by Ken Kreps
©2001, all rights reserved
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Our nation is now divided along political lines as never before and two occurrences in our recent history seem to lie at the seat of this division. First, there was the near removal from office of President Bill Clinton. He was not removed, but Republicans (conservatives) and Democrats (liberals) quickly formed along party lines into pro Clinton and anti Clinton camps and the war of words began as the political division in this country grew wider. Heated discussions and arguments sprang up on radio and television, in the press, at cocktail parties and even over the back fence. We became polarized with all but the most apolitical compelled to choose one side or the other.
The second occurrence was the Presidential election last November and it's aftermath which spilled into December. Neither Al Gore nor George Bush had enough electoral votes to win the Presidency and the entire election hinged on the 25 electoral votes in Florida. When the Supreme Court voted five to four to accept the current count (which showed Bush ahead by less than 1,000 votes) and stop all recounts which were in progress, George Bush was declared the winner; Al Gore conceded and all Hell broke loose. Liberals screamed Bush had stolen the election while conservatives proudly exclaimed that the Supreme Court had stopped Al Gore from stealing it. The division between liberals and conservatives, which was already quite large due to the Clinton issue, grew much wider until we had the armed camp approach that is with us today. Indeed, even the Supreme Court, itself, was thrown into an adversarial posture that was heretofore unheard of after a major decision. Members were at great odds with each other and even the clerks of the judges on both sides of the vote were taking verbal pot shots and one another. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said she was considering retiring from the court as a result of the court's internal turmoil. From the top down, our country is as divided as it has ever been since the days of the Civil War.
To disagree about politics, who's the best pro or college football team, or anything else is a right given to us by our constitution. We can disagree and have our say as we see fit. That, after all is what a true democracy is all about. However, into this disagreement has entered a type of rancor and even hatred which I feel is quite unnecessary and, quite frankly, I'm greatly disturbed by it. To be honest, conservatives have called liberals some really nasty names and liberals have done the same to conservatives.. As a liberal Democrat, I feel compelled to defend my political orientation from this name calling. I'll leave it up to one of the many capable conservative writers to defend their side from the equally nasty and unnecessary names some liberals use to describe conservatives.
One of the first charges some conservatives like to throw at liberals is that we are un-American. I bristle when I hear this because I know that liberals love this country just as much as conservatives. Still, some conservatives wave the flag and call us un-American, and even communists. We love our country and indeed, many liberals have fought and died for this country in past wars. We see the problems of this country in a different light and, conversely, we also see different approaches and solutions to these problems. Too often, when conservatives see hooligans burning flags and destroying property in the same area where liberal, law abiding citizens are protesting for or against some cause, law or public figure, they'll say, "See, there go those liberals again. They have no regard for the law." Not True!! The vast majority of liberals are no more in favor of destruction and mayhem to prove(?) a point than most conservatives are for bombing places of abortion. The fringe elements of both the left and right often use the same terrorist methods and once they've crossed that line they are no longer political activists, but have become anarchists and criminals and should be stopped, apprehended and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Conservatives will also tell anyone who'll listen that because most liberals want to see sensible gun laws passed, that also makes us un-American as the American way is for everyone to own as many guns as they choose with little or no restrictions. We don't see it that way and, again, that doesn't make us any less American.
Another charge often brought against liberals is that we are somehow ungodly. I hope this doesn't come as a shock to anyone, but many liberals believe in God and attend church. We simply do not believe that church and state should mix, and instead believe they should at all times be separate. Conservatives often counter that, because we believe in a woman's right to choose and that gay people are born that way and, as such, have no choice in the matter, we cannot believe in God. They will quote scriptures to prove their point while failing to understand that almost any viewpoint on any subject can be backed up by some passage or passages in the bible. We oppose the religious right, not for their beliefs, but for the oppression they bring to bear when they try to make all the country conform to those beliefs. The religious right fails to realize that while they have every right to their beliefs, so do the rest of us. Many of us believe in God, while also believing that a person's belief in God, or not, is a personal matter and should not be subject to outside pressure of any sort. Still, many religious conservatives keep hammering away that liberals are, by and large, ungodly and that's simply not so.
Then there are the out and out name calling some conservatives like to use on liberals. Just the other day, one lady on the Internet, who professed to be a god fearing, bible reading mother of two, called me a fool because I didn't share her viewpoints about our new President, George W. Bush and our old President, Bill Clinton. She tried to bully me about my beliefs and when I failed to back down, she said she could no longer discuss anything with me because my beliefs proved I was a fool. Another NRA inspired, right wing gentleman called me a liar, a propagandist and a shill for various liberal groups. They fail to understand that most liberals profess what they truly believe and not what someone told them to believe. Many conservatives seem to think that while their opinions are solid and true, liberals are all part of some master plan to disseminate false or misleading information. This type of pigeon holing of liberals is, if course, sheer folly. Still, as obnoxious as these people may be, they are small potatoes compared to the conservatives from Red Neck City who will use every four letter word in the book to show just how much they hate liberals and their viewpoints. These staunch supporters of the far right are usually upset about something having to do with guns.
Here's my advice to both the conservative and liberal name callers and label makers. Being a conservative is not evil and neither is being a liberal. We're all Americans and we all love this country. Having spirited, even passionate debates is certainly proper as we exercise out first Amendments rights, but we must never lose sight of the fact that each side simply sees our country in a very different light. I will continue to support the mainly liberal views of the Democrats for it's those views in which I so strongly believe. However, be you conservative or liberal, think before you throw around nasty or obscene names and labels to describe the other side. I would never suggest you call anyone a fool, but if you do call someone that name, you become what you've just called the other person. By your own words and action towards that individual, you choose to become a fool.
©2001 by Ken Kreps. This article may not be re-published in electronic or print media without the express written permission of the author. All Rights reserved.
Ken Kreps lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife. He has written a number of published articles, essays and short stories, as well as numerous consumer and business pieces. Ken has also written scripts for Imagination Theater, an award winning audio drama series heard on over 150 commercial radio stations across the nation.