Russell writes
> >P.S. Standing challenge to any of you liberals out there:
> >top that! Confess how you have articulated to yourself
> >something as explosive as "Fred Reed's piece is racist"
> >but with the shoe on the other foot, and how you, even
> >though it was exceedingly painful, had to give huge aid
> >and comfort to your ideological opponents. (P.P.S. I
> >don't think any of them will.)
>
> Um, Lee, who do you think of as a "liberal"?
I apologize for my U.S. based coordinate system. I
have read, but forget like many others, how slippery
the term is internationally. Let me revise my
challenge: it's to U.S. liberals only.
> You know a lot about my ethical and political views by now.
> Do I count?
I don't think so, although my usual coordinates fail to
entirely apply. You have indeed made too many libertarian
assertions to be a U.S. liberal.
> The word "liberal" tends to mean something different over
> here and it has many different nuances historically.
Some of us need to stop using the word unqualifyingly.
> Also, who on this list counts as one of my ideological opponents? Daniel,
> Jerry and Mike because they are (I think) full-on libertarians whereas I
> have some libertarian tendencies but also a lot of theoretical and practical
> concerns about formal libertarian systems of thought? Samantha, who has a
> tendency to spirituality whereas I am a self-confessed ferocious atheist?
> You because you seem to have a social conservative streak whereas I don't?
You are too centrist to have perpetual ideological adversaries,
in my opinion. (Again, this is probably from a U.S. perspective.)
But there is a marvelous reality to the political spectrum, which
I and my little liberal friend discovered when we were in 7th grade.
It's real, and in so amazingly many cases quite reliable. Now, as
as libertarian-conservative---I am exactly on the midpoint between
the two on the Nolan chart---I acknowledge the Nolan chart as an
even better model of this landscape (for the U.S. people, at least)
Take the test yourself! http://www.self-gov.org/quiz.html Tell me
where you land. It's quick and easy.
> I have often defended people who are my "opponents", in various senses, or
> gone out of my way to give credit to them or their ideas where it is due.
I am not at all surprised, considering your tone, demeanor, reasonableness,
and open-mindedness.
Lee
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