About The American Liberalism Project
The American Liberalism Project was conceived to help Americans of all ages, especially those just beginning their investigation of ideology and politics, to understand the nature of American Liberalism, what it is and what it is not. The original impulse came from the slander that the Republicans and other radical right wingers were heaping on the word "Liberal" and "Liberalism."
We believe that Liberalism is an evolutionary advance over Conservatism and that it represents the better nature of human beings. Accordingly, we believe that the politics of conservatives in America are grounded in a culture of fear and a false and ugly view of humanity, one which much of the thinking arising in the Enlightenment and of consequence in the founding of the United States of America both disputes and dispels.
In the years we have been on the internet, we have discovered that explaining Liberalism by commentary on the passing events of our times is a reasonably effective way to proceed. So, that's what we do. We write on current events and take an unabashedly Liberal perspective of everything. We really hope you will join us in these efforts. Open an account. Write. Comment. Engage yourself in the most important political era in the history of our nation since the Civil War!
Along the way we discuss Progressivism and its close relationship to American Liberalism. We discuss Socialism and how it is very different from Liberalism, and why American conservatives so frequently misunderstand Liberalism because of socialism.
American Liberalism when boiled down to its very essence is just exactly what is stated at the top of this web page and a lot more!
Join our community. It is easy and free. We will never ask you for money, nor will we bother you with commercials.
Welcome!
This entire website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 2004-2010, The American Liberalism Project, unless specifically declared otherwise on individual essays or when the intellectual property of others is used for educational purposes under the Fair Use doctrine.
Our Assumptions and Positions
Assumptions
Religion and Politics Do Not Mix -- We believe that every person has the right to believe or to not believe as only they themselves see fit. To assure that no one interferes in this right, it is always necessary to separate politics from religion and spiritual matters. This is not to say that we will keep quiet about infringements of this right. By no means will we let egregious infringements pass without comment.
Oaths of Office are intended to be honored above all party-political considerations. The oath of office of all federal office holders requires that the Constitution of the United States be defended against all enemies foreign and domestic. A domestic enemy is a person who acts in defiance of the Constitution or tries to change the Constitution by unconstitutional means.
Positions
The number one issue in the world is taking care of our planet and making sure that the impact of human beings on the biosphere is as neutral as possible.
The number one issue in the United States is election reform. Under this rubric comes campaign finance reform and honest elections guaranteeing that all persons with the right to vote have the opportunity to vote and to expect that their vote will be accurately tallied.
Corollary to the election reform issue is the necessity of reform in lobbying once officials are elected. It should be illegal and grounds for immediate ejection from office for an elected official to take any emolument, fee, service, or any other kind of valuable consideration from any person or entity while in office. Equally, a person holding public office may not subsequently accept employment of any kind from any entity over which he or she as an office holder was charged with oversight responsibilities or in which he or she was involved directly or indirectly.
Universal health care is the goal of a just and compassionate society.
The United Nations is a worthwhile organization which sorely needs the leadership of the United States. Not all nations are equal; those which are bountiously endowed have a responsibility to the rest to lead ... and listen.
Freedom of the press is a necessary component of the political system in which the United States was created and in which it still survives. A free press serves as a watchdog on the activities of elected officials of all parties. Accordingly, it is necessary that the press and electronic media are not constrained by politics or government from publishing the necessary information with which citizens may form reasonable conclusions about the governance of the nation. Likewise, it is necessary that owners of press and media be limited to no more than three functioning outlets (one newspaper, one radio station, one television station, for instance), to avoid the inevitable dominance of owners' opinions over the honest reporting of facts and events and the creation of culture in our civilization.
There are people who are working against us and our country. Some believe that they are doing good, but by Liberal standards they are not. They are the mendacious, the cheats, the liars; they are rude, unethical, raging, self-satisfied, self-righteous, egotists of our epoch, and for them we have The List
Please check this page from time to time. We may have added some ideas to the list Assumptions and Positions, or we may have added a nuance to an item.
Our Policies
- As of 8/29/06 comments may be posted to essays/diaries for TEN days. The previous limit was FOUR days. Understand, however, that interest in an essay will wane dramatically in less than a week.
- Please do not post gratuitous profanity at The American Liberalism Project. Yes, it is okay to swear occasionally, but profanity is very irritating to many people and we have a broad audience, so if you are willing to irritate to get their attention and likely detract from your point and message, go ahead, swear. Some words are more irritating than others. If you have a doubt about the "severity" of your chosen profanity, consider backing off a notch. See also the "Due Notice" below.
- No commercials. Absolutely no commercials for anything. Simple mention of other blogs, news media, television programming and movies is okay. Simple mention of products and services is okay, but promoting these products and services is NOT okay. They will be deleted without notice ... the whole text, not just the commercial.
Promotion of political candidates is okay. Normally, such promotions will be restricted to the Diaries Section of the website, particularly local candidates. Promotion of candidates who are not Liberal or Progressive in their overall platform is not desired, and unless there is an overriding reason presented for displaying such promotions, (such as the instructive value to our readership, that is, a classic example of something), then the posting will be removed ... entirely ... without notice.
- The New Diary "Preview" button is so that you can see how your contribution looks on the website. You should look, particularly, to see if the right sidebar is intact. If it is crowded off (or partly off) the screen, you probably have a long URL or a wide image somewhere.
If you persist on posting something that distorts the frame, margins, or any feature of the website, your posting will be deleted in its entirety without notice.
DUE NOTICE:
You may be "banned" without prior notice from this website for infractions of rules and churlish behaviors, including those noted above and below, as the site administrator at his sole judgment and discretion shall see fit:
- your failure to demonstrate respect for the right of other persons to voice opinions unlike your own, or
- your failure to conduct yourself as a rational adult human being, or
- your failure to maintain good faith with other members of this community, or
- your failure to desist from repetitious postings
- and, in general, your failure to abide by any of the rules stated here
If you have technical problems, consult with the site administrator BEFORE attempting to "SAVE" your text. It may take as much as 24 hours for the website administrator to respond, so please be patient. Email to: AmLibProj AT hotmail DOT com.
IMPORTANT NOTICE OF EDUCATIONAL FAIR USE UNDER SECTION 107 OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT
Parts of this website may contain or link to copyrighted text or photographs the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The American Liberalism Project makes this material available to advance understanding of the political issues of the day, particularly as they relate to Liberalism in America. This constitutes an educational "fair use" of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.
The American Liberalism Projects achieves no profit from the copyrighted material linked to on this site, which is distributed to those who by entering and using this website express an interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own especially those that go beyond the "fair use" doctrine, you should review the law and obtain permission from the copyright owner(s).
The opinions expressed at this website are the opinions of the persons writing them and not the The American Liberalism Project or its owners or its affiliated members. |
