All I can say is, if you don't "buy into the fear" then you have no idea what's going on in the REAL world, like many other liberals in this country.
Once again, I never claimed to be liberal. And I also said that this fear which is being conjured up is unfounded, indicating that it is not based on facts.
Kindly explain to me the difference between a liberal, a progressive, and a statist as, imo they are interchangeable in the way that they are used today.
Fair enough. I suppose liberal and progressive could be used interchangeably--not sure about statist, though. Either way, progressives are responsible for a lot of good in America. I don't think the Revolution would have happened without progressives, and weren't the Republicans at one time considered progressive, too? Abraham Lincoln comes to mind. I'm sure there were plenty of people who looked at them as "horrid liberals" at one point. Something to think about, maybe.
Think about this. Liberals and progressives of the past actually SUPPORTED individual rights. What so-called liberals today support are far from it. That's where the statist comes in. I will not take credit for that as it was coined by Mark Levin in his book "Liberty and Tyranny". But, basically, a statist is one who supports central government planning and control, especially of economic policy, at the COST of individual rights. Don't tell me about the wonderful things that liberals have done in the past. Tell me about the wonderful things they are doing today.
Well, I'd say that while liberals may want to look to the government for more, they also challenge it more. I think that liberals are very much in favor of an individual's rights. Freedom of choice, separation of church and state, and same-sex marriage, among others, are predominantly liberal causes. All things considered, I don't really consider Democrats to be liberals. Maybe next to staunch Conservatives, but really, any more it seems as thought the Dems and the GOP are pretty similar.
Liberals appear to be for freedom of choice when it involves a woman's choice to give birth or have an abortion; but they don't seem to favor choice so much when it comes to allowing me to choose how I spend my money. They seem to believe my individual freedom to spend the money that I earned is less important than their right to tax me excessively and spend my money the way they see fit.
Separation of church and state? This is solely an issue of not having a government sanctioned religion where people can be persecuted if they happen to be of a different faith (e.g. Iran). The U.S. already has this without any challenges from liberals. What I see liberals concerned with is things like not displaying Christmas manger scenes in public buildings or not posting the Ten Commandments in courthouses.
Same sex marriage? How does this help the country or society? Marriage is an existing institution and I think you know what it's based on so I don't need to elaborate? Where is the benefit to society of same sex "marriage"?
As for the Democrats and Republicans being pretty similar, you won't get much of an argument from me there. But then I don't consider Obama a Democrat.
So, since there is no government sanctioned religion, why would religious articles need to be displayed on state property? Liberals aren't challenging SOC&S, either. They support it.
Same sex marriage comes down to an issue of human rights. There is no reason why these rights should not be extended to homosexuals. They are not second-class citizens, and America is supposed to be a bastion of freedom. Why should freedom stop short for some?
You miss my point. I did not mean that liberals challenge SOC&S, I meant that the U.S. has never had a government sanctioned religion; it did not take a liberal challenge to bring that about. And since the display of a religious item, which many times has been there for many decades, does not equate to mandatory sanctioning of a state religion (i.e. displaying the Ten Commandments at a state courthouse does not equate to Judaism being the official state religion) what difference does it make?
What rights would be afforded to homosexuals by government sanctioned same-sex marriage? What freedoms are they currently being denied? There is no law preventing them from carrying on an exclusive relationship with one individual.
It's not just about government sanctioned religion, though. It's about keeping the two establishments separate, so that government does not interfere with religious practice, and religion does not interfere with the practices of the government.
Regarding same-sex marriage, here are some benefits currently being denied:
Assumption of Spouse's Pension
Automatic Inheritance
Automatic Housing Lease Transfer
Bereavement Leave
Burial Determination
Child Custody
Crime Victim's Recovery Benefits
Divorce Protections
Domestic Violence Protection
Exemption from Property Tax on Partner's Death
Immunity from Testifying Against Spouse
Insurance Breaks
Joint Adoption and Foster Care
Joint Bankruptcy
Joint Parenting (Insurance Coverage, School Records)
Medical Decisions on Behalf of Partner
Certain Property Rights
Reduced Rate Memberships
Sick Leave to Care for Partner
Visitation of Partner's Children
Visitation of Partner in Hospital or Prison
Wrongful Death (Loss of Consort) Benefits
It's not just that, though. How would you feel if you were told that, by law, you could not marry the person whom you love? So much garbage comes from the right on this issue, especially talking about "preserving family values". Why is it, then, that so many proponents of this preservation are seemingly content to destroy their own marriages and take their families for granted? Put yourself in someone else's shoes.