I Define Myself

A human that is me: manifesto version .1

Who am I? I often have no idea. An animal with an always changing awareness. Time defines me as I walk through this life always encountering information. I experience, learn, react, push, and pull, always out of order but sometimes in order. I have many memories many of which lie hidden, stored in my brain but not properly catalogued. They define me without my own understanding. I am a tendency. I am confused. My outlines defined haphazardly and a mystery to me.

I am a state of confusion that pretends to know something. Sometimes. Subject to change like any healthy garden full of fruit and decay at the same time.

I question too much but not enough.
I believe we have not yet seen freedom and have thought about it too little.
Fuck who you want when you want.
Use words that are not polite especially if you know how to use words that are polite. I assume that my assumptions are wrong because they probably are.
I believe we do not know our history and that is our best weapon.
I believe marriage is silly and probably not very natural or healthy.
I believe monogamy is silly and probably not very natural or healthy.
Drugs are a health problem, not a crime.
Our reliance on fossil fuels is stupid and may destroy our ability to live on our planet.
why do we capitalize and use punctuation
I'm not sure love exists. I think it may be made up.
Sometimes I think love is the foundation of it all.
I do not believe in god and I talk dirty about Jesus.
Sometimes I joke about sex with Jesus because I hate christians.
Sometimes I love christians because of their christianity or maybe in spite of it.
I think Jesus may have been a real person and probably a bit of an anarchist.
I probably would have hung with the Jman, maybe in more ways that one.
Sometimes I'm disrespectful though I believe we are not respectful enough.
I do believe in god. I don't know if I do. I believe in the Force, seriously.
The force, nature, mamma... whatever you want to call it. Life?
I believe in being responsible for yourself, your family, and your community.
If you fuck up and need help, I might help you. I might not. I hope for the same from you.
I want you to ask me for help if you need it. I'll ask you for help if I need it.
If you need an abortion you should have access to it. Human life is no more or less than other life. All humans are humans.

I hate war and violence in general. I've read Gandhi's autobiography and it rocked my world. I think I may disagree though... not sure about this yet.

I'm not rooting for the U.S. in it's war with Iraq. We are wrong and should not be there. I hope we get our asses handed to us. U.S. soldiers should quit. Walk off the job, go on strike, abandon ship... if they don't I won't cry when they die. We are the bad guys in Iraq and we are the bad guys in general. We are the Republic turned Empire.

I want to be Luke Skywalker though I am too out of shape and I cannot will things to fly into my hand. Actually I think Yoda is more my style or maybe a synthesis of Yoda and Gandhi. Even better, Yoda, Gandhi, and Sam Gamgee!

I despise the democratic party as much as the republican party. I think the democratic party should be destroyed first, and the republican party second. I think the two party system has shown time and time again that it does not work. I think americans are too chicken shit and too lazy to deal with a broken system so they lie to themselves. I think "our" country is no longer ours. I think "our" government never was "ours". I believe that democracy is just a facade bolted to a conspiracy. I believe there are conspiracies, many of them. I think there might be aliens or there might not be. In any case it's time to tear it down and start over. Completely.

I believe George Bush is a war criminal. I believe that Americans should stop paying taxes because they become war criminals when they pay for war crimes done in their name. I believe that most others in the current administration are also war criminals. I believe that most U.S. presidents are war criminals. I believe that U.S. foreign policy is based on war crimes. I believe that if U.S. citizens were aware of just half of what "their"country did in their name they would shit their pants.

I hate the FBI and the CIA. I love John Lennon's song Power to the People. I am certain that the CIA killed John Lennon. I also love to hear the words made famous by the Black Panther Party: All Power to the People! I believe we need a revival of organizations such as the American Indian Movement and the Black Panthers... We need a whole symphony of resistance.

We need a militant labor movement. I believe that you should know who the following people are: Joe Hill, Mother Jones, Lucy Parsons, Emma Goldman... I'll add more because this is a big list. I believe you should know about the I.W.W. I believe in bread... and roses too.

I believe that Leonard Peltier and Mumia Abu Jamal are prisoners of war and should be set free. I believe that they will not be set free. I believe that America needs many hundreds of jail breaks. I believe that most prisoners in America are political prisoners. I believe that there is a prison industrial complex and that it should be dismantled. I oppose the death penalty.

I believe in direct action. I believe in getting arrested as well as avoiding arrest. I have been arrested and I have avoided arrest.

I believe in civil disobedience when it can be used effectively. I believe that we need a mass movement across our planet to save our planet. Seattle 99 was a glimpse of this. In fact every time the GATT, IMF, WTO meets there are protests all over the planet by those who want what I want against those who would enslave the planet for the purpose of capitalism. I believe that we are all wage slaves.

I believe in the decentralization of food and energy production. I believe in a garden in every yard. I believe in the tearing up of grass lawns and golf courses. I believe in blueberry bushes and raspberry vines. I believe in replacing conventional shingles with photovoltaic shingles. I believe in bicycles, segways, electrical scooters, and light rail. I believe cars should become extinct. I see a world without cars and their noises and pollutants. I believe in quiet, human scaled paths where people pass one another on their way to work. Where birds are heard and flowers easily enjoyed. I believe that the Kyoto Accord is a good start, but just the start!

I think that patriotism is outdated and probably criminal. One day humans will look back at our general time period and characterize it as a sort of dark ages. I think we have the potential to destroy our place on our planet. I think we have the potential to evolve, to become a force of nature that is rational and sane. I think that we are nature, we are nature hurting itself. We are nature with the potential to become free.

Freedom does not exist, only small tastes of moments that approximate freedom. Freedom is something we look for. Freedom is something we sometimes strive for. If we do not strive for freedom then we do not deserve it. Freedom does not necessarily separate us, it may bind us.

Freedom is something we assume until someone tries to take it away. The degree that we resist is the degree to which we are free. We have not been resisting much.

I believe that you and I have a relationship. As long as you are not free, I am not free. As long as you are oppressed, I am oppressed. We are independent but also interdependent. We affect one another. We co-create one another. I believe in cooperation more than competition. I believe that we need to learn how to communicate better. I believe that we hardly communicate as it is.

I believe that the capitalist media is the most important tool of capitalists and the state. I hate capitalism. You are not the boss of me. I am not the boss of you. Fire your boss! I believe that the economy should be controlled by democracy. I believe that democracy should be everyday and face to face. I believe that workplaces should be managed by workers through democratic process. Fire your boss!

I believe that another world is possible.

--Denny

My Kind of Liberalism

Though I try to be apolitical, this election has reminded me that I am basically a 'moderate liberal'. I supported John Kerry as the better alternative, though with considerable reservations. Now that the election debacle is over, it seems like a good idea to take some time to introspect and decide just what kind of a liberal I am.

Morality in general: I am certainly 'liberal' in that my instinct is to stay out of another adult's private life whenever possible, unless someone is being forced to do something against his (or her) will. I dismiss out of hand any appeal to a scripture as the basis for law. I am not hostile to religion, but I think that laws should be based on reason and a presumption of 'live and let live'. This makes me a kind of libertarian, so that I even oppose prison for the mere taking of recreational drugs, though I never take them myself, and I don't doubt that they are harmful for many people who can't control themselves, just like alcohol. I am quite the opposite of a libertine in my personal life, but I have no inclination whatsoever to interfere in the sexual conduct of others, except when irresponsible pregnancies produce unwanted children.

Abortion: This issue is tricky, since it involves life and death, so that we must have some opinion on when life begins. Hence, we enter the metaphysical realm. It seems quite certain to me that an egg does not become a 'life' the instant a sperm penetrates it. There must be some structural complexity in the embryo, especially involving the nervous system. It is impossible to draw a sharp line as to when life begins, but the usual first trimester rule for abortions seems reasonable to me. To my way of thinking, the 'medieval superstition' that life begins as soon as the sperm hits the egg reminds me of that other superstition called 'creationism'. Science must be taken into account, and a mere cluster of cells cannot be called a 'human life'. On the other hand, it is surely a 'crime' (or at least an injustice) to bring an unwanted life into the world, for which the genetic parents are not psychologically and financially prepared. This makes freedom of choice for a woman all the more urgent, though it would be best to avoid abortions altogether by making contraception and the day-after pill as freely available as possible.

Gay marriage: As I said, I am loath to interfere in the private lives of adults. Yet I must be honest about something. When I am reborn, I would like to have a mother and a father. Sorry if I seem narrow-minded, but that is how I feel about it. I'd rather be reborn in some kind of ethereal body from a lotus flower, as in a certain Buddhist myth, but if it's flesh and blood again, then the mommy-daddy concept seems best to me. Also, it would reduce ridicule at school, assuming children are as nasty in the next life as in this one. This is just my feeling, and many children raised in gay families may feel quite comfortable with their parents. Another point worth making is that it is unwise for liberals to press a controversial issue if it means losing the election, as may have just happened with Bush and Kerry. Sometimes liberals seem to be throwing temper tantrums to get what they want, but the far-right does this too (perhaps with more brains).

War: Here is where I part with many liberals who often seem to oppose war unconditionally. I am truly horrified by war. The internet has made available uncensored pictures of injuries, and I never knew they could be so ghastly. Imagine the agony! Yet consider the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, where close to a million Tutsis were hacked to death. Can decent people simply stand back and do nothing? At the same time, I realize how ambiguous many conflicts are, and how intervention can make the situation worse. It is an awesomely difficult issue. Armed intervention must be decided on a case-by-case basis, with the maximum information possible, and with deep and careful soul-searching. I do no feel that this happened with the Iraq war. At the very least, it was rushed. I am disturbed at the ease with which many hawks, sitting in their comfortable offices, advocate military action. Their reasons, however, may still be valid or at least worth taking into account. One topic that deserves much more discussion is collateral damage, i.e. injuries to civilians. We thought we were in the age of smart bombs and surgical strikes, but it turns out that over 10,000 Iraqi civilians have suffered casualties, many of them atrocious. But to be fair, we must primarily blame the militants for hiding among civilians and drawing fire.

Social policy: This can be argued in many ways, and I have no strong convictions. I do think that the tax rate should be progressive. There are good arguments for a flat tax (e.g. to eliminate loopholes), but it seems a bit too convenient for the rich. The argument that freedom and capitalism go together is fairly compelling, but I can still imagine some kind of democratic socialist utopia (if only it weren't for human nature). I am impressed at the ability of capitalism to deliver wealth and of socialism and communism to fail to do so. Some basic employer-funded universal health care seems desirable to me, provided this is also enforced on our foreign competitors. Though some would disagree, it seems that we are not yet cruel enough to let people die in the streets, and it is cost ineffective to have poor people use the emergency room. Also, there is some promise of reducing bureaucratic overhead with universal health care, though conservatives point to government incompetence. (Has it not been administering Social Security reasonably well?) The rich can always buy better services; that won't go away. Doctors may earn a bit less, but most of them are decent people, and it probably doesn't feel good to turn patients away under the current system, especially when they are dying.

Culture: Here is where I have the most reservation about 'liberalism'. There is much that I deplore in current popular culture, namely, what I perceive of as vulgarity regarding sexuality and violence. (Why do conservatives care so much more about sexuality than violence?) Now I am a firm advocate of free speech, but I still feel deeply concerned about the lack of 'spirituality' in popular culture, and I believe that the resulting emotional vacuum can ultimately destroy society. The problem with sexual liberty is not so much the primitive superstition that it is a 'sin' but rather the very real fact that it can lead to a degradation of sensitivity in human relations. An intimate personal relation is extremely delicate under any circumstances, but when people start to think hedonistically, sensitivity and caring seem to evaporate. This may not always be the case, but I do feel that public attitudes can decay under the influence of peer pressure. Sexuality may ultimately be a personal matter, but the fact that so many 'liberals' are associated with 'vulgarity', or at least a brash 'in your face attitude', cannot be overlooked. For example, I laugh at the opening skit of Saturday Night Live, especially when it pokes fun at politics, but I usually tune out the rest because of the obscenities and overall crudity. On the other hand, I worship psychedelic rock star Jimi Hendrix as a true genius, at least in his best work, yet I can see how many people would consider him 'insane' and 'vulgar'. So freedom of expression must remain sacred and censorship a last resort. Please forgive me if I seem elitist or priggish. Mostly, I just want people to be warm, sincere, friendly and mature. I also wish more people would at least aspire to what I am pleased to call 'spirituality', but this requires some minimum of sensitivity and good taste, and an enlightened cultural environment would seem to be a prerequisite.

Benefit of liberalism: I would like to finish with an idea which may seem controversial, because it involves criticism of Islam. I think that one of the greatest benefits of a 'liberal attitude' such as described here is that it leads to a relaxation of tension in society and to the avoidance of conflict. That is why democracies rarely fight each other, because the prevailing liberalism sets the stage for a resolution of conflict. In the undemocratic Middle East, on the other hand, one seems to encounter an inordinate amount of tension, anger, hatred and violence. I realize that much of the blame is to be assigned to the legacy of Western colonialism and the Cold War. Nevertheless, I primarily blame the militant spirit of Islam. I know that there are different shades of Islam, including peaceful shades, but based on all that I have read to date, I must say that Islam tends to take an aggressive, intolerant and confrontational attitude. I feel that this spirit has rubbed off on much of Muslim society, frequently resulting in a fascist mood. A provocative statement, perhaps, but one that I do not make lightly. I have seen too many photos of angry mobs chanting Jihad, and heard too few moderate or apologetic voices from that part of the world. The borders and interior of the Islamic world are bloody, to expand upon Huntington's famous phrase. This couldn't be just a coincidence. It is a reflection of the prevailing psychology. I know that Europe and Christianity have a dark and violent history, but that is no longer the case today; the liberal spirit clearly characterizes European society. The Muslim world, however, remains mired in an outdated mentality of religious intolerance and aggressive politics. Yes, you can call the Iraq war a mistake on the part of the Americans if you wish, but I don't think it would have happened without 9/11. One could discuss this topic forever, but I am just giving you my honest opinion, for what it is worth. Let us all become more enlightened and 'liberal' in the best sense of the word. The world desperately needs it.

--Benjamin Orion

Chris's Manifesto

My manifesto - a rough draft.  It'll change soon, I'm sure.
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I believe we all deserve a clean, non-disease-causing place in which to live and learn and love. I believe human progress is intrinsically linked to the health of the rest of the planet’s biospheres.

I believe we all deserve to be free to love and create families with those we want, regardless of the gender/sex, or number, of those with whom we fall in love. I do not believe the state/federal government or society should endorse one kind of adult-bonding/family over another, as that is all based on particular religious beliefs. I do not feel sex is something that is only right when performed between “married” people, or that sex must have procreation as its ultimate aim in order to be acceptable. I believe in the right of those who choose to remain childless to not be discriminated against by the government or society, financially or emotionally. A woman is a woman regardless of whether or not she bears a child; a man is a man regardless of whether or not he fathers a child. I believe birth control should universally be covered as a medical expense.

I believe we should all have the opportunity to live without pain, repression, and fear, and to do this I believe we should all work to end poverty, hunger, involuntary homelessness, illiteracy, discrimination, disenfranchisement, and under-education in all their manifestations.

I believe our educational system is under-funded and under-developed, and that teachers at all levels need more pay and education and support to meet the needs of our children in creating this democracy.

I believe we should all be free and able to disagree with others, in constructive and logical ways, and still be able to laugh about it over a good meal afterwards.

I do not believe violence is the way to solve anything – wars (literal or metaphorical), the death penalty, etc. are all antithetical to human progress. Gun control is essential – no one should need to/feel they should own an assault rifle to feel safe in our country. I will not allow guns in my home.

I believe in the right to abortion, euthanasia, the right of freedom of/from religion, the separation of church/mosque/synagogue/sweat lodge/etc. and state, freedom of expression in all its forms and as a non-spatially-restricted concept (i.e., I do not support the concept of Free Speech Zones).

I believe in a truly free media as essential to democracy.

I believe in proportional representation as a way to include other parties in our electoral process, and I believe in the abolishment of the Electoral College.

I believe we should decriminalize drugs, and fund instead education about how to use them (including our already legal drug, alcohol) responsibly (so as not to harm others or cause ourselves permanent bodily damage).

I believe we all have the right to universal health care and security throughout our lives, especially in disability and our old age.

I believe the PATRIOT ACT is unconstitutional and must be repealed. I believe G.W. Bush should undergo investigation for his actions and decisions in his first term as President of the United States.

I support the right to unionize, to fight for fair wages and healthy working conditions.

I support a child’s right to privacy and conscience, even when it brings them into conflict with the beliefs of their parents.

I believe we all have the responsibility and gift to think deeply about what we believe and how we act in the world. I believe that considering that our problems are complex enough to require complex solutions (rather than invective and bombs) is not unpatriotic. I believe that the issues we as a world face are not black-and-white, and as such require sophisticated and thoughtful responses, not spin and pap. As such, I promise to continually challenge these beliefs, amending them as reason and evidence requires.

--Chris

I'm a Liberal -- A Personal Manifesto (1.0 beta version)

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.

--Pouk Ledden

The "I Shall Define Myself" Manifesto

The following manifesto is my response to all the people, both Republicans and Democrats, who are saying the lesson the liberal Democrats need to learn from this lost election is that they need to become more moral and religious. In the words of the great MMH - "It is important that we see our spiritual selves as being incapable of being defined by the narrow-mindedness and small-heartedness of others who don't care for us and what we know to be good."

The "I Shall Define Myself a Liberal" Manifesto

I will live and love freely and encourage others to do so as they see fit, free from the restraints of gender identity. People are free to love each other, regardless of who has which genitalia. People are free to enjoy the pleasures of consensual sex with each other, all kinds of sex, regardless of who has which genitalia. And all people should be free to enter into a government sanctioned joining of their lives and resources, with equal privileges and responsibilities, regardless of the gender combination. Our genitals, and what we do with them, should be of no concern to the government or others in our society. I will stand in solidarity with the people who have been subjected to oppression based on their sexual orientation by stating I have enjoyed sex with my own gender as well as having broke sodomy laws in more than one state.

I will not allow the government to dictate to people how the most private decisions concerning their body should be made. This includes the people's right to make end of life choices, such as no heroic means used to sustain a body and the removal of artificial life support, and assisted suicide. This also includes reproductive decisions - from having readily available emergency birth control options, such as Plan B (known as the morning after pill), to pregnancy termination options, including non-surgical methods (RU486) and procedures that are required to protect a mother's life or end a pregnancy due to fetal anomalies, regardless of when this decision has to be made in the course of a pregnancy. When a mother is told her 7 month old fetus has no brain, or other such medical conditions that will result in death upon delivery - the mother should never be forced to continue the pregnancy. These, and all reproductive decisions, should be left to the parents and medical doctors without government interference. I will stand in solidarity with all who are forced to make such decisions by stating I have had an abortion after becoming pregnant while on birth control, and being in no position to bring another child into this world. And I never want to be kept alive by heroic medical procedures or on artificial life support. And if I am faced with a terminal illness which involves great pain and suffering, I will end my life on my own terms. These decisions are never made easily, but they are our decisions to make.

All people shall be free to form their own religious beliefs. Religious beliefs cannot be dictated. People are free to practice which ever religion they feel themselves aligned with, or to practice no religion whatsoever. A person's character is not defined by whether or not they believe in God, or if they are Christian or not. I do not want a government that is forwarding the agenda of any religious affiliation. I do not want my President to utter the words, "God Bless America" at the end of every speech. If God must be invoked, God should be blessing the world. God is not on our side. I demand complete separation of church and state. I demand the revocation of all tax exempt statuses for any religious organization that endorses a political candidate. I stand in solidarity with those who suffer religious oppression by stating I am not a Christian. I believe Jesus was fully human, and I am responsible for my own salvation, which I consider to be having peace of mind when it is time to die, through the deeds I carry out. I do not believe in the God of western religions. In fact I said to someone once, "I do not believe in a God that cares." I do not believe in a God that answers prayers or talks to individuals, especially when that God has suggested we should invade and occupy another country. The only concept of God that makes sense to me is the power of love and goodness which is available to all - a source that is up to us to make manifest in this world. There is no guarantee that goodness will triumph. There is no grand plan for humanity.  I do not ask that you agree with me. My religious beliefs should have no bearing on how I am treated by my government nor should I be legislated to live a life that is constrained by the religious beliefs of those in power.

• I do not support the use of the death penalty.
• I do not support the use of violence as a means to resolve conflict, even at the intermational level. I believe war to be the ultimate failure of humanity, involving many failures along the way.
• I support gun control measures. No one needs to own an assault weapon. I will not allow guns in my home.
• The use of marijuana should be legal, and not only for medical purposes. It is no different than alcohol. No one should use either substance in excess, or drive under the influence of either.  I feel the same regarding the use of many recreational drugs. What you do in the privacy of your own home, if it is not causing harm to others, is your business. The government benefits from the "War on Drugs", just as it does the "War on Terror" and neither should be supported.
• I demand the use of "Free Speech Zones" be abolished. Freedom of speech is not relegated to defined areas. The protection of the constition is not limited by where we stand.
• I call for the repeal of the PATRIOT Act.
• I call for the impeachment of President Bush: For lying to Congress in his 2003 State of the Union Address; for being the top official of an administration, and therefore ultimately responsible for, numerous violations of the Geneva Convention under his watch; and generally failing to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the office of President of these United States, as declared in the oath of office.

This is only the beginning of my Manifesto. I will continue to examine my life and my beliefs and determine those freedoms that are at great risk of being taken away under the current regime, and take a stand for them. Inspired by the words of Sugis and Captain Normal - We shall not be moved. I shall not be moved. Now is not the time to give up our freedoms, our unalienable constitional rights for  life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Now is not the time to conform to the narrow-mindedness and small-heartedness of those who do not care for us. As a liberal, I will actively and peacefully resist all attempts, both small and bold, to turn this great nation into something other than what it was intended to be - a nation free from the tyranny of its rulers and even the majority, a nation that would attend to the needs and rights of the minority, even if this resistance carries with it great risk. Our President has forgotten the rights of the minority have been placed in his hands for safe-keeping, and it is his solemn responsibility to do so. We must remind him of this. We will not go away. We will not abandon our causes. We will demand justice and liberty for all and integrity in the actions of our government. We will not be moved.

--Gale Winds