Liberal is the wrong word Says who? Just because Americans abuse the word in a peculiar way to describe the whole of the Left from mild social democrats to trotskyists doesn't alter the fact that the word'liberal' actually has a real meaning. Try this for starters: n 1: a person who favors a
And 230 years later, they still have a king (Queen), but we dont have slaves. Good point!
Thoughtful and interesting article (especially loved the opening paragraph ). I wonder if secularist is the right word and whether 'liberal'(in the real meaning of the word!) wouldn't be better. After all, I don't think that the secularists of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea wish to relegate "spiritual matters into the private sphere of personal morality". Ma
Among the founding fathers they probably were no such sentiments. I suppose it depends on who you count as Founding Fathers. Certainly some, such as John Quincey Adams were fiercely anti-slavery rightly seeing it as incompatible with the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson, the autho
Oh, and Doc, I forgot to say, it's really nice to see you back.
I've often wondered what role slavery played in the First American Civil War (1775-1783). The British were the prime players in the Atlantic slave trade, profiting hugely from human misery. Yet, public opinion in Britain seemed to turn decisively against slavery much earlier than in any other country. In the early 1790s the British parliament, after unprecedented public agitation - (in 1788 over one hundred petitions calling for
A lovely tribute. It has taken me a while to really 'get' L_W's style. She certainly has some fierce, often harsh opinions, but, as she says herself, anyone unable to separate the opinions from the person is operating at a fairly shallow level. I've only of course ever met her on-line persona but, as she holds so little back, she probably more closely resembles her virtual presence than most of us here. I've noticed that the ferocity is mixed in with a clear eyed, unfussy and unsentimen
I hate anyone with a firm opinion of any kind. Well, I don't hate them, I'm just mildly irritated... Or maybe not, I'm not sure... Ummm. Well... Whatever.
1. Standards for admissions to universities, fire departments, etc. should be lowered for people of color. Disagree. While this might help some people on to programs that they otherwise wouldn't get on, it leaves other people (of color) who would deserve the position anyway under suspicion of not really deserving their position. 2. Bilingual education for children of immigrants, rather than immersion in English, is good for them and for America. Don't know. Bilingualism in
being poor is a choice. Only for monks, nuns and others inspired by religious or bohemians ideas. Now, if you were to say that the poor were poor through making poor choices , that is a (subtly) different thing. Yes, the Left is correct. Society is inherently unequal and unfair. But so is lif
In a thread sometime back when someone mentioned the 'high' rates of tax in the UK, I looked into the matter and it seemed that on average the UK taxpayer was taxed at roughly the same rate - or even sometimes slightly lower - than in the US (Yes, I was surprised too. There are, of course, all kinds of variables, single/married, filing separately, age etc that make generalisations difficult). Part of the reason is that every UK taxpayer
lie is a lie and the consequences for that lie was expulsion from school. That's a perfectly acceptable alternative way of looking at it, seeing it as a kind of 'contractual' thing that the parents broke by not meeting the school's 'standards', but from a 'religious' point of view it is still very disappoin
My feeling on reading this story is that fairly early on it became reasonably clear that the man in question was probably innocent, but either through a need to save face, or the fact that procedures of this kind, once started, have to run their course, he was subject to a lot of unnecessary hassle. Whether or not this is because of the illiberality of British anti-terrorism laws , or because of standard operational procedures, I re
I think Baker is absolutely right on this one. The school certainly has the 'right' to turn this girl away, but they are completely failing to understand their own faith in doing so. Now, you may think that it's totally laughable for a non-christian like me to claim to understand christianity better than 'bible-believing christians', but hey, I'm a smart guy and I guess I sometimes let that go to my head <img src="http://images.stardock.com/J
Liberalism, as it was originally formulated by thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, was a philosophical doctrine advocating liberty of the individual and a State confined to the maintenance of domestic peace and the deterrence of foreign enemies. <TABLE cellpadding=8 width="95%" align=center b
Oooops, not Whores, just baby machines.... You've really sunk to a new low with that.
2 out of 3 leave any mention of God out, and still affirms loyality. good stuff. Yes. The point being you have a choice to 'swear' (religious oath) or 'affirm'. Exactly the same thing applies in a British court of law where you can "swear by Almighty God that the evidence I will give will be the truth
It's bad enough that the majority of us are unwittingly eating genetically modified produce every day,... I'm really interested in that. Although I'm not sure whether GM Food is a good idea or not, I certainly believe consumers should know what they're getting. In Europe, after an initial stiff resistance to
Incidentally, you also have a legal right to make the oath and pledge in Welsh (or Gaelic) rather than English WELSH OATH: Rwyf (enw) yn tyngu i Dduw Hollalluog, wrth ddod yn ddinesydd Prydeinig, y byddaf yn ffyddlon ac yn wir deyrngar i'w Mawrhydi y Frenhines Elizabeth yr Ail, i'w Hetifeddion a'i Holynwyr, yn ôl y Ddeddf. WELSH PLEDGE:<BR
I come from a nation where there has traditionally been no pledge of this sort. However, it seems that they've now come up with one for new citizens: Oath of allegiance I (name) swear by Almighty God that on becoming a British citizen, I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, her Heirs and Successors, according to law. (or alternatively) Affirmation of allegiance
There's no question that speaking another language gives you new insights into the world around you. The only foreign language in which I feel I am fluent is French (i.e. I can not only order my coffee and croissant, but discuss my philosophical and political beliefs in a fairly sophisticated way). French, as I'm sure you know, can be quite a 'flowery' language. Many a phrase in French, translated word for word into English, sounds immensely pretentious and 'artificial' to the cooler A
Apparently Mr. Blair thinks it did I've just read the link. It seems that this is a recommendation (i.e. a suggestion) from a committee that Tony Blair appointed, to which he has yet to respond , so it is a nonsense to suggest that "Mr. Blair thinks it did" or to accuse him of "insensitivity". The reco
14 - 17: Congratulations! Better informed than most Americans Quite an accolade for a foreigner
Sorry to be harsh No, not harsh, just 'tough love' I suppose. I think anyone's list of the handful of smartest people on JU would include you, but what about a bit of heart too? Some people have really thin skins; it's definitely a weakness, but it's a strength too. Where else do you think real compas
I've just read through both of the threads concerned and its great to see the silver lining shining around this little storm cloud... I've read humble words of apology from a JU regular, who, frankly, had never struck me as particularly 'kind'. So, I now have to see him in a new, more sympathetic light. I've read with admiration a fierce defence of a friend that reminds me of nothing more than a lioness and her fearless instinctual d
JoeUser Forums