Practically Speaking

It just amazes me that because one defines oneself as either a democrat or republican that he/she has exclusive right to a particular set beliefs and thus defines those beliefs. Therefore as a result legitmate and valid opposing views or beliefs are either immoral or invalid because they go against a political idealogy.

This is why there is such acrimony based on the fallacy that political idealogy co-opts and defines moral and societal values. If you define yourself by a political idealogy you are a moron.

Im Thinkin, I'm looking at your list again of traditional values and I don't see hardly anything a liberal does not believe in. To some extent every US citizen probably believes in those things, just not to the extreme level that righties do. That's the difference, it's the extreme level you take it to. For example, abortion, I don't think most people are for it, but most people aren't against it in every situation. Voter fraud, who is for that, but not everyone wants everyone to have to jump through hoops to cast a ballot. Morality, you probably think you know what is defined by being moral, you probably don't accept other peoples ideas about what is moral. If you're against gays right to marry it's immoral for them to get married. You're probably Christian and thus you think the whole world has to believe gays shouldn't be married. Almost every one of your examples of "traditional" values can be dealt with in the same manner. What you are unable to do with your "blinders" on is see the world through other people eyes. Your "liberal" child apparently has this ability and apparently has been able to continue a relationship with you but doesn't want to hear your attempts at indoctrination any more. Sounds like a child who has said, lets just agree to disagree on that matter. Do you think because you pay for things for your child that they should think like you ? Seriously, I don't think it's your child who has the problem. I don't think your education is complete yet. Old dogs can learn new tricks but they want to have to try. Open you mind again, it probably was open at one time but now it has become quite narrow. That's the difference between conservative and liberal.

I have to comment to "had to comment."First of all, in rereading my list of traditional values, I didn't see more than maybe 2 or 3 that a Democrat might be able to claim. No, my lib doesn't have an open mind. We could not speak our point of view, ever. However, we were convenient when it was time to pay for the big wedding, trips to Europe and beyond, provide jobs for lib friends and the lib, money for first mortgage, babysit, etc. I guess that is all part of the entitlement mentality of libs. Not only does Obama "sit down with...people of all kinds of views," he has them in his White House. Unseated Van Jones, Jeff Jones and Carol Browner, etc. are among known anti-Capitalist advisors.

I am prefacing this comment by stating, I did not vote for Obama and think he is a socialist, but since his speech is now over, did the sky fall in? Have all students been turned into democrats?

The manufactured outrage is a joke and you should be ashamed for fanning the flames.

Right wingers are leaping pretty incredibly these days !

From Santa's Elf: "Had-to-comment, wait a few years till your open minded tot follows the crowd into a crystal meth shooting gallery and emerges a few days later with no mind at all.

Nothing clears the air of liberal parental permissiveness better than looking its result right in the eye. One or two trips up to the hospital green room to visit a devoid child will definitely modify your perspective.

You'll surprise yourself by denouncing post-modernism, and running back here begging Im-Thinkin for lessons on a more traditional conservative meta-narrative."

Neither the right nor the left has a corner on the market of keeping our children away from the dangers of drugs, drinking and other dangerous behavior. The tragic tales of kids turning down a wrong path are just as likely to be told in Brookfield as in most any other community in Southeastern Wisconsin, and are just as likely to happen in right wing families as in those on the left. Associating liberalism with meth-addicted kids is an incredibly unfair leap.

Im Thinkin......many of your "traditional" values are shared by non right wingers as well. The problem with right wingers is they get carried to such an extreme....thus my comments about right wingers not having open minds. The right wants to be so black and white in a colored world. It won't peacefully work. I guess perhaps your liberal child doesn't see it as a threat to talk to "anybody" about their viewpoints without being afraid they will become "converted" because they talked to these people with these other "extreme" viewpoints. I bet your libs open mind had you pointing out your point of view all the time....you're just upset your lib didn't buy your viewpoints. Just because Obama can sit down and talk with people of all kinds of views doesn't mean he shares their views. The right doesn't get this. Maybe that's why the right is always battling with everyone. I hope you let your lib child operate his/her own brain and don't constantly bash heads over your split in ideologies. Good luck with living in that world of fear you live in.

I just remembered some more of Obama's compatriots. He rubbed shoulders with Saul Alinskky's Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), Project Vote and ACORN. And his current support of ACORN (Millions of $$$) demonstrates his open mind.

None of my kids, including the lib, drank, did drugs or went "all the way." My lib's open mind didn't allow me to point out the radical, anarchist, Marxist, Communist, Weather Underground, Black Liberation Theologist and Maoist associates Obama brain-stormed with. The traditional values the rest of my family believe are worth passing on are: God, right-to-life, rule of law, personal responsibility, secret ballot, stopping voter fraud, freedom of speech, morality, right to bear arms, states rights, security from attack by rogue nations, charity to those less fortunate, etc. You know, traditional values.

My kids are already past that point. My liberally raised children were often thought of as the less then cool kids because they didn't drink, do drugs or "go all the way". When it comes to misbehaving I don't think the kids take political view points much into consideration. Liberally raised doesn't mean you let "your" kids do "whatever".........but it's more about keeping an open mind about things. I don't know what traditional values conservatives feel are worth passing on. All that bigotry from the old days ?