. I do not merely tolerate differences -- I openly embrace and celebrate them, seeing all expressions of love and the creative play of sexuality to be beautiful and worthy in their own right. I celebrate all of this as I explore the parameters of my own sexuality, and will not be moved by the intolerance of others.
- I believe that marriage should not be a state matter, and that the state exclusion of certain forms of marriage -- same sex, and polygynous -- represents a government enfranchisement of religious principles and thus violates the Constitution. Adults should be free to explore and express relationships as their hearts dictate, and the state should not engage in privileging some forms over others. As a corollary, I oppose the privileging of marriage over being single in taxation and other matters.
- I hold that a person's body and life is theirs. I support the right of euthanasia, the right to abortion, and the right for a person to do with their body as they see fit. I support the decriminalization of drugs, especially marijuana. I believe that a person has the right to end their own suffering when they are terminally ill, and that families and doctors should have the right to make that choice for people when they are no longer able to. I support the use and easy availability of contraception. In matters of abortion, I believe that a woman should have the right to abortion, especially "day after" forms such as RU486.
- I support the idea of a Bill of Rights for Children. I believe that this includes freedom of conscience and privacy, even when this brings their rights into conflict with parental wishes.
- I believe that Freedom of Speech is our greatest principle, and all forms of law should be considered in its light. I oppose Free Speech zones, because the Constitution does not permit the idea that Free Speech may be eliminated by place. I believe in protecting the speech of all people, even those I feel use their speech to promote hate and intolerance. As John Stuart Mills once noted, the only way to combat bad ideas is to let them have their airing in public and be beaten by better ideas. Suppression never works.
- As a corollary, I stand against censorship in all of its forms, including the unconstitutional restrictions on speech over the airwaves.
- I believe in the freedom of religion, and the freedom from religion. I fully support the total separation of Church and State, believing that this separation protects both. As a humanist and Bright, I firmly support the rights of nonbelievers, and oppose the discrimination against nonbelievers by both government and public. In the larger picture, I stand against the discrimination against people of all faiths and creeds, and against the under-the-table privileging of Judeo-Christian beliefs. I oppose the invocation of God in any governmental document or statement, including the Pledge of Allegiance and the national motto. I support the original national motto, E Pluribus Unum, as the greatest statement of American ideals.
- As a corollary, I believe that tax exempt status should be removed for all churches or faiths that engage in the political sphere, including all churches that used the pulpit to endorse candidates.
- I stand unequivocally against the death penalty.
- I stand against the use of violence to achieve ends, most especially as a tool of foreign policy.
- I demand the immediate repeal of the Patriot Act on constitutional grounds.
- I call for the investigation of, and the possible impeachment of, President Bush on the grounds of war crimes, violating his oath of office by undermining constitutional protections, and the Haliburton scandal.
- I support gun control while supporting the basic right to bear arms. The constitutional protection does not preclude reasonable controls. In my personal life, I refuse to bear arms, and will under no circumstances allow them in my home.
- I support unions. I stand against the ways in which American business has been allowed to lengthen work weeks and cut pay. I support workers' rights, including the right to maternity and paternity leave, a higher minimum wage, paid sick leave, adequate vacation time, overtime, and other measures that are necessary to promote the well-being of workers, both physically and emotionally.
- I support the idea of universal health care.
- I support the idea of the level playing field, so that all children, regardless of the socioeconomic status of their parents, have access to health care and education through college.
- I support an end to the privileging of the two main political parties today. I support the idea of fusion so that third parties can add to the political debate in the country.
In making these statements, I am declaring that I will stand for what I believe to be right and good, and will not be swayed by threat or by political expediency. At all times I will use skepticism to analyze my beliefs, and will no doubt change and expand ideas in this manifesto as I learn and grow.
Wherever my own path shall lead me, I shall be governed by the simple principle that ideas die unless vigorously challenged and lived, and that our nation's fathers set in motion a journey towards an open, free society, one that they could only see the haziest outline of. As Americans we have an ethical duty to continue that great journey and push this nation ever closer to that ideal.
You mention intolerance a couple times. Keep in mind that tolerance is the virtue of a person without convictions.
Posted by: Jeff | January 18, 2005 at 07:28 PM